Ideas for Senior Photos
“Oye, oye seniors!” Was a classic phrase that I remember hearing all the time in high school by one of our popular teachers. And now, it’s the phrase I think of every time I’m asked to do a senior portraits session.
A senior photo session is an awesome category for any and all photographers to experience at least once in their photography career.
It brings a new perspective on portraits session by focusing specifically on the style of senior pictures only and helps bring out your creative side with your clients in a relaxed fashion.
In this blog article, we’ll go through various categories, tips and examples of the type of senior picture poses to shoot in a senior session.
PINTEREST PIN
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The Graduation Gown
Let’s start with the most obvious category when grouping your senior portraits for different poses, and that’s first and foremost with the graduation cap and gown.
This is usually something that the senior wants in their session.
And if for some reason, the senior doesn’t want them in their session, the parents will.
With that being said, there are incredibly simple but awesome senior photo poses to do with the cap and gown.
The typical is to just have your senior wear the cap and gown in the traditional fashion with the gown zipped up and cap in place.
*Pro Tip: one question that is always asked is which side does the tassel belong on? And the answer is, it’s either.
For high school and undergraduate degrees, the tassel is usually worn on the right side of the cap before the ceremony, then moved to the left after receiving their diploma.
For graduate students, it’s often worn on the left side from the get go.
To make this less awkward from just a standing pose with the arms down to the side (because there aren’t pockets in these gowns so the senior can’t put their hands in their pocket), have the senior walk towards the camera.
In addition, a good idea for any simple pose is to put different angles to it.
Like have the senior lean up against a wall with their arms crossed, but have them angled to look the front of the camera.
Have the senior grad smile then be serious.
Or have them change their stance a little bit, and have them place their hand on their hip for a little pop of attitude.
Another great pose with the cap and gown is have the senior face the camera and throw their cap up in the air.
For a variety, have them throw the cap at the camera and change the focus from the cap to the senior or vice versa.
To give a cap and gown pose a personal touch, have the grad bring a prop that is specific and special to them, and include it in the pose.
For those that play musical instruments, it could be a pair of drumsticks or if it’s something too big to tote, then some sheet music.
In this example, my client brought his upcoming college pin flag and we gave his cap and gown a more casual look by unzipping the gown, and having him hold his pin flag. Turned out amazing.
As we said earlier, to add variety and give the cap and gown poses a more casual look, have your senior unzip the gown and leave it open.
You can instruct them to put their hand in their pocket while leaning against a wall or fence post or just casually smile while standing relaxed.
Using the Cap and Gown for Props
Some different ways to use the cap and gown in senior portraits but in a more unique way is to use the individual elements as props.
For example, have your senior take their cap off and hold the tassel in hand. Focus the subject of the photo with the hand holding the tassel with the senior in the background.
Or have your senior girl hold the edge of the cap in hand with the tassel hanging down and focus on the cap.
You can get several shots out of this, with a close up of the cap and tassel and then a broader photo with a full body vertical shot of the senior holding the cap and tassel.
One of my favorite go-to poses especially for senior guys is to have them hold their gown like it’s a suit jacket, behind their shoulder.
Have them put their other hand in their pocket and have them walk, alternating looking down at their feet and then up at the camera.
This is an incredibly easy way to get some natural poses for those male seniors who are sometimes hard to get locked into a photo shoot.
Some dynamic poses that are incredibly simple to do is profile or behind-the-back poses. Again, I’ve used this with my male seniors with great effect. One of my absolute favorite senior photos comes from this stance.
Have your senior face away from you with their cap on, and gown slung behind their back and take a shot from the waist up.
Vary this up by having your senior adjust their shirt or belt and then take the shot again. Simple but absolutely phenomenal in my opinion. Turn it into black and white and boom… perfect pose for a dramatic effect.
Casual but Sophisticated
I’m a firm believer that keeping poses simple can always look great. Something as simple as having your senior leaning up against a wall can turn out fantastic.
You can easily vary this up and get different looks by having them look at the camera and then away from the camera, smile and then not smile.
And you can’t go wrong with a sitting pose.
Just put your seniors in interesting places and you, as the professional senior photographer, change your angle at which you shoot.
For example, I’ve had my seniors sit on a railroad track and I shoot low to get some foreground and aim the lens up to their face. Having them look away makes the shot even more interesting.
Another great sitting shot is to have your senior sit in a casual pose, leaning forward, hands gently clasped for a relaxed photo shot.
What usually makes this pop for me is to shoot a wide shot both horizontally and vertically with the senior centered.
This is a great way to get the surrounding areas and backdrop for a great central shot with your senior the star of the image.
For formal shots, I love a simple stance. Just have your senior girl put her hand on her hip and rest her other hand or other hip, against a wall.
Have them sit and look off into the distance.
Have her lean back and casually smile or be serious… I mean, simple but beautiful.
*PRO TIP: Use foreground to elevate your shot.
Walking Shots ALWAYS Work
Have your senior walk away from the camera, walk to the camera and then tell them to stop.
Have them look down while they’re walking, or off to the side.
Better yet, have them spin while walking, especially if they’re wearing a long dress.
I mean, c’mon. The possibilities are endless!
Get Up Close and Personal
Never forget to get close up shots of your senior’s face, looking at the camera and looking away.
This may turn out to be a great headshot for them going into their post-grad days.
Detail Shots
And always try to do details shots if you can. I like to get up close and get the year of the senior’s graduating class.
Or if they have a letterman, have them look to the side and get close up on a significant patch or just a simple shot of their back to showcase their name.
Outfit Ideas
The best thing to do to help with senior picture outfit ideas is to keep it simple.
A great way to change things up is to use the cap and gown as an “outfit” and then remove the cap and gown for a different look.
Photos with and without the cap and gown are simple but effective.
Especially if you’re in a location where there isn’t a room to change, this is a great way to incorporate an outfit change.
You can also do this by adding or removing accessories like a suit jacket or casual versus dressy shoes.
Just use your imagination!
Here are some outfit ideas for high school seniors.
Stick with one color that compliments your skin tone. For your lady seniors, this is easy with a simple dress.
A basic button down shirt and jeans for senior boys can never go wrong.
Another fantastic option for senior picture outfits is to Dress UP!
I’ve actually had quite a few seniors that wanted to dress up.
A simple solid color suit with white button-down shirt always turns out beautiful. The best way to make this relevant is to incorporate the senior’s school colors into the attire.
This was actually an idea of one of my client’s sister and I loved it. Her brother wore a solid black suit, white button shirt and his tie was green to represent his school colors.
Ultimately, the best outfit choice for any senior is going to be whatever is authentically them.
I had a senior that absolutely loved boots. Even though the temperature was blazing hot, over 100 degrees in San Antonio, Texas, it was something that defined her so she wore them.
And she looked fabulous in them too.
So definitely encourage your senior to be themselves. This includes their outfit choice.
LOCATIONS
CHANGE UP THE LOCATION
Now, let’s briefly talk about locations.
I love the idea of doing a shoot at the senior’s school but most of my high school seniors don’t like that idea. So, just as a tip, I think it’s best to keep this to undergraduate or graduate seniors.
But parks with a great nature landscape is always great. I’d suggest trying to avoid popular photography areas since around graduation season, these areas are usually packed with people and difficult to navigate.
Going early in the morning is a great way to get around this or even, shooting way ahead of schedule.
Some great locations, especially in a senior’s high school years, can be on site in a place that holds a special memory to that senior.
Like, for example, if a senior plays a particular sport, shoot on that sport’s gym or field, i.e. football field or soccer field.
Another great idea is use stone walls as a backdrop.
Or for that city feel, have tall buildings in the background.
Home Shoots
I had a senior do her shoot more than 6 months prior to her graduation. She didn’t even have her cap and gown. And her mother was set on shooting it on their family’s home grounds because of the memories there.
So we shot around their land, using what was there to create stunning images.
For example, there was a space of ground where they had some flat areas to walk but also high grass. We utilized this to have my client “walking” around and it was gorgeous.
They had these itty bitty cute red barns on their land, so we utilized her standing at the entrance of the doors. Because of what it meant to her family, it ended up being a perfect backdrop for her senior shoot.
And even just the fence post with my senior leaning back against it. Gorgeous.
Recommended Gear
For the professional photographers out there, I would suggest one of two lenses for your photoshoot.
A prime lens for portrait shots and a zoom or telescopic lens.
Personally, I bring a 50mm prime Canon lens and 24-70mm lens on every portrait shoot.
The prime lens lets me get the beautiful bokeh background or foreground when needed, for those unique shots.
And the 24-70mm lens allows the versality to go from up close and personal to a wide angle shot.
I think both will play a crucial role in getting you and your client those unique images everyone is wanting.
When Is The Best Time to Shoot?
When it comes to the best time to shoot, you can read one of my recent blog posts on The Best Time of Day for Photos to understand for more detailed explanations but golden hour, if possible, is always an ideal time to shoot.
Summary: The Best Ideas for Senior Poses
In short, unique senior picture ideas are easier to come by, than you may think.
*TIP: Aim to keep things simple and focus on what matters.
What matters is the cap and gown, the tassel. Props to indicate what a special time this is for your senior.
If they loved sports, get some sports equipment in the shots. If they loved music, get some musical equipment in the shots.
At the end of the day, highlight their personality. Make sure the senior, who is your actual client, and not their parent (sorry parents or any other family members that could be present!), is the focus.
If you are able to make them comfortable, then the right pose will happen. A genuine good laugh will happen. And you’ll be able to easily capture their best features which should be in those natural moments when you get their personality shine beaming.
The possibilities for senior poses are really endless.
There are so many ideas, like this blog by Shot Kit, that you can incorporate into your sessions. By reading, seeing and exposing yourself to more examples, you should never go blank at a session.
So, just remember…
High school seniors, or any other seniors, are experiencing an incredibly special time in their life that they will only experience ONCE. And capturing it can be easy, just take some of these ideas and run with it!