Senior Picture Poses – 7 Tips to Look Your Best
Getting in front of the camera is soooo much fun!!! But it can also be a little nerve wracking. You want to look your very best but gees… what do you do with your hands? How do you hold your body so you look supermodel”esque”? How do you get that natural smile when there’s a camera right up in your face and people are watching you as they pass by? Well I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to be a supermodel to look like one!!! Here are some senior picture poses & tips to help you look your best and feel great while doing it!!
Keep in mind that I will be right there with you leading you through your session and how to pose. I will be giving you tips, suggestions, exact poses (and I’ll show you exactly how to do them), and I’ll also talk you through what to do next to get those super relaxed “hey i’m just walking down the street looking all cute” kind of poses too. We always start easy and get you comfortable before heading into what I call all the “pretzel” posing. You have nothing to worry about!! You’ll look ahhh-mazing I promise.
There are a few things you can practice & keep in mind before your session to make you feel a bit more confident during your session. The really awesome part about these tips are that you can use them for all your pictures! You know the selfies, the pics with your girl squad, even the photos with your family. Here we go….7 tips for senior picture poses to help you look your best!
1. Think happy thoughts!!! – Are you eye rolling now? I know it sounds funny and you’re like “seriously Amber that’s dumb.” But it’s NOT!! When you’re thinking happy thoughts your face and body will relax. Your smile will automatically look more natural. You’ll get that gleam in your eyes & a little pep in your step. (Side note – this reminds me a little of when Harry Potter has to think of his happiest memory to perform a Patronus charm. Thinking happy thoughts helps get things done!!)
2. Put your weight on your back foot – Don’t stand with your weight placed evenly on each foot. Instead choose a leg and have that leg go back and one come slightly forward. Put your weight on that back foot. This will help to give your body a little bit of a curve. (as an added bonus effect— pop your booty backwards!!) The feet can be crossed or uncrossed and your front leg can be bent or straight.
3. Straight back & lean toward the camera – People tend to naturally lean away from the camera and you DO NOT want to do this! Believe me this is the most important tip I can give you. You want to keep your back straight and lean toward the camera with your upper body. Pair this with #2 and you’re golden!! Weight on back foot, back straight, lean toward the camera. This also applies to seated poses. You’ll hear me say all of these things to you during your session just to remind you. The leaning toward the camera part can feel a little weird. Maybe uncomfortable but again…you’ll thank me for how awesome it makes you look.
Putting it all together- First Picture – Mikaela has got her weight on her back leg (#2), she’s got a straight back and leaning toward the camera (#3), she’s thinking some really happy thoughts & you can tell she’s been practicing (#1 & #7), and her arms are away from her body (#4). Second Picture – Alicia is seated but you can see how she is leaning toward the camera (#3), her arms are away from her body (#4), and she’s been practicing that natural smile (#7).
4. Lift arms away from your body – Arms flatten out and look wide when they’re tight up against your sides. You want to remember to keep those arms slight away from your body. This can be done with a hand on the hip, hand in the pocket or on a wall, or just by a slight bend in the elbow to move the arm away from your body.
Putting it all together…notice how Laney’s leaning toward the camera with a straight back (#3), shoulders are angled (#5), chin is out and down (#6), and happy thoughts with a practiced smile (#1 & #7)!!
5. Turn your shoulders – You’ll want to rotate one shoulder toward the camera while rotating the other away from the camera to create an angle. It’s much more flattering to have your body angled toward the camera then straight on to the camera.
Putting it all together – First Picture – Ashleigh’s got the “smize” down!! (#7), shoulders are angled (#5), arms are away from the body (#4). Second Picture – Kristen has clearly practiced her smile (#7) & she’s angled toward the camera (#5). You’ll notice that her arm is against her body but because of the fit of her shirt you can’t see it. The fact that her shoulder is bare helps with this too! It creates more dimension.
6. Chin out and down – I call this the turtle. Yes it feels a little awkward but you want to slighty bring your chin out (away from your neck) and thenslightly down. This will give you a nice lean neck!
Putting it all together – Madisan is angled toward the camera (#5), she’s killing that “smize” (#7), chin is out and down (#6)
7. Practice smiling and “smizing” in front of your mirror – Practice makes perfect!!! Practice that smile to see which of your smiles you like best and which looks most natural. Also practice that “smize” or smiling with your eyes. I love to call it “the model face”. There is a bit of a trick to this one. You want to look serious & engaging to the camera without looking angry. Haha. Remember to relax your face and look straight out (into the camera), concentrate a bit on keeping your eyes open and part your lips slightly.
Putting it all together – Mackenzie’s shoulders are angled (#5), chin is out and down (#6), she has a straight back & slight lean toward the camera (#3), and that SMIZE!!!!!!
I hope these senior picture poses help you to feel a little more comfortable in front of the camera. You can practice all of them before your session and you’ll be feeling & looking like a supermodel in no time! And try not to worry. I’ll be there walking & talking you through your whole session step by step.
To look at more pictures from Aly’s session and her poses click HERE or to see more from Mikaela’s session click HERE.
Also make sure you’re following along on Instagram!! You can get lots of ideas for senior picture poses there.
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