Why taking risks and pushing the envelope is just what you need right now.
Your senior year is a major milestone, and literally the ‘commencement’ of a new stage in your life. You are the top of the food chain in your class, you are looked up to by all the under-class ‘beneath’ you….and yet, there is so much life ahead of you that it can be overwhelming. What college do you want to go to? Do you want to go to college? What direction will you be taking with the rest of your life? Where are you going to live? Where are your friends going?
Sometimes all the possibilities become paralyzing. Here’s the good news/bad news. You are not alone/this ‘discovering yourself’ thing will never end.
What does this have to do with senior pictures? A LOT. A senior photographer should look to help you find out what you want to express about yourself, not just pick out outfits that your mom wants to see you in. Yes, mom deserves maybe one thing that she picks out, or dad picks out, or grandma wants---but after that--let’s make this about YOU.
You see, normally we talk about ‘solids are better vs. plaids or stripes’ and ‘long sleeves vs. short’ and don’t wear too short of anything, or too heavy makeup, or hairstyle and clothing that will so go ‘out’ or style before the year ends... but, on the other hand, while keeping all of the RULES in mind, you can, and should, think about what YOU want.
YOU, and who you are now, can be reflected in photos by experimenting with some looks of who you WANT to be as well. What do I mean? Here’s the nuts and bolts practicality of picking out your perfect looks for senior pictures that you will look back on with pride and a smile.
#1. Choose something that represents your best you when you are with your friends. What makes you FEEL good when you are out on the town with your buddies (now, this was written during COVID-19 stay-safe-at-home...so at the moment, it’s ‘remember when you went out with your friends?’ Like that.
#2. Choose something that represents the activity or activities that make you light up in high school. For some of you that is one thing, for others of you, that is multiple things. Bring it all. In some cases we can combine things together (for example, one shot we love is of hs seniors in their formal wear or prom dress, holding onto their baseball/football/basketball/or swimming underwater with goggles--showing your glamorous side and sporty side in the same shot).
#3. Choose something that stretches the imagination of who you want to be, or dream you could be, if anything was possible. Sometimes this turns into a fictional character out of a favorite book--a vintage outfit from another era that you admire--or an occupation that you dream of one day having--again, bring it all, and the skys’ the limit.
#4. For all the above, think head-to-toe. Don’t leave anything out and leave it to the professionals to edit what you have brought. Accessories, head-to-toe uniforms, props that are needed to complete the feeling and tell the story--it’s ALL important to laying out your perfect session.
Now I know that the above ideas (plus one outfit that mom wants) might seem to be far outside the box for you--or they spark your imagination and you’re all in… Either way, we hope that you will give it a try. Try, because the results might just AMAZE you--why not see what’s possible? In the hands of a professional photographer, amazing portrait magic happens. Let that be you, and let that guide you through the uncertainties of senior year with a new confidence in YOU.
Anything truly IS possible--and YOU are worth it.
