“My daughter has no idea what outfit to choose for her senior pictures. Help!”
“My son thinks showing up in his favorite band tee is going to cut it. Can you give him some options?”
“Are we all supposed to match?”
“What do we wear to our photo session!?”
As a photographer I’ve heard all of these questions, and a few others, over and over again.
I hear ya. It’s stressful getting ready for portraits. So lets try and stop that right now. No more stress! Thats the first step. Trust me, I’ve been around the block and I’ve encountered almost every kind of family, kid, teen, baby, even grandpa and grandma, situation possible at a photo shoot, and I’m still standing! Today lets look at a bit of advice I like to give to my senior girls. Since, you know, it's been a trend here at the blog for a few days : )
No really. Girls, this is your time to shine. Your the star when it comes to your senior portraits and when you start off with some good old fashioned styling tips, how can you go wrong??
As with all my sittings you are allowed to bring as many clothing changes as you want. We have two full hours together and I want to make sure your true personality comes shining through. And if that means bringing your prom dress, your favorite jeans, your lettermen’s jacket, and a few adorable tops, then so be it! We’ll fit as many clothing changes in as we can.
Lets start off with some of my favorite things when it comes to teen girls. I love dresses! Dresses are just so darn flattering on a girls figure and you just can’t get much more feminine can you? With so many styles and styling options when it comes to dresses, you really can’t go wrong. From a casual prairie style with flat sandals to a rushed lycra mini with converse, dresses are so gorgeous. As with a lot of styles and clothing options, let solid colors take the lead or at least get you started. Sometimes the locations we go to are busy enough (wheat fields, forest paths, train tracks, urban alley ways and sidewalks) we want you to be the ultimate star in the shot and your clothes need be the best supporting actress. For dresses, soft prints can also work well. Watercolor palettes and embellished sections can bring a welcome change to solid colors.
And not that I really need to remind my teens too much how important accessorizing is, I’ll touch on that a bit. Whether it’s just the right jewelry, a cute hat, scarf, or shoes these can really add a pop to your shots. And with the shoes, remember that contrasting colors can really add a super pop of color. As I’ve laid out above, many of those shoes could go with a lot of the cornering dresses. Red shoes with the yellow dress, orange shoes with the blue dress, blue with the purple, and yellow with the green. I love all of those combinations. Don’t be afraid to bring a long a few choices. We’ll find just the right look for you.
I always like my teens to bring a few solid color tops to their session. These kind of looks can be great for head shots, standing out amongst a busy background, and drawing attention to your gorgeous face. I try to recommend one of those solid color tops to take a nod from your eye color. Whether it’s brown, blue, green, or hazel, bringing a top that pulls out that color will look amazing in those close in head shots I try to give to all my seniors.
