It is so easy to find examples of senior portraits for girls, but let's not forget about our boys!
When it comes to shooting senior and graduate sessions for guys, or really anyone who wants something different from flower fields, location choices, outfits, and posing are key. Especially if you aren't photographing a senior that wants to incorporate a specific theme or isn't quite sure what they want their pictures to look like.
HERE'S MY PLANNING PROCESS FOR WORKING WITH THE BOYS
The last senior session I did was a pretty typical scenario for a teenage boy. He knew that he wasn't happy with the pictures from the company that the high school make students use, but he didn't have any specific opinions on what he wanted his portrait session with me to look like.
So what was the plan?
LOCATION
I always have my senior clients fill out a questionnaire before I pick a location. I get a sense of how they dress, what activities they participate in, their hobbies and interests, and what they plan to wear. The answers to these questions give me insight into the type of shoot that will best fit their personality, and for me it reveals what they will want in a photo even if they don't know how to articulate it.
Based on my client's answers and consultation, we decided a location with more architectural features and collegiate vibes (think brick walls, climbing ivy, stairwells, college campus feel) would be best. We chose to shoot at Market Square in Lake Forest, IL.
CLOTHING CHOICES
Getting a sense of a senior's style before jumping right into telling them what to wear is important. But providing guidance on outfit choices and styling is important and can make or break a portrait session. I make sure to figure out what they are most comfortable wearing and go from there. I also make sure to discuss everything from shoes and socks to hair products.
For this specific client, he had a pretty classic t-shirt and slacks kind of style which made my job easy! We decided to add a deep colored quarter-zip sweater for the fall vibes and to bring some structure. The contrast between the colors on the t-shirt and the sweater were subtle, and the shape of the collar from the open zipper made the outfit just interesting enough so as not to take away from the subject.
And always make sure there is nothing in the pockets!
POSING
Before any session I dive deep into posing ideas. Most teenage boys have absolutely no idea how to pose for a photograph, what to do with their hands, or whether or not they should smile. And getting a natural smile is everything!
I will be totally honest, I looked at Pinterest a lot for posing ideas so I won't pretend like everything was original. What I will share is my process for nailing those poses. It is one thing to tell somebody what to do with their hands (cross your arms, put them in your pockets, grab your wrist, etc.) but the details are what makes it feel natural or weird.
Keep an eye out for whether fingers look stiff, shoulders are squared but turned too far away from the camera, a knee should be popped more, etc. Some of the things that need the most guidance spacing between your subject and a wall, the up or downturn of their chin, relaxing the fingers and wrists, and posture. Nobody wants to be slouching in their portrait, so I routinely have my clients roll their shoulders back throughout the shoot to help them straighten up.
As for natural smiles...get them talking, get them laughing. It will be stiff at the beginning of the shoot so use that time for the serious face shots. But as they warm up and you get to know more about what will draw out emotion, don't just tell them to smile, shoot while you are having a genuine conversation and the smiles will come. Just have your finger on the shutter and be ready to capture it!
