Senior Pictures – 50 Pose Ideas for Girls

Girls Posing 

 #2  Always save your best poses for the middle or end of a shoot. This gives your model time to warmup and feel more comfortable trying more close up shots!  Without fail I always tell them to save their favorite outfit for the final wardrobe change for last as well.  At the end they are comfortable, having fun and feeling beautiful which truly shines through their final images…hence they love those shots and poses more than their first outfit and poses.  Not that they don’t love the first of the session but they are typically head over heels for the last portion of their senior session.

Jason Williams Photography – Website 

#3 Emotion: I placed this senior by the trees and started a conversation with her and asked her to tell me about what she daydreams about. As she was talking we got the daydream face and she was lightly touching the tree. Having the senior talk and then think about what they’re talking about creates real emotion in the face.  Emotion is the key to capturing your senior girls.  Whether the emotion is happy, thoughtful, serious or smirky when emotions can shine through your images become captivating!

Ashley Nicole Photography – Website 

#5 Get the real smile: The best way to get a real smile is to give constant positive feedback. Continue talking to your senior to make them more comfortable. They will relax and you will be able to capture a genuine smile.  Once you set down your camera is when you get the genuine real smile…so the moral of the story is don’t set your camera down!  When they think you are finished snap again!

Hannah Black Photography-Website 

#6 Be open to new ideas: Don’t be afraid to try what your photographer suggests, it might end up being your favorite picture!  I always…always…always…ask if they have a pose in mind, something they want to try or have seen.  It never hurts to ask!

Laura Skellie Photography – Website 

#8 Get out in nature:  We went out and enjoyed ourselves in the waterfalls, in the creek/river, and just playing!  

#9 Shoot for the senior and for mom:  I want seniors to have something they love, and want to show off just as much as the parents. I try to do two shoots…one for the senior and one for the parents!  If I am able to – I try to have the session for the seniors without the parents….as a surprise. For them to see the beautiful person they have turned into.

#10 Sitting poses:  My senior girls seem more comfortable in sitting poses.  When they stand, they sometimes don’t know what to do with their hands without direction, and they seem awkward.  Having them be comfortable is the most important thing.  Start with sitting poses and then move your way into standing poses…the key is getting them comfortable.

Hannah Mann Photography – Website 

#11 Draw attention to their eyes:  I love this pose because it is simple and elegant. It is of course flattering to the face and the rest of the body because the angle pushes the body slightly away to look smaller, and the attention stays on the eyes. It is a little more of a romantic look, but still 100% appropriate for a teenage girl. With this pose, beware of having your subject look too far back over her shoulder or of creating unflattering neck rolls from turning her head.

#12 Look down on the subject:  I love this pose because it is so flattering. It pulls the arms away from the body to slim them, and pulls the face up and out to elongate the neck. From this angle, the entire body is slightly de-emphasized, even though most of it is visible. And at the same time, it feels natural and youthful, like a senior portrait should, without being too childlike or stiff or awkward. With this pose, be attentive to how you are shooting your subject’s legs, since it will not be flattering to that part of her body.

Carissa Lyn Photography – Website 

#13 Silhouette Picture:  I love silhouette photos because they are so unique and timeless! If you aren’t sure how to create a silhouette here are 8 Steps to Create the Perfect Silhouette Picture!

I like to plan ahead for silhouettes, because for these, the clothes can be an integral part of the pose. Since you lose some of the subtlety of the pose since you can’t see facial features or emotions, I like to have the poses be a little more dramatic and over the top than they would be otherwise.

 

Nomi Photography – Website

#14 Giggles and laughs:  For this image, she had wanted to incorporate her leather jacket that she wears a lot & is just “her”. I wanted her to swing it over her shoulder but do something to make her loosen up a big so she wouldn’t look so stiff. She swung the jacket over her shoulder just right & then I asked her about the boy in her life 😉 That got quite a few giggles & JUST the shot of her I wanted! This image goes down as one of my favorites!!!

 

The Maine Tinker Studio – Website  

#15 Movement:  Involve them moving…including their hands and hair!  Have them twirl, dance, swing their hair or even walk towards you, as the photographer…this really makes them comfortable and gives your images a really great authentic feel.

#16 Jump: To accomplish this pose , I told the model to jump on three.  I had counted to three and pressed the shutter on two.  Don’t worry if your first couple of tries on this pose fail.  Try try again!  You’ll nail it and in the end they have fun jumping over and over again!

 #17 Model pose:  To accomplish this relaxed, sultry pose, I had the model exhale as I took the picture and relax her jaw.

#18 Don’t cut off limbs!   This girl was already a pageant queen for every title in our county, so she is use to being in front of the camera.  Such a natural and a natural beauty.  I was working with this fabulous wall.  I love LOVE the texture and the natural light coming in through the front window.  I made sure to give her a little arched back and pull her arm up and away from her body so I wouldn’t cut off any limbs with this particular crop and she worked it well! 

Moriah Riona – Website 

#19 Use arms to frame the subject: I used her arms to create different angles/planes in the composition which is much more visually intriguing than arms to the side, limp.  

Photo Studio Vegas – Website 

#20-Headshot:  Don’t forget a classic headshot.  A headshot where you frame around the subject’s eyes being on the sweet spot — always be sure you get sharp eyes in your photos — with shoulders framed and positioned well.  

 #21 Double up for fun:  Double up a session and make twice as much. Shoot two girls who are friends rather than just one. It opens up a chance for two different IPS sessions, giving you more income, and you can choose to offer them discounts on the session fees for shooting together. You’ll also be able to capture some really great images of the friends together.

 #22 Connect with your seniors:  Get to know who your seniors are. Connect with them on a personal level, and shoot in places that are reminiscent of them. This senior’s father owned a farm with an old farm house and barn on it. She dressed in her typical relaxed outfit that she would wear around the farm, and I learned her up against the old barn wood, adding rustic feel to her image. It matches both her style in general and what it was like for her growing up, and both her and her parents love the images.

#23 Make your senior feel comfortable:  Talk with your model/client. Ask them what their likes and dislikes are, what they are interested in, get them laughing so they feel more comfortable.  You’ll get the most relaxed poses and facial expressions this way!  

Jessica Collins Photography – Website 

What to Wear For Senior Pictures is our latest article to help give tips and ideas for senior girls portrait outfits. 

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