Are you wondering what outfits to wear for your senior pictures photoshoot? You’ve come to the right place.
High school senior portrait photoshoot is a special session that is all about the senior. From the location of the session, outfits, accessories, and props – everything needs to be designed with the senior’s character in mind.
As one of Sacramento’s top senior photographers, we are often asked what outfits work best for senior pictures. It’s not a one-sentence answer, so we’ve broken in down into several categories to better explain which outfits work best and why.
If you are a high school senior girl looking for senior pictures outfit ideas – you will find a lot of helpful tips here. If you are a senior photographer guiding a senior girl on what to wear for her photo session – this post is also for you.
As a professional photographer, it’s essential to know how to correctly style a high school senior session, so the images turn out beautiful and timeless. If you are anxiously waiting for photoshoot day, worrying about what your clients will show up in, try to guide your seniors into choosing the ideal outfits.
In this post, you will find tips and ideas for the best outfits to wear for a senior portrait session. We know very well that the task of outfit coordination for a senior photoshoot is pretty hard. There are many great clothing options, but you must rock your senior session by wearing the right outfits!
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BRING YOUR FAVORITE OUTFITS
Most of our clients bring three to four different outfits to change into. We recommend bringing at least three various changes of clothes in a variety of colors, not just your favorite shade.
When choosing your outfits, bring pieces that look good on you, and you feel comfortable in. You don’t necessarily have to buy all brand new outfits for this session, but instead, go for clothing that represents your true self.
Choose flattering styles, fits, and fabrics that complement your physical shape from all angles. After all, you are the one who’s going to enjoy these images and share them with your friends.
Inspect your clothing ahead of the photoshoot time to make sure it is clean, freshly pressed, and isn’t spotted or faded. Keep your outfits on hangers until you arrive at the photoshoot, to prevent wrinkles.
Get more ideas for senior photoshoot outfits from this behind the scenes.
CHOOSE VARIETY OF SENIOR OUTFITS FROM CASUAL TO DRESSY
Three to four outfits are usually enough for a senior photoshoot – but include different styles.
Choose clothing pieces in each of these styles: casual, semiformal, and formal/dressy. This will allow the photographer to take a good variety of pictures and achieve a diverse portfolio of images.
The clothes style also depends on the location of your senior photoshoot. You wouldn’t want to wear a formal dress or a suit for an outdoor photoshoot. It will just make you look out of place, and pictures wouldn’t completely represent your true self.
Pick clothes for your senior portraits that both express yourself and match to the shoot location. We will discuss this more and show you visual samples throughout this post.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/1.4, 1/60s, ISO 200 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
CHOOSE IDEAL OUTFIT COLORS
Having several differently colored outfits will also play a significant role in showing more variety in your portraits. Choose tones that you like, as well as hues that look great on you.
Solid colors work best for senior pictures, although a little pattern can look cute as well. Always try your clothes on when you are preparing for the photoshoot.
You might remember some particular dress or outfit looking fabulous on you the last time you wore it. Try it on again in front of a mirror and imagine how it will look like in pictures. It might not look as amazing as you first thought it would.
Here’s an excellent way to see which colors look best on you: stand in front of the mirror and hold outfits of different colors in front of you. Do this test with two outfits at a time for best comparison.
Watch for the colors that make your eyes, smile, hair, and skin stand out – these tones are the best. Correctly picked out clothing will make your eyes pop – in a good way.
You want your outfits to complement your facial features and not overshadow them with bright or neon colors. If you feel great in your outfits, you will look amazing in pictures!
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/2.0, 1/400s, ISO 400 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
RUN YOUR OUTFITS BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER BEFORE THE SESSION
At Bidun Studio Photography, we are always available to give our clients input on outfit options. We encourage all of our high school senior clients to text or email us snaps of anything they are considering wearing.
We always strive to be honest with them with our feedback. If we think they have too much of one color, distracting patterns, or if their choices wouldn’t go well with the photoshoot locations, we will let them know.
Usually, their outfit choices are good, but with just a few simple adjustments, we can help them get everything styled flawlessly. Our clients are always grateful for the input, and they end up being very confident with their outfits at their photo session.
We suggest you take your time to properly prepare for the photoshoot. If you prepare all your outfits, shoes, accessories, and any props ahead of time – the photoshoot time will be a pure blast for you.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Strobe light.
f/1.6, 1/200s, ISO 50 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
BEST OUTFIT IDEAS FOR SENIOR PICTURES:
If you are still not sure what to wear for your senior pictures, we’ve prepared a list of most commonly worn clothes styles.
Through this outfits guide, you will see how you can get cute senior pictures with clothes that you already own! See how you can style your favorite outfits and come out with authentic high school graduation pictures.
You will find out that putting together cute outfits for senior pictures is not a mission impossible. Let’s dive into the clothes choices you can consider for your senior portrait photoshoot.
JEANS + TOP
We recommend that high school senior girls bring one outfit that is something they’d naturally wear– a casual outfit that makes them feel comfortable and like their “normal” self.
The casual look is almost always jeans or slacks. If you go with skinny jeans, having a slightly looser top balances the look.
When choosing your top, give preference to solid colors as they always photograph well. Neutral color pallets have a timeless feel and are a great classic choice.
Stay away from patterns and logos in your clothing, as they may give your images a dated look over time. While not-busy patterns may look ok, large logos will be very distracting for the eye.
During Sacramento senior sessions, we like to start the photoshoot with a casual outfit such as jeans and a top. This gives time for the senior to get used to being in front of the camera while wearing an outfit that she’s most comfortable in.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/1.6, 1/640s, ISO 160 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
SHORT DRESS
A short dress can serve as your semiformal outfit. Just as with all the other outfits, pick colors that are suitable for the location and won’t be distracting from your face and skin.
When choosing your dress, try to stay away from very short dresses or skirts. They can be challenging to work with and limiting on the posing.
Keep in mind that you must be comfortable in your outfit at all times and not worry about pulling down the skirt or constantly fixing the straps.
We recommend reading our post on female posing tips for ideas on how to pose senior girls in pictures.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/1.6, 1/100s, ISO 200 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
TWO-PIECE OUTFIT
A two-piece outfit can be either a combination of top + skirt or top + shorts – you get the idea. This type of attire is usually also a semiformal outfit and an excellent option for senior pictures.
When working with two-piece outfits, you must be sure to color-coordinate your clothes and don’t mix-n-match patterns. For ideas on how to style two-piece clothes, you can look through our Pinterest board or Instagram. Fashion magazines are also a great inspiration source for ideas.
Keep in mind that fitting bottoms pair well with looser tops. Fitted tops look great with both fitted skirts and puffier skirts. There are really so many cool options for matching two-piece garments.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/1.2, 1/640s, ISO 50 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
PROM & MAXI-DRESSES
We like to save the best outfit for last, during the high school senior photo shoot. As the session usually takes time around sunset, the best golden lighting will fall on the time when you are photographing the senior in their best outfit.
To learn how to plan out your senior outdoor photoshoot better, we recommend checking out our post – Natural Light Photography.
If you are into long elegant dresses and want to incorporate that into your senior pictures – go right ahead! This type of outfit will highlight your best features and add a touch of sophistication.
Prom dresses photoshoot well in urban locations or in the studio. If you are having your pictures taken in one of these locations, be sure to consider a prom dress.
Long maxi dresses will look great in outdoor locations such as a park, beach, or by a creek. Maxi dresses can add a unique look to your senior picture gallery.
Depending on the location of your photoshoot, you can choose a style of dress that will match more to the surroundings.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Strobe light.
f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 200 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
BALLET/DANCE OUTFIT
Every once in a while, we get to photograph high school seniors who do ballet dancing. In addition to portraits in casual and more formal outfits, we welcome them to bring in their ballet dresses and pointe shoes.
It’s always so special to capture ballerinas doing their elegant jumps. These images make a wonderful addition to the senior’s photo album.
Senior pictures with ballerinas require a slightly different approach. The photographer must be quick to capture each movement, each arm gesture. See our recent post for ideas on how to photograph ballet dancers.
If you do ballet or any other dance or sport, let your photographer know so it can be captured on camera.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/1.4, 1/4000s, ISO 800 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
HAIR
The biggest hairstyle tip for a senior photoshoot: don’t go out unprepared, but also don’t overdo it.
You definitely don’t want to show up for your photoshoot with unwashed and uncombed hair – this is not the time for that “natural” look. Also, don’t experiment with any new and complicated hairstyles.
If you can get a sister, mom, or a friend to help you with the hairstyle – this will be so helpful. You won’t have to be overwhelmed on the day of the shoot and stress out about not being on time or your hair turning out the wrong way.
We suggest practicing your desired hairstyles a few days before the photoshoot to get the look you want in advance.
If you don’t practice beforehand, you might end up having a tough time doing your hair on the day of the shoot. This can, in turn, ruin your mood for the day.
Hiring a professional hairstylist is a great option for you, and sometimes photographers offer this service through their studio. This may be the best alternative for you, especially if you get an artist who offers hair and makeup services.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/2.0, 1/1000s, ISO 400 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
MAKEUP
The main tip for makeup application is to apply it as you usually do, don’t try to do anything drastically different. It’s ideal to bring your makeup bag and a hairbrush with you to the shoot, just in case.
You want to avoid using glitter or anything sparkly on your face: either powder, eye shadow, blush, or hairspray. During outdoor or a studio senior photoshoot, anything glittery or sparkly will get reflected and draw attention from your portrait.
It’s helpful to bring along a translucent face powder. It can be applied in case the face gets a bit oily during the shoot. Without this powder, your face will have an unpleasing glow, which is impossible to get rid of during post-production.
If you are confident in doing your own makeup, it’s really great. If you are not experienced or worried that it won’t look good in pictures – get a professional makeup artist to do the job.
Sometimes its best to trust a professional and enjoy getting pampered for this once in a lifetime photo session.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/1.8, 1/2000s, ISO 100 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
JEWELRY & ACCESSORIES
Stay away from heavy, attention-grabbing jewelry. Your senior pictures should emphasize your eyes, face, personality, and complement your outfit. You don’t want to draw unwanted attention to your accessories.
Try your outfits with the jewelry pieces that you are considering to wear. It will give you a great visual if this piece fits your image or not.
Keep in mind that some jewelry can date a photograph very quickly. Classic jewelry pieces are best for any type of photoshoot.
Hats and scarves can be a great accessory if you know how to pair them well with your outfits. Always try on the outfit with the hat or another accessory, so you will be sure how this style combination looks on you.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Sky Natural Light| f/2.0, 1/160s, ISO 500 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
PROPS
You are encouraged to bring props to your senior photo session. Bring along anything that represents you – this includes musical instruments, athletic gear, sports jerseys, dancing outfits & shoes.
Whatever your hobbies may be, the photographer can incorporate that into your photos. Images that portray special and meaningful items will be the ones that you will treasure the most.
If you have a personal pet that you want to take pictures with – go for it! We love including dogs into photoshoots; it adds a unique personalized touch. Just be sure to bring someone along to help if you bring a pet.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Strobe light.
f/1.2, 1/2000s, ISO 1250 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
SHOES
During a senior session, you will also take a great amount of full-body shots.
Check your shoes to be sure they are clean. Make sure they will match well with the outfits you have prepared for the photoshoot.
It’s also a good idea to bring an extra pair of shoes that you can use as ‘walking shoes.’ If the location requires some walking to get to the photoshoot spot, you can use your comfortable shoes for that.
When the photoshoot starts, you may change into the cute shoes that you have chosen for this session. If possible, you should bring different shoes for each look you will be photographing in.
CONCLUSION
No matter what you wear to your senior portrait photoshoot, make sure that you love your outfit. Make sure that it fits you well, and that the look is complete.
Start putting each look together in full detail ahead of time, so that you still have time to improve something if needed. Pay attention to all aspects such as the way clothes fit you, which colors look best on you, and which accessories and shoes complement your look.
With proper preparation and photographer’s input, together, you will be able to create a fantastic gallery where you will love every single shot.
Bidun Studio Photography specializes in high school senior pictures in Sacramento, California. To learn more about our services and to book your session, contact us here.
