Preparing for Your Senior Photo Session

Your senior photo session should feel relaxed, personal, and like you.

The goal is to create a variety of photographs that reflect who you are right now, from more polished portraits to natural, candid moments. A little preparation beforehand can help you feel comfortable and give us more options during the session.

Before the Session

Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water throughout the day both the day of and the day before. Photo sessions can involve more walking and movement than expected, especially when we are working outdoors. Furthermore, hydrated skin photographs better at golden hour.

Makeup

Keep makeup relatively light and natural. The goal is for you to look like yourself.

Matte makeup generally photographs well, and bringing a few items for quick touch-ups is perfectly fine.

Hair

Style your hair the way you would normally like it to look.

Outdoor sessions can sometimes bring wind or humidity, so bringing a brush, comb, or a few basic hair products for touch-ups can be helpful.

Clothing

Wear something that makes you feel comfortable and confident.

You are welcome to bring a change of clothes if you would like a second look. If you are deciding between a few outfits, bring your options and we can decide what works best once we see the location and light.

Avoid anything you feel uncomfortable wearing just because it seems like something you are "supposed" to wear for senior pictures. Your photographs should still feel like you.

Shoes

If we are photographing outdoors, we may do some walking.

If the shoes you want in the photographs are not especially comfortable, bring a second pair for walking between locations.

Bring Things That Matter to You

Props and personal items are welcome, but they are completely optional.

If there is something that represents an important part of your life, consider bringing it.

That might include:

• Sports equipment

• A musical instrument

• Something connected to a hobby

• School or activity items

• Something you have made

• An important keepsake

• Books, artwork, or other personal objects

The best props are not simply decorations. They help tell us something about you.

Family and Friends

Parents, siblings, or another important person can sometimes be included in a few photographs during a senior session.

If family members will be photographed, they do not need to dress identically. Clothing that works together without perfectly matching usually looks more natural.

Bringing a Pet

Pets are welcome when the location allows them.

Just remember that your pet probably does not understand that they are at a photo session. They mostly know that they are somewhere interesting with their person.

Be patient with them.

They may get distracted, look in the wrong direction, or decide that something nearby is more interesting than the camera. We will work with their personality rather than expecting perfect behavior.

Some of the unexpected moments with pets often make great photographs.

Outdoor and Public Locations

If your session takes place in a park, downtown area, beach, garden, or another public location, we may need to adjust as we go.

Other people, weather, wind, changing light, or activity around us may affect where we photograph.

That is normal.

Most people are happy to give us some space when they realize a photo session is happening, and we can usually work around anything else by changing our angle, moving to another area, or coming back to a location later.

A little flexibility gives us more opportunities to create interesting photographs.

During the Session

You do not need to know how to pose.

That is my job.

I will give you direction when you need it, but not every photograph needs to be carefully posed. We may walk, talk, move around, laugh, or simply let moments happen naturally.

You do not need to worry about making every expression or movement perfect.

We will create plenty of photographs and look for the moments that feel natural and genuinely look like you.

Most importantly, enjoy the experience.

Senior photographs mark a particular point in your life. The goal is not simply to make a good picture, but to create photographs that feel personal to who you are right now.