Top Tips for Incredible Senior Portraits from the Fashion Industry - Get Senior Portraits Like Something out of a Magazine!
A high school senior poses for portraits surrounded by flowers. The image looks like something out of a magazine.
Get Senior Portraits Like Something Out of a Magazine!
So you're a high school student, and you want your senior portraits to look like something out of a magazine? You have come to the right place. At Lorikeet Weddings our photography team has both formal art training and years of experience in film, commercial and fashion industries. We have studied art for years and know all the trade secrets for making portraits pop!
Here Are Our Top Tips for Great Senior Portraits:
Pick a photographer who has at least done weddings, if not commercial professional photography work!
This is actually the biggest thing you can do to get phenomenal senior portraits. An experienced photographer who knows how to work with flash, uses pro equipment, and knows how to perfect edit settings is absolutely worth the investment. When inquiring with photographers, ask to see their portfolios and specifically ask if they know how to work with flash. These are all signs that you're in good hands and can get the look you want.
Let your photographer know the look you want!
By providing just a few inspo pics to your photographer you can totally change the trajectory of your photoshoot. They will know exactly what you want and what they need to get it. When photographers are hired for fashion shoots they are told by the client exactly what they want. It incredibly helpful! Pinterest is a great spot to get inspo pics from too!
Do you want your photos to have a warm glow? The photographer will schedule your shoot during golden hour and tweak edit settings to ensure you get that look! Want cool and moody photos inspired by the movie "Twilight"? The photographer will find somewhere shady and humid to take the pics. They may even have special filters for the camera to get that exact look. By telling the photographer what you want, everything goes smoothly!
Only Wear "Chemical" Sunscreen without any Added Shimmer! NO ZINC!
This sounds crazy specific but not wearing physical sunscreen with zinc in it will avoid disaster with your senior portraits. Experienced photographers know that sunscreens with zinc cause something called flashback in photos. Essentially flash bounces off zinc sunscreen very oddly, causing strange ghostly glares where its applied. These can be nearly impossible to edit out and especially on darker skin tones, will ruin photos.
We do not want you to get sunburned during the shoot though! You're fine to wear any sunscreen that does not contain zinc. These are called "chemical sunscreens", and they won't cause flashback. We are always happy to answer any questions our clients have about this incredibly specific but very important tip!
Be Careful with Shimmery Makeup, Setting Powder and Highlighter
Similar to zinc sunscreens some makeup products can cause flashback in the wrong places on your face. The shimmery eyeshadow catching a bit of extra flash looks great, but the loose powder you baked your face with catching flash, that looks crazy. The best thing you can do is be light handed with products like highlighter, avoid super shimmery foundations, and avoid setting powders with silica in them.
You can still have shimmery eyeshadow and use well blended highlighter on your cheek bones. You just don't want flash catching sparkly products on places like your forehead etc. We are always happy to answer any client questions about this. It can get complicated, and we have tons of youtube videos we can send clients explaining it in more depth.
Wear Something You Feel Confident In!
If you want senior portraits that look like something out of a magazine, wear something you feel confident in! Whether that's a flowing long dress or Doc Martens and blue jeans, wear the outfit that makes you feel incredible. Confidence shows through the lens and photographers know when you feel great and when you don't.
When we notice a client doesn't feel confident, the first thing we will do is start to hype them up! We know that the energy we put off at a shoot is felt by the client so we are always their top cheerleaders. We also can switch up poses or suggest outfit changes when something just isn't working for someone. This is another reason it's a good idea to also bring multiple outfits to your senior portrait session.
We hope you find these tips helpful and enjoy pulling from the expertise of the Lorikeet Weddings Photography Team. If you're looking for senior portraits like something out of a magazine in Colorado, reach out to us today through our inquiry form! We would love to create one of a kind senior portraits for you!