Tips For Having The Best Senior Portraits
Having your photograph taken to commemorate the year that you graduate is a tradition in American high schools. Not only are you taking a portrait of a senior who is ready to celebrate a huge accomplishment by graduating high school, you are creating a memory that you can give to your friends and family as a keepsake from this special time in your life. Senior portraits are much more involved than school picture day. They are meant to reflect who you are becoming as a young adult and are highly individualized. Read on for tips on getting the most out of your senior portraits.
Pick a great location
The photographer that you have selected may know of some great locations to shoot senior portraits, or you can pick your own. Traditionally, senior portraits are shot outdoors. A couple of things to keep in mind when selecting your location:
What time of day does the light look the best?
That spot by the lake may look heavenly early in the morning but be shrouded in shadow by mid-afternoon. Visit any potential locations at the time of day that your shoot is going to take place.
Do we need permission to shoot there?
Call ahead of time to make sure that photography is allowed, if a permit is needed, or if there is a fee that must be paid. Also, make sure that the location will be open on the day of the shoot and what the hours are.
Pick out several outfits
Try on all of your clothes a couple of days prior to the shoot. Pick out your favorite three outfits; one to wear and two to bring along to the shoot for wardrobe changes. This will give your shots more variety.
Go light on make-up
If you wear make-up, you may be tempted to pile it on for your portrait. This can backfire for a number of reasons. For a more natural look, apply a tiny bit of concealer to any red areas of your face then sweep a touch of blush on your cheeks. Apply mascara and curl lashes. Heavier make-up can tend to make you look tired. Also, applying heavy make-up and then setting it with powder can produce a "ghost face" effect. The camera flash will bounce off your face rather than the light being absorbed by your skin. This is especially pronounced looking if you have a tan on the rest of your body. If you want to set your make-up and you have a tan, use a light amount of bronzer.
For a professional photographer, contact a company such as Monte Evans Photography.