Senior Portrait Pose Guide
If you are looking for senior posing made simple, you have to check out this senior portrait pose guide. My job as a photographer is to ensure my seniors look and feel their best, and that is what this posing guide is here to do! I want to share the go-to tips I use in almost every one of my sessions to make sure my clients are relaxed, look picture-perfect, and most importantly, have a good time! You won’t need to know how to pose when you book your session (I’ll give you pose suggestions the whole time!) But thinking of some poses you want to do ahead of time can help you feel more comfortable and confident when the day arrives!
Go-To Poses Every Photographer Should Have in Their Toolkit
I’ve been a senior photographer in Tacoma for over 5 years (and a wedding photographer for 20), which means I know the difference strategic posing can make in any portrait session! I wanted to take those years of experience and create a senior portrait guide filled with easy posing tips for seniors, other photographers, or even a group of friends looking for new pose ideas. Making sure each senior has a portrait session tailored to their style is exactly what we do at AHP. But having a go-to set of poses on hand is always a good idea for any photographer to keep in their toolkit. Let’s unpack some of my favorite poses that leave my high school seniors feeling confident and looking their best!
Natural Pose Ideas For a Relaxing Senior Portrait Session
One of the biggest hurdles in photography is balancing looking too posed with looking too casual. We want our photos to look natural and for our seniors to feel relaxed! The best way to achieve that is by making sure your clients are comfortable. That’s why I like to ease them into the session with the most natural poses. Poses, where your seniors are sitting or leaning, are a great place to start. You can have them sit and put their elbows or forearms on their knees, rest a hand on their cheek, or sit back with their hands propped up behind them. There are tons of fun ideas to position their legs in the shots too! Leaning on walls, stairs, their car, or anything that allows the senior to feel supported achieves the same thing too!
Pro-Tip: For unique shots, have the senior stay in the same pose, while the photographer moves around them. The senior can look to the side, behind, or up at the camera to capture different looks and angles!
Let loose, Have Fun, and Don’t Forget to Laugh
The best photos are always the most authentic ones. That’s why the best posing tip I can give is to make sure your senior is having fun! For instance, if your senior is wearing a dress or flowy skirt, have them swirl or dance, run through a field, or swoosh about. It might seem silly, but silly gets the best laughing shots and captures the genuine emotion of the moment! For athletes, I love action shots for the same reason. Have them catch/kick a ball, lift weights, or perform a slowed-down portion of their dance or cheer routine. Getting teens to do what they love in front of the camera is a surefire way to capture a great moment that has been a huge part of their senior experience.
Senior Parent Testimonial: “Amanda makes you feel relaxed and at ease and then captures your child’s true spirit. Her use of light brought out my daughter’s natural beauty and each picture was unique to my child and not just a canned pose.”
Try New Poses, But Always Be Yourself
Remember, not every pose is going to fit your senior’s style. So, seniors: if you ever feel unsure about a pose, let your photographer know! Trusting your photographer’s suggestions is important, but if you aren’t feeling it, it is better to speak up! Or, ask to see what the pose looks like. I love giving my seniors a glimpse behind the camera so they can see how AH-mazing they look! This small gesture also allows them to have a creative say in the shoot which can help teens feel confident and empowered. After all, isn’t that what senior photos are all about?!
Let’s Connect!
Speaking of building confidence and empowering our high school seniors, we have ONLY 5 spots left for the AHP Class of 2024 Model Team! So send this to a junior girl who you think would be a good fit for the team!! To see what the team is all about, check out our stories on Instagram or head to the AHP blog to see more posts from this year! We can’t wait to have you join our team!
