First of all, no you don’t! I promise you don’t need any modeling experience or knowledge before your session with me to have beautiful senior photos. I will tell you how to stand, what to do with your hands and all of the things to  make sure you look amazing in your photos!

That being said, I myself am a planner and when I’m facing a new experience I like to study up a little bit to have some idea of what to expect (makes me much less nervous!) So while I promise that you can just show up to your senior session well-rested and thoughtfully put together and I will take care of the rest, I mean it. 

But if you’re like me and want a little more behind the scenes info to make you feel less nervous, keep reading and I’ll share with you a few of the basic poses I use at each senior session so you have some idea of what to expect at your session.

Walking Poses

These are some of my favorite prompts and poses I do at each session! I usually start the session with these and I do that because they give you something to focus on besides just standing there while an almost stranger points a lens at you and you feel super vulnerable. I will have you walk towards me, away from me and a few other variations. If you’re wearing a dress or skirt, you can be sure I will mix in some great twirls as well!

Other Movement Poses

Closely related to walking poses, I have a few other movement prompts that I will give you. Twisting back and forth, kicking one leg back and forth, and etc. Not only do I love capturing some action in your photos for variety, I also find that I get some awesome smiles and laughter in these poses. They are usually some of the best natural looking shots from a session!

Standing

Whether it’s ankles crossed, one leg kicked back, the “power pose” or something else, I will have you standing in a lot of your photos. For most of them I will remind you to put your weight on one leg and have you lean slightly toward me. It will feel weird, but will look great!

Sitting

Each location is unique with sitting options, but sitting poses are another great way to add some variety to your gallery and change up your look. You can pretty much count on us sitting on the ground in some way and also using any benches, ledges or chairs/stools that are available. When I have you sit on a chair or bench I will have you scoot your butt toward the edge and drape your arms. This looks so great in photos and is very flattering.

Leaning and Laying

Also depending on what is around at the session location, I will have you lean against walls, doorways and whatever else we find that will look good in photos. I typically don’t choose to have you lean against tree trunks because I don’t love how they darken up photos. I may also have you lay on your stomach or back for a few shots.

Hands and Arms

While this isn’t exactly a pose, I thought I would give you some idea of what I’ll have your hands and arms doing through all these various poses. I’ll have you put them in pockets, grab onto jewelry or collars on your clothing, put them in your hair, wrapped around your waist or held out carefree. One of my favorites is capturing a close-up portrait with your arms and hands framing your face or drawing attention to it. It makes you look like such a supermodel! 

In conclusion, I’m saying this again: DO NOT STRESS about how you will pose in your senior photos! The reason you hired a professional like myself is I can do that work for you. I will tell you how to stand and what to do every time. So while I hope the info in this blog post helps you feel less nervous so you can know what to expect, do not read all this and stress out,  thinking you need to study up on this and know what to do on your own. 

Your senior photo session should not only leave you with beautiful photos to share with family and friends, but should also be a fun and exciting experience itself that you can remember when thinking about senior year. My goal at each session is for you to feel like the most beautiful version of yourself and like you’re hanging out with a friend taking photos. So enjoy the process and have fun being yourself at your senior photo session!