Today’s post is all about how to prepare for your upcoming senior pictures! As a Phoenix senior photographer, I always look forward to this time of year for two reasons. First, I love photography in the springtime! Those beautiful desert flowers start to blossom and the desert comes alive. Second, I love working with graduating seniors at such a fun and exciting time in their lives!

Knowing what to prepare for and how to best get ready for your senior photos is not always simple. That’s why today I’m going to share some of my top tips on how to get ready for your upcoming senior session!

What you can expect at a senior session with Saguaro and Spruce Photography

First, I’d like to talk about what you can expect from a session with me, Nicole! I know getting your senior pictures done can be extremely overwhelming and anxiety ridden, especially if you and I haven’t yet met. If there’s anything I would like you to know, it’s that you are amazing just as you are! My job as your photographer is to capture your personality and be your biggest cheerleader throughout the whole session. I can assure you I’ll work to do both the whole time!

One of the biggest worries I’ve heard from graduating seniors is that they feel awkward in front of the camera, especially a big and bulky one like mine. That’s why I see it as my job as your photographer to help you pose in a variety of ways that feel relaxed and natural. You don’t have to worry when working with me about feeling awkward at all because we will work together to achieve natural, authentic images of you! I’ll come prepared with plenty of ideas and am always open to any suggestions you may have, too.

What should you wear for senior pictures?

For senior pictures, I would suggest bringing two (or more) different outfits: one casual and one that’s a little bit more formal. Having both of these will add more variety to your photos and also give us some different colors and patterns to work with.

What to Wear for Senior Pictures: Girls

For senior girls, I would suggest wearing either long pants or a denim skirt with a top you feel comfortable moving around in or a romper or jumpsuit. I also love layering for girls, so if you bring a jacket, you’ll be glad to brought it! Some casual shoe ideas are boots, sneakers, or sandals. For formal outfits, I would suggest wearing a soft, flowy dress. Dresses that are not form fitting allow us to best pose you in a variety of poses and are more forgiving in photos! I love pairing beautiful dresses with sandals, wedges, or small heels. Remember that there may be some (or a lot) of walking required, so consider bringing a comfortable pair of shoes for walking if what you’re going to wear in photos won’t be comfortable for walking!

What to Wear for Senior Pictures: Boys

For senior boys, I would suggest wearing long pants, either jeans or light colored pants and a relaxed t-shirt that you like. I also highly recommend bringing a jacket or a flannel shirt. Adding layers to your casual outfit will add more interest to your photos and also allow for more variety with some shots having the jacket/flannel and others not. For your formal outfit, I would suggest a button down shirt, with or without a tie, and either dress pants or chino pants (don’t forget the belt for dress pants!). You may also bring a suit jacket. I always like to remind my seniors to wear accessories that they love or are meaningful to them from watches to tie tacks, etc.

For Both Boys and Girls: Accessories and More

I always like to remind my seniors to wear accessories that they love or are meaningful to them. This can include watches, necklaces, hats, tie tacks, etc.

I know choosing your outfits for your senior photos can be stressful and confusing. That’s why I created my own senior session guide for my clients to help guide them through the whole process including outfit ideas, color palettes, and more! This guide is emailed upon booking.

Should I wear makeup for senior pictures?

Yes, I highly suggest wearing makeup for your senior pictures. Doing so will really help accentuate your features and bring more color to your face! I would highly suggest wearing some foundation, concealer, mascara, bronzer, and some lip stain or lip gloss that has a nice rosy color. If you would like to read more makeup tips for photos, feel free to head to my post here.

In addition to wearing makeup, I would make sure that your nails are picture ready! We may be getting some close up shots of your hands (like you holding the tassel etc) so it would be a good idea to make your nails are well manicured before our session!

What should I bring to senior pictures?

You should bring anything that holds importance to your high school experience to your senior pictures. Some examples of this would include: instruments, letterman jackets, senior pins, footballs/basketballs, jerseys, dance shoes, etc. These items do not have to be in very many of your photos but they are great to have in order to truly capture your high school experience.

I would also highly encourage you to bring your cap and gown. Yes, I know…they aren’t always the most flattering thing to wear but I love capturing seniors in their caps and gowns and I think you’ll be glad in a few years that we got some great captures of you wearing it!

Best places for senior pictures in Arizona

The best place in Arizona for senior pictures? This would be a hard thing to choose! First, I would start out by asking yourself if you’d rather have a city backdrop or nature. Arizona has so many options, but here are some of my favorite senior picture locations:

Best Urban Locations for Senior Pictures in Phoenix

Downtown Phoenix, Tempe Town Lake, Tempe Town Bridge, or Downtown Gilbert.

Best Nature Locations for Senior Pictures in Phoenix

Salt River, Desert Botanical Gardens, Scorpion Gulch, Lost Dutchman State Park.

There are even more locations that make for fantastic senior picture backdrops and that’s why I provide my clients with an even more extensive list of locations to help them best find the backdrop they’ve been dreaming of!

When should I book my senior pictures?

Senior picture season is a busy time for us photographers so I would highly suggest reaching out as soon as you can to book your session. I typically book out 3-4 weeks at a time, so if this is on your to-do list I’d say let’s just get the ball rolling!

What’s included in my senior pictures?

If you’re ready to book your senior session with me you can click here to get more information about the packages I offer graduating seniors.

I hope this post was somewhat helpful and truly look forward to working with you! Preparing for senior pictures can be nerve racking but I hope this post was able to help you feel a little bit more prepared!

xoxo

Nicole