senior photos don't have to be cookie cutter

There are tons of reasons to have a personalized senior photoshoot. You might want to have photos sent out in your graduation invitations and need some good ones to send to relatives. Another reason is to commemorate this time in your life- and just think! the next time you might have professional photos taken might be at your wedding! But no matter if the reason to get the professional portraits is your own (or your parents’) or you just need them for the school yearbook... get the most out of it by making the photos look unique and fit your personality!  With so many of the “Pinterest perfect” shots looking the same, here are some ways you can personalize your photos.

Here's some ideas to make them your own:

1. Location- pick a spot that you vibe with. Can't think of one? Ask your photographer, they most likely have a list of spots off the top of their head, including some secret spots or ones that don't get overused. Be sure to get examples of what the location will look like at the time of year and time of day you'll be there! December at 8am looks way different than June at 6pm for nearly all spots!!
2. Outfits- pick some outfits that you feel amazing in (or at least comfortable) and bring a few to the session to switch up looks. Make sure the clothes reflect part of your personality that you want highlighted.
3. Browse inspo photos but don't try to recreate them exactly! No one is a bigger fan of Pinterest than me... BUT I only use it to fuel my creativity and to get some mood boards as inspiration rather than a playbook to follow exactly. Maybe most of the photos you like are moody with dark greens, or light and airy on city streets. Take note of what your eye is drawn to and funnel it into choosing your outfit, location and time of day!
4. Be yourself!! I know you're rolling your eyes right now but I'm being serious! There's only one you. Whether you love posed photos or swoon over candid blurry shots, tell your photographer! Your photographer wants you to be IN LOVE with the pics and gasp out loud (in a good way!) when you see your final images.

Some other favorite out of the box ideas: 

-Bring your pets! Ask your photographer if it's okay to bring your dog, cat, or farm animal to the photo session or find a location that will work. Nothing says unique like riding your horse in your senior photos.

-Include fun and quirky elements like: blowing bubbles, action shots at your baseball game, ask your photographer to use their flash for an editorial vibe, or pop a big bubble gum bubble at the camera.

-Try taking the photos at an unusual time of day to get away from the typical sunset-type photos. This can really have a huge effect of on the images as seen here in this article. Having photos taken during blue hour after the sun goes down versus in mid-day gives a completely different vibe.

-Pick a really out of the box location- like movie theater, library, record store, or a plant nursery. In my personal experience I've never had a problem shooting photos at private businesses. I always call at least a week before the shoot to ask permission, talk about any fee that they charge, and ask the best time to do the photos. Everyone is usually really accommodating and likes the free shout out on socials or my website.

-You can check out this article about more unique senior photo ideas and there's also fun graduation posing ideas.

Want even more inspo? Here's a Pinterest board I put together of ideas I love!

After you've picked out all the elements of your senior portraits, you can relax! All that's left is to show up to the session and trust your photographer is going to choose all the photos you look best in! So don’t worry how you look 100% of the time because we have your back- the more fun you can have the better the photos will turn out!!