How to Prepare for Your Senior & Grad Photos

Tips from your Colorado Senior Photographer & Grad Photographer

For many of you getting ready for your senior and grad photos, this is the first time you're really getting professionally photographed. Some of you are excited (me too!!) and some may already be worrying about it.

Regardless of how comfortable you are in front of a camera, my job is to help you forget I'm there. Think of this session as a chance to take some time away from all the excitement and busyness that comes with this stage of your life and celebrate all the work you've put in to get here.

A lot of folks ask what they need for their senior or grad photo session. Here's the baseline answer: you wearing an outfit you feel confident and comfortable in. That is truly all you need to set yourself up for a great session.

The rest will come together during the shoot, with me guiding you through prompts to make everything feel more natural. Together, we'll create photos that feel like stills from your favorite movie, reflecting your joy and personality.

You can 1000% stop reading now (I mean it, no offense taken), but if you're looking to get some more guidance, read on!

What to wear

Again, the most important thing, always, is that you feel confident and comfortable. That’ll end up shining through in your smiles and photos more than you can imagine.

For colors, I recommend going for more muted, neutral colors. Earthy tones (think browns, maroons, dark greens, etc.) look really great too.

Flowy clothing (ie dresses/skirts) can add really nice movement to photos, and making sure you’re wearing something that’s comfortable to sit in is also helpful for some of the photo prompts.

For folks doing 1-hour sessions, you'll also have time for an outfit change if that's something you're interested in! It can be an entirely different outfit or something as small as a change of jacket, whatever you prefer.

For grads, it's totally up to you if you'd like to wear your graduation regalia or a different outfit (or bring both!). Regalia is great for more formal, classic portraits, whereas normal clothing gives the flexibility for formal portraits as well as more evergreen, cinematic photos.

If you want to get a quick gutcheck on clothing, don’t hesitate to reach out beforehand!

What to bring

This is entirely optional, but a really nice way to add more personal touches to your session is through props. Think less photo-booth-at-prom-signs and more little-mementos-that-reflect-your-interests.

Easiest one: If you like reading, I really recommend bringing a book you like.

Otherwise, think about some activities that have defined or helped you through your time at school or something that reflects your studies. You could literally bring an entire puzzle to work on — sky is the limit!

What to expect the day of

To start off, we'll go over a few tips & tricks to feel (more) comfortable in front of a camera, then go right into pictures! 

We’ll do a few classic photos, then get creative and go through a series of prompts to get us some really wonderful, authentic candids. I’ll be giving you some direction throughout, but my goal is for you to focus more on your environment than on the camera.

What to expect after

Two weeks after the shoot, you'll be kicking your feet looking at your online gallery!