How to Take the Best Headshots: High School Seniors

Senior headshots offer the perfect opportunity to immortalize the person you were at age 17 or 18: young, eager, and full of possibilities. It’s also a great way for high school seniors to express themselves and show their individuality. Years from now, they’ll look back at these headshots and relive their life as it was when they were teenagers.

Your senior headshot should bring out who you are. It’s a snapshot in time for you, your friends, and your family to remember and reminisce.

Follow these tips on when and where to hold the photoshoot, what to wear, and how to pose to ensure your senior headshot day is a total success.

When Should You Take Your High School Senior Headshot?

Organizing your senior headshots should be done by late summer or early autumn of your senior year, to ensure they’re ready for inclusion in the yearbook. Ideally, you should schedule 3 months in advance with your photographer since the demand for senior headshots is always high.

Photographers will tell you the best time of day to take photos is a little bit after sunrise and a little bit before sunset. These are the times when the sun is not harsh and the light adds depth and gentle strokes to the photos. The “golden hour” in particular, right before sunset, offers spectacular light displays that highlight the quality of your headshots.

Lastly, consider your favorite outfit; is it a floaty summer dress, or a thick, knit wool sweater? Depending on what you like wearing, you might want to wait until the weather gets cooler to have your photoshoot.

Where Should You Take Your High School Senior Headshot?

Before making an appointment with your photographer, think of where you want to take your photos. Remember that you’re probably booking months in advance—and a location that is beautiful in late summer may well be dreary and gray in November. So plan accordingly!

While you can always take your headshot in a studio, we recommend using a location that has significance and meaning to you. It could be a sports venue, a school building, the mall, the wild outdoors, or even your backyard. Whatever your choice, make sure to tell your photographer what elements, in particular, you want to capture from the location.

What Should I Wear in My Senior Headshot Photos?

This is a question we get every time we discuss senior headshot photography. Our answer is always the same: be yourself.

The point of your senior headshot is to show who you are. Choose whatever clothes make you feel like yourself—clothes that light up your self-confidence and inner strength.

If you’re torn between several outfits, bring them all. Photographers are happy to have you try on different clothes and see which combinations work best on camera.

If you are still finding it hard to decide, here are a few pointers to help:

• Choose both casual and dressy outfits so that we can take headshots with different looks.
• Avoid stripes, which could make you look larger than you are, and big patterns, which distract from your face.
• Avoid clothes with logos; a few years from now, the clothes will look dated and the logo will scream the year your headshot was taken.
• Too much white can be distracting: it takes the focus away from your face. If possible, avoid white clothes and white sneakers. The colors that work best are earthy tones such as beige, gray-blue, light gray, soft pink, old rose, and warm orange. Neon and bright colors will look too flashy in the photos.
• The best combination is a darker bottom—skirt, pants, shorts—and a lighter top—shirt, t-shirt, blouse, sweatshirt.
• Accessorizing can be interesting, as long as you don’t overdo it. Feel free to bring hats, scarves, gloves, or any accessory that showcases your personality and fashion sense. Just make sure you’re not taking the focus away from your face.
• Remember to iron your clothes before the photoshoot. After all, you’re going to be looking at this picture for decades to come. Wear casual clothes if that’s the style that fits your personality, but make sure there are no wrinkles.

If you want to wear jewelry, choose discrete items that don’t attract too much attention but still add character to your general outfit.

Should I Wear Make-Up in My Senior High School Headshots?

Just like we suggested for the question of clothing, our answer here is the same: be yourself. Specifically, use make-up that allows you to look as natural and relaxed as possible. A little make-up can highlight your features and add self-confidence. Too much will look unrealistic in the photos.

Here are some make-up tips:

• Stay away from glitter: it catches all the attention in photos.
• Opt for earthy, neutral make-up tones that look natural and match your complexion.
• Although protection from the sun is crucial for your skin health, we suggest you avoid face creams with SPF on the day of your photoshoot. They tend to make your skin look oily and shiny in photos.
• Avoid lip gloss, as it tends to add shine that can be distracting. Instead, moisturize your lips before the photoshoot. If you do want to add color, use non-glossy lipstick.
• Let your hair move freely. We like taking photos that display movement. Too much hairspray will make your hair look like a formidable and immovable mass.
•  If you like nail polish, choose a neutral shade. Flashy ones will stand out, while more fashionable ones will look outdated in a few years as trends change.
• Do not have a haircut the day before your photoshoot. Have your hair cut at least a week before the shoot to give time for your hair to ‘adapt’ to your face and look natural.

What’s the Best Pose for My Senior High School Headshot?

When you arrive for your photoshoot, we will sit down with you and discuss how you want to present yourself on camera. What are the things that make you who you are? Do you like sports? If so, an action shot might be appropriate. Do you have a pet? We might take a few shots with you and your pet. What do you do on a typical Saturday? A walk in the park makes for beautiful photos. And so on.

Once you determine what works best for you, we’ll guide you in trying out different poses. We’re looking for the pose that makes you feel the most like yourself.

We like movement: walking, jumping, and laughter are great moments to capture on camera. If that’s too much movement for you, try leaning against a wall, or sitting on a bench or the stairs. We’re trying to avoid the typical “sit on a stool and stare at the camera” photo at all costs.

Another pose we love, and that adds depth and dimension to a portrait, is when you look over your shoulder. There is an element of surprise and fun in this pose that appeals to many people.

If you want, you can bring one or two props that reflect your character and personality. Perhaps a tennis racket if you love playing tennis, a musical instrument if you’re in a band, or a chemistry set if you’re a science whiz. If it’s important to you and represents a part of yourself that you want to remember, then it has a place in your senior headshot.

We can also arrange to have some items on hand to make the photos more interesting: a chair or armchair, books, a particular hat, or a bench which we can use for you to pose around.

Trust Denver Headshot Photography for Natural and Fun Senior Headshots

We believe in natural photos that speak for themselves. We make your face and your personality the focus of the photos because a headshot is all about showcasing and celebrating who you truly are.

To capture your perfect senior headshot, call us at 720-712-4829 or book your headshot photoshoot online. We have two studio locations in Denver, Texas, and can arrange for outdoor photoshoots on demand.