Carter Creations - Sean Carter - Lansing Wedding and Portrait Photography

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Senior Portrait Tips and Suggestions

What should I bring to the session?

Bring multiple outfits. When choosing each outfit, try to find different colors and styles. Having a variety of choices such as casual, semi formal, formal or outdoors would be great to have on hand.

Jewelry and accessories

Feel free to bring accessories such as jewelry, jackets or even objects such as an instrument or basketball. Make sure your clothes are clean and unwrinkled since small details tend to be very noticeable in photographs. Wearing glasses can cause noticeable glares in photographs. If possible, try to wear contacts.

Keep your clothes on the simpler side

Keep your clothing choices on the simpler side. Designs and logos tend to distract from the main focus of the photo, which is you! That being said, there are two different styles of clothing you could bring with you to the photo shoot.

The first style you could bring is the traditional clean style , aka nice blue jeans, polo, dress shirt, t-shirt, dress etc. The second style is more tailored to the senior. This photo shoot is a chance to let the senior show their personality! Have them bring something related to a hobby or extracurricular activity. For example, if they like playing music, have them bring their instrument. This a chance to let your senior express themselves and let them enjoy themselves more during the shoot.

Makeup and Hair Styles

For women, wear your usual hair styles. People want to remember how you looked in real life! Senior portraits aren’t the time to go with experimental hairstyles.

For men, getting your haircut about a week ahead allows for it to grow in naturally in time for the photo shoot. Make sure you shave and trim on the day of the shoot.


When To Schedule Your Session

High school seniors can get their portraits taken any time! The most popular times to hold these sessions is in the late summer or early fall of their senior year. The weather tends to be perfect for an outdoor session, and the trees are either still green or have beautiful fall colors. Make sure to keep your school’s deadline for senior photos in mind. Photographers tend to be very busy this time of year, so make sure to book your session early!

College seniors have a more limited time period for their graduation photos. Most graduates want their photos taken on graduation day, but campus can be busy! In order to avoid waiting in line at the popular photo locations, many people schedule their photo shoots for the days before or after graduation.


Feel free to check out my pricing for senior photos!


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