Being well prepared and ready for your senior photo session can make all the difference between average and fabulous photos. These treasured photos were taken (usually by a professional photographer or maybe a family friend) during the high school senior year capture teenage freshness as it is poised on the verge of adulthood, ready to begin a career or enter new college life.

If you are beginning to plan your photos for next year or you are still trying to get it done this year before graduation, use these tips:

– Personalizing your senior photos is one of the first steps on the way to getting good results. This means brainstorming ideas and starting to figure out how you want your pictures to look. You can do this by researching and using other senior photos as inspiration or simply letting your chosen photographer do what they think will be best for you in your photoshoot. The choice is yours.  

– Another important thing is preparing the suitable attire for your senior photos. Your clothing does not always have to be formal but it should at minimum be appropriate. It is important to have a change of clothing. Bringing 2-4 outfits to your photoshoot will be beneficial and also make your photos three times more effective. Whether you’re going on a shopping spree or you gather hand-me-downs from your siblings, having respectable attire is a crucial part of senior photos.

– Hair. Your hairstyle is critical to your pictures; it cannot be expressed enough, it is part of the focus of your overall photograph. Getting senior portraits taken is not the time to leave your hair untamed for that “natural” look. Also, avoid experimental hairstyles, that goes for males and females. Girls who want the “glam” look for their pictures or even guys who don’t care at all, it should be known that whatever hairstyle you choose should be mellow and nice enough to accommodate your photo & complexion.  

– Working on your poses, expressions, and positions, this can only help you in the long run. Personally, when I’d taken my senior pictures it was somewhat difficult for me to figure out what ways to pose and choosing a different facial expression besides smiling but practice can definitely get rid of that problem. Although your photographer can help you in that aspect it is good to prepare in order to have natural personality in your photos.

These are just a few tips to ensure that YOUR photoshoot is as effective as possible. In order to begin your journey with senior photos you will obviously need to choose a photographer, but that can get expensive.

Affordable photographers in the Indianapolis area are not exactly hard to find with a bit of effort and research.

My senior pictures took preparation and dedication but they turned out a success thanks to my local photographer Jamie @imaginemephotographyllc (see pictures below).

Yet there are plenty of other options to choose from. With these tips and additional knowledge from parents, siblings, or even your photographer, getting efficient senior pictures is a guarantee.