How to Pose High School or College Seniors!
High school and college seniors may be some of the most difficult subjects to pose! Sometimes, senior photos are the first time these grads are in front of a professional camera, and it can take a bit to warm up! Here is my top advice for posing seniors and making them comfortable in front of the camera!
Getting to know your seniors
Getting to know your clients is so helpful! It gives you something to talk about at their senior shoot and may spark ideas for their photo session!
Prep with guides and questionnaires
I send my seniors a session prep guide and location guide! The session prep guide is an email PDF outlining what to wear, how to do makeup, what accessories to bring, and a bit of an overview on posing! I also send a questionnaire to get to know the senior! It outlines their plans for next year, what they love doing, what hobbies they have, their favorite subject in school, any insecurities I should be aware of, and their favorite music!
Inspo Pinterest Boards
I love sending Pinterest boards we can both add to so I get their vision and we make sure we’re on the same page! I like pinning outfits, location vibes, poses, things that include props they may want to bring, etc! Anything that is a good mood board of how the shoot can go!
Strut, stand, sit
I heard this saying once and it’s such a good go to if you’re panicking on how to pose!! Starting by “strutting” or walking gets them moving and loosened up, do a few static standing poses of playing with hair or clothes, and then some sitting! If you do this in a few spots around the location, you can fill the session time and get a variety of poses!
I also love the Pinterest board for these moments because you can look at the inspo photos together to see which poses they like or want to try next! It’s great to start far, get close, then get even closer for yearbook photos and close ups!
Getting creative
Props
Ask the senior to bring props that mean a lot to them! A car, the sports ball they use, a letterman jacket, even their pets! This gives them something to hold and also shows off what they loved doing at this chapter of their life!
Shooting creatively
Get creative with your shots! Get low and find a new angle! Run with your senior, shooting through foliage to get cool foreground in your photos! There’s so many ideas in my online education group, Basecamp! In Basecamp, there’s also videos on senior photos where we go more in depth about posing, marketing, and client experience with seniors!