How to Have a Senior Portrait Session you will LOVE!

I adore HS seniors!  They are so much fun to spend time with and photograph! 

We are getting close to one of my favorite times photography times of the year!  SUMMER BABY!!!  The time of year that all my high school juniors are gearing up to have their senior portraits done!!  It's SUCH an exciting time of their young lives and I want every senior I work with to walk INTO our session knowing they are prepared for getting the pictures they want, and walk away from our session feeling like they had their special moment and that they have a slew of amazing pictures about to show up in their in-box!!

Picking out what to wear

First and foremost, I want you to LOVE what you have on your body and how it makes you feel.  If you don't feel amazing in it, don't wear it! If it's not "you", don't wear it!

Picking your looks is not always straight forward however, in my opinion, there are no rules here!

I listed 2 examples below but you need to tailor make this to suit your personality and style!  I have had young ladies who only want sundresses and shorts sets. I have had young men who want all suits or slacks/button ups.  Really this session is about you, and who you are in this world!

I typically suggest my clients to pick 3 looks. One casual and summery, one more fall oriented, one a little more dressy or at least LESS casual.

Example for girls:  sun dress or shorts/tshirt, jeans and a long sleeve OR a wrap/sweater to put on for some pictures,  dressy top/pant combo or dress.

Example for guys:  shorts/tshirt, jeans and a button down, long sleeve T or polo, dress pant with a button down.

HAIR

Boys, this is pretty straight forward if your hair is shorter haha, but I do like having the option of maybe adding a signature beanie or ball cap for some shots!

Girls, if you have longer hair, I always recommend bringing hair ties, clips, a brush, hairspray and ANY fun head accessories like bands, hats, scarves etc.  I always have a lot of fun helping you get something different for a look that you may not have thought of! This can ad a touch of uniqueness and spontaneity to your final images!

I added this loose braid to her session to change up her look a bit! It was perfect with the sand and beachy feel of her outfit!

ACCESSORIES

I mentioned this with the hair or hat accessories, but I also encourage bringing things that might be fun to help us express who you are and what you love! I had a senior last year bring a small stack of books that we used in some shots! She is a book worm and it was really fun to get to play with that a little for a few select images!  Athletes, we can always do something to highlight your sport!  Musicians, SO much fun to bring the instrument of something that we can use to highlight that part of you! Let's get creative together!

I believe it's not JUST about getting a pretty picture (although there will be plenty that fall into that category), but also really feeling who you are, at this really important time of your life, when you like at the collection of final images!

 Baseball was his life, and he went on to play for the AZ Sun Devils. So glad we got some of this in his session!

Pups can be props too! There are some special extras to really add a touch of personality to your session!

This young lady played two types of violins and brought them both for a few shots during her session! these were some of my favorites!!

We can get creative with musicians!

Golf was huge in this senior's world so he brought along the clubs for added variety!

His grandpa gave him his old truck and it was a very treasured thing in his life. Perfect accessory for his session!

Another athlete, we captured some of his sport for a few images!

During the shoot

During the shoot it's nice to have someone there to help carry all the extra "stuff" but not necessary!

As you may have heard, I wander with my sessions so come prepared with comfortable shoes for walking a bit, that you can switch in and out of as needed!

Bring water, you will need it!

Girls, bring makeup for touchups if you wear makeup!  Powder to help dull that shine (skin shine that is lol) and lip products are usually the most necessary.

Plan on spending at least 2 hours with me! We aren't going by a set schedule but if you plan that much time, you won't be concerned about the clock and be able to relax into our wanderings!


Having some preparation is a great thing!  If you are like a couple of my clients who truly just had one look and wanted it be short and sweet, that's OK too!

I am ALWAYS open for discussions, questions, connections so please feel to reach out if you have some questions that I haven't answered!  I can be reached at suz@suzannelopezphotography.com

I look forward to collaborating with you!! 💗