How to personalize your senior session

Incorporating Sports, Hobbies, and other Activities into your Senior Session.

Throughout their time in high school, Seniors participate in a variety of sports, hobbies, and clubs. A unique way to commemorate these different activities is to incorporate them in your senior portraits!  Since your senior session is all about YOU, the goal is to make sure that we really show off your personality and make your photos are unique to you. Now is the time to start planning your session so we can fully showcase you during your photo shoot. Think about your routine – where you like to go, what you like to do, etc. It’s so fun getting to see you and who you are through your senior photos.   

Below are some ideas of things you might want to incorporate in your session. These are just suggestions to get your brainstorming started:

• Sports -

  Use your sports equipment. Whether you’re a softball player, volleyball player, or wrestler, incorporating whatever you use to compete in your sport is a great way to bring your passion for being an athlete into your session. Some examples to bring can be a basketball, your jersey, helmet, letterman’s jacket, wrestling shoes, cheer uniform and pom poms, etc.

Art/Theatre –

Maybe you are a dancer or participate in the school musicals, whatever it is you can bring something that will show how significant this is in your life.  Bring your playbill’s from the various shows you have done or maybe it is a poster of the show. Bringing the drama symbol to hold, or dance shoes that you used in the dance routine you did.  If you love to paint and draw bring along a sketch books, pens, paints, and brushes. There are a lot of options to choose from.

• Music/Band –

  Lots of seniors participate in band or choir.  Bringing your instrument is a great way to show your talents off in your senior photos.  If you are in choir bringing a song book or lose leaf pages of a score from a concert is a fun way to show off this activity

• Favorite movie or book –

  For the bookworms reading is a fun pastime that takes your on lots of adventures. As they say, those who read don’t just experience one life, as reading gives them the opportunity to live many different lives. Grab your favorite books and highlight them in your photos. Novels will certainly pose as wonderful props. What if you are into movies, well you can certainly incorporate posters from movies, or your favorite DVDs into the session. 

• Other fun hobbies -

  Use the tools you use for your other hobbies. What is your favorite thing to do? Maybe you like to work on cars, having your tools with you standing next to your car would be a fun way to show off your skills.  What if you love to cook or bake?  Never fear, bring a long pans, cookie sheets, etc.  We could even set up a little table to have your fun things on.

• Your job or the career you’re planning on going into –

  This can be a fun opportunity to show others what your future goals are.  Maybe you are going to be a scientist, bring along some props like beakers, test tubes, etc.  Maybe you are going into the nursing field, bring along a stethoscope, and scrubs.    

• Your car –

  Maybe your car is your first car that you were given, or you worked hard and got it yourself and fixed it up.  This is the car you drove around in during your years at school and it took you to some of the fun things you will remember forever.  Why not show it off?  Bring it to your session.  Standing in front of it, or sitting on the hood, is a great way to memorialize the vehicle that took you through your high school life.

• Your pet –

  I love this one because I’m a huge dog lover.  Our pets are part of our family, and you want to have them documented in your session to remember them.  Bringing your pet to your session is a great way to incorporate your fur babies into your photos.  With this we just have to determine if the location you have chosen will allow pets on the spot.  Most do, especially those that are open to the public areas.  Always keep pets on a leash, or cage until we get to the spot and do the photos.

• Your school or your future college –

Wearing a special t-shirt that has your school information or college of choice is a special prop to wear in your session. Also using a school’s pennant can be a fun way to showcase your school.  

• What is something you love? –

  I had a senior who absolutely loved coffee and wanted to incorporate that into her session.  We took a photo of her dressed like a cold day drinking a cup of hot coffee.  What a great way to let others know she loves coffee.  What if you love ice cream, or hats, or you collect something like pop sockets, etc. Think about what you love and bring along something about that to your session.

• And don’t forget about your favorite hang out –

  Whether it be a coffee shop, park, football field, bookstore, etc. We can try to add this location to your session.

If you get stuck trying to figure out how to incorporate your sport, hobby, or passion into your session, talk it through with your photographer.  He or She will be able to give you lots of ideas and assist you through the process.  Another idea is to go on Pinterest and pin some ideas you see, and then share them with your photographer. Remember, you are a unique individual and there are lots of activities that shaped the course of your High School experience.  What better way to highlight these activities than through your senior portraits.