6 Go-To Senior Photo Poses | Feeling Confident In Front Of The Camera
Being in front of the camera can be a little nerve wracking, and senior photos are no exception. Many of my clients ask me if they need some sort of ‘experience’ in order to achieve a beautiful photo gallery, and the answer is absolutely not! When you book your senior pictures with me, I’ll be guiding you step by step through every pose, so you don’t have to think about a thing. Regardless, let’s talk about a few go-to senior photo poses that you can have in your back pocket when your senior photoshoot day comes.
1. Walking away
This senior photo pose is exactly what it sounds like - strut away from the camera! This is symbolic of walking into your next chapter ahead. (Mom, keep your tissues handy)
2. Cap “toss”
You can literally just toss your cap up into the air, or if you need to use this cap for graduation, and you want to keep it off the ground, you can pretend. Lift your arm up to your ear with the cap above your head and pretend you are going to let it go.
3. Touch the hair
This pose is soft, feminine, and gives your hands something to do. A quintessential photoshoot pose!
4. Over the shoulder
So many outfits have beautiful features in the back like bows, so we can’t forget to show them off!
Pro tip: keep your shoulders back, like you’re squeezing your shoulder blades together. This prevents too much of a hunched-over turnaround.
5. Fingers through the hair (this one’s for the senior guys!)
No explanation needed for this senior photo pose! This is a classic, flattering, and effortlessly cool pose for the gents. It’s giving…Elvis meets Timothée Chalamet. Need I say more?
6. Turn the dress
This is why you want to wear fabric that MOVES in at least one of your looks! It’s another pose that gives you something to do with your hands, which always helps you feel less awkward in front of the camera.
Many of my clients tell me they are nervous about posing for senior photos before their session.
I get it completely! For me personally, my senior yearbook photo was stiff and I sometimes wish I had more natural pictures of me from that phase of my life in the places I love most. That actually motivates me to make sure my clients know that I'll be doing a mixture of classic, posed shots and candid, movement-based prompts. Best of both worlds! While lots of students these days are comfortable taking photos, I'll still verbally guide every client from the first shot to the last shot we take before calling it's a wrap.
Photographers: Do you ever feel “stuck” coming up with senior photo poses while you’re shooting a senior session?
Forgetting poses while in a session is never a good feeling. This is why having an easy-to-remember formula you can recall on the fly is important. For a guide that will teach you how to develop your very own signature posing flow, click here! This free download has all the information you need to feel confident with posing your clients.
You now have 6 senior photo poses that you can whip out during your senior photoshoot, but if you want me there guiding you the whole way, apply here. As an Orange County senior photographer, I have a lot more posing wisdom up my sleeve!
