10 need-to-know tricks to make your senior's Portraits flawless... minus the stress!

A Parent's Guide to Senior Portraits

Your child's Senior Portraits are coming up and that's super exciting! But before your senior gets in front of the camera, there's a few things you need to consider. So to help you get ready for the big day, here's a what you need to keep in mind to help you prepare for amazing Senior Portraits...

First Things First...

As a parent, your child's senior portraits are super important! You've watched them grow into an amazing young adult! Senior Portraits are a way to capture everything about their personality you'll miss when they leave the house and all of what makes you so proud of them.  So, of course, you want them to look their absolute best! But you do have to keep a few things in mind... mainly, you need to let them be themselves.

Alright... so teenagers can be really picky about how they look. Or they might act like they don't care how they look at all! Either way, styling advice from their parents may be the last thing they want to hear. So don't push them too hard to look a certain way. Of course you want them to look their best, but you mostly want them to be confident in front of the camera. 

This guide is full of styling advice and ways to help your senior prepare for their senior portraits. Go ahead a use all of this information to help make them look and feel their best! But remember, at the end of the day, the senior portraits you'll love the most are the ones where they were really themselves.

So use these tips to reach that goal. You'll both love the outcome.

Pick the Perfect Outfits

We've established that you definitely want your senior to look their best for their senior portraits. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is the fact that this doesn't necessarily mean they need to wear "dressy" clothes. 

What your senior will look their best in are outfits that they feel comfortable wearing. So bring a variety of different outfits that reflect their style and give them confidence. 

Feel free to bring along a wide range of different looks to your senior's photoshoot. We'll help you both find the outfits that work the best. Bring a mix of both casual and formal. You can bring both collared shirts and t-shirts, skirts and pants, dress shoes and tennis shoes... and a pair of jeans are a must-have! Long, dark jeans are really versatile and look great in photos.

Be Mindful of Undergarments

Finding a variety of looks and outfit choices that your senior feels comfortable in is step one. But what they wear underneath is almost as important as what they wear on the outside!

If you have a daughter, make sure she has a nude bra or one that matches her top. Bra straps show sometimes. It happens. If it does, you just want to make sure it's a color that won't be distracting. Nude bras are your best bet to make sure the color won't show through a light colored top as well.

Also for the girls, bring spandex to wear under skirts and dresses. This just insures that nothing will show when sitting or moving between photos.

For both girls and boys, if they wear an undershirt for any outfits (with a collared shirts etc.) bring colors other than just white. Depending on the outfit, white can sometimes be a little too bright if it shows. So bring along a grey and black undershirt was well. That way they can change into something more neutral or darker if they need to.

Try On Everything

This goes back to making sure your senior feels comfortable in what they're wearing. It's perfectly okay to go out and buy new clothes for senior portraits. In fact, if your senior is into it, going shopping together can be really fun! What you don't want to do is have the first time they wear their new clothes be the day of the photoshoot. 

Have them try on every outfit ahead of time. It might feel silly, but have them wear each outfit, stand, crouch, sit, lift their arms over their head, twist their torso and just move around in their clothes. This way you both know exactly how each outfit behaves and you won't be surprised at how it looks or feels the day of the photography session. 

You can also address any problems ahead of time by doing this. Are their jeans too tight and won't allow them to bend or sit comfortably? You may want to find a more relaxed fit. Does their stomach show when they lift their arms and they'd rather keep it covered? Now you know that you may want to bring a longer undershirt for them to wear with it. You'll be so prepared, nothing will catch you by surprise the day of the photoshoot!

Know Where People Will Be Looking

Besides making sure your senior is comfortable, the number one thing to keep in mind is how viewers will see the finished photograph. People's eyes go wherever skin shows. This means the easiest way to control where the focus goes is by choosing what the outfits cover. Some seniors love wearing tank tops and shorts and that's great! Just keep in mind that people's attention will be drawn down to their arms and legs. On the flip side, some seniors are uncomfortable with the way their arms and legs look, and that's okay too! Just have them wear longer sleeves and jeans to keep the focus on their face.

Stay Organized

So you and your senior have picked out a variety of outfits and tried them on. Now you just have to keep all of the pieces in order! One of the best things you can do is put everything on hangers. This keeps them wrinkle free and easy to sort through and look at during the photoshoot when trying to decide what to wear when. To go along with this, you may want to iron or steam shirts, dresses, and slacks ahead of time to make sure they're ready to go.

Another great way to keep your senior organized is to put accessories in plastic baggies. If they have specific accessories that go with a particular outfit, you can even attach the bag with all of those pieces to the outfit hanger. That way no pieces get forgotten and you don't have to dig trough a jewelry box between every clothing change. 

Help With Hair and Make Up

With the clothing situation figured out, the next thing for you to consider is how they're going to style their hair and make up. Again, the last thing that a teenager might want to hear is styling advice from their parent, but if they're looking for some suggestions, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Full-bodied hair works best. Their hair will naturally flatten throughout the photoshoot, so starting with volume will insure that it won't look too dull by the end. Curls or waves work super well. The extra bounce also looks great on camera as it adds depth and texture in an otherwise flat image.

If your senior wants to wear make up, make sure it's in a way they're comfortable with.  They shouldn't wear so much that their facial expressions feel awkward. When in doubt, go with a light and natural approach.

Pay Attention to Details

The little things can make a huge difference. Three little things in particular you should pay attention to:

Fingernails. Make sure their fingernails are clean and trimmed. If they wear fingernail polish, we suggest that they put on a fresh coat of polish before the photoshoot so there aren't any cracks or chips. 

Glasses. We use professional lighting with all of our senior portraits which, unfortunately, can sometimes cause glares in glasses lenses. If they wear contacts, that's the easiest way to avoid the issue. But if their glasses are a big part of their personal style, consider getting a second set of frames without the lenses. That way they get the look without the glare.

Dry skin. Always have chapstick and lotion on hand! Dry skin and lips can feel really uncomfortable and it doesn't look the best either. So come prepared, just in case.

Join in the Fun!

Yes, your senior's photoshoot should be all about them, but feel free to join in on the experience! It can be a lot of fun being a part of it all and seeing everything that goes into a senior photoshoot. Plus, you can help make sure your senior looks their best by checking their hair and clothes and helping with any touch ups between pictures.

If you are unable to join, encourage your senior to bring along a friend. Having someone they're close with tag along will help keep them comfortable and having fun.

Trust Your Photograper

Yow want the best possible Senior Portrait experience for your child. So do we! We have been in the photography for 25 years and have taken hundreds of senior's portraits. With so much experience, you can trust that we know how to bring out the best in your senior. 

And we aren't just talking about knowing how to use a fancy camera and professional lighting. We know how to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere so your senior can be comfortable and confident in front of the camera. We also know how to bring out all different sides of your senior's personality so you get a variety of beautiful images.

So for amazing Senior Portraits, you really don't have to stress. Trust that your photographer knows how to bring out the best!

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ABOUT ELITE IMAGES

As a full-service photography studio in Dubuque, Iowa for over 25 years, Elite Images really knows how to make Senior Portraits awesome! With fun, fully-guided photoshoots specifically created to bring out your senior's best, confident self for images that you both fall absolutely in love with. Every Senior Portrait session at Elite Images features professional lighting—even outdoors!—and all images are color corrected and fully retouched to bring out your child's best qualities. We even offer a wide range of fun wall art and display products so you can proudly show off your favorites!

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