Tips on How to Take a Good Senior Yearbook Picture
Yearbooks are great pictorial records for capturing the uniqueness of your teenage years as you’re on the cusp of adulthood. And with high school senior photography, it is certainly possible to turn every experience in your high school years into something worth recollecting. Not everyone, however, knows how photography for high school seniors work.
While confidence is obviously crucial, these additional lifestyle photography tips can help you look good and more natural in front of the camera. Let’s take a look.
How do I take a good senior yearbook photo?
1) Practice smiling.
It might sound lame or even a bit conceited, but practicing your smile actually helps.
A genuine smile is an invaluable asset, whether you’re posing for photography for high school seniors or not. And for most people who would like to improve on their photogenic skills, figuring out how to give a beaming smile in a natural manner can take some prep work in front of the lens.
This is why I always suggest that my clients practice their smiles prior to the actual shoot.
2) Know which angle looks best on you.
Although every self-respecting lifestyle photographer should know how to operate at different angles, I make it a habit to ask my clients what angle they have observed works best for them.
This way, I can take snaps of them in the angle that they’re most comfortable in before we try other poses.
3) Keep things simple.
In any photo that I take, I want the attention to be focused on my clients instead of on the cartoon characters that are printed on their clothes. Because of this, I always recommend wearing less makeup, wearing less accessories, and wearing clothes with less busy patterns.
4) Keep a good posture.
A good posture absolutely showcases the confidence of a person, so don’t slouch! Not only does it make you look more alive and engaging, but it also ensures that your personality and character shine through.
5) Take enough sleep prior to the session.
You feel good about yourself when you get a good rest since sleep refreshes your system for the next day. Feeling refreshed, you act more confident and natural.
There’s nothing better to freshen you up than a good night’s rest. This is why I always suggest that my clients sleep for at least 8 hours before their high school senior photoshoot.
Fight the urge to watch that next episode and make sure not to stay up late.
6) Relax.
If you are not comfortable in front of the camera, you can approach your lifestyle photographer for some guidance for your shoot.
As master craftsmen behind the lens, they are already familiar with what's best for photography for high school seniors, so they can help you achieve the look you want to have for your yearbook.
How many outfits should you wear for senior pictures in your yearbook?
As a lifestyle photographer, I usually recommend to the high school senior clients I work with to prepare three to four outfits in different colors in advance. They should also have outfits that are casual, semi-formal, and formal.
This way, you can have a diverse range of options to choose from, and I can take a good variety of photos that will play to your tastes.
This is especially true if you have different locations for your senior photoshoot.
When should you schedule senior pictures?
The answer to this question is actually up to you. Although you can have a professional photographer take snaps of your senior photos anytime, there may be a number of factors that you might want to consider first:
1) Do you want your yearbook completed for a certain event or before a particular day?
Things like football program ads and sorority recruitment may require you to send out your yearbooks before a particular date. So, it is important that you plan ahead of time.
2) Are you an athlete with a pretty tight schedule?
Playing for your school’s sports team may mean that your schedule is pretty packed.
Between games, spring shows, academic requirements, and competitions, it’s likely that you have a lot of things on your plate.
It is, therefore, vital that you plan for that ahead of time so that you will not get worn out during your high school senior photography session.
3) Is your senior session going to be indoors or outdoors?
Having a specific location in mind for your shoot means that you will need to take into account the weather for that day.
Not only that, but I also suggest that you consider whether you want some foliage in your photo or not. Natural greenery is best when you shoot outdoors, while you are safe indoors from weather-related complications.
4) Do you prefer wearing clothes for a specific season?
Wanting to wear seasonal clothing requires you to coordinate with their respective seasons.
Flowy sundresses and springy rompers are ideal during summertime, while thick sweaters and warm scarfs look best in winter.
Conclusion
Attaining that perfect senior yearbook picture is totally possible. Hopefully, with these tips, you now have an idea about what to do for a session of photography for high school seniors.
Want to book a fun and memorable session today? You can reach me at 636.795.ARTS.
I look forward to working with you!