'Tis the season when high schoolers get gussied up and pose for their senior portrait … only these days, students are rebelling against the usual stiff poses and bland backgrounds and are shaking things up! Your teenager probably wants a creative senior portrait — and some ideas on how to make that happen.
So indulge them a little with these creative portrait poses for high school seniors. You'll be glad you helped them create a photo that captures who they are as a touchstone for years to come.
Number 10 is a keeper for sure! Do you have a photo like it?
Image via © W2 Photography/Corbis
Adventures Await ...
This senior photo with vintage suitcases from Janelle Rose Photography perfectly portrays the adventures awaiting a high schooler as she's about to graduate and embark on a new phase of life.
Get Your Graduation Year in There
This gal, snapped by Jeanne Sager Photography, came up with a fantastic place to sneak her graduation year for her senior pic: on the bottom of her shoe. She gets an A for originality.
A Boy and His Gun
This photo from Now & Then Photography is just one of many featuring boys (and girls) with guns in their senior pics. And the trend has caused quite a stir: After one school in New Hampshire banned a senior portrait of a boy with a gun from being included in the yearbook, that student sued his school.
Include Your Varsity Letter
Few things encapsulate a senior's school years like a varsity letter, so find a way to include it in your photo, like this pic by Basically Brandy Photography.
Chalk It Up
As this senior photo with chalk art from Velvet Owl Photography makes clear, chalk is a fun and easy way to inscribe your name, graduation year, or any other message you want commemorated in your senior photo.
On the Ball
This image from His Hands Photographs is a great way to highlight a student's love of sports: just throw in a basketball, softball, or other sports equipment!
For Bookworms
Lisa McNiel at Lisa Marie Photography took this photo of her daughter because she used to read this book to her as a child: Just the Way You Are. Such a fitting favorite book for a senior photo! That said, whatever book is meaningful to your teen makes for a memorable senior portrait idea.
Capture the Excitement!
For Erica Peerenboom at Photographer Central, portraying a high schooler's excitement in a senior portrait is what it's all about. "Seniors are always full of such hope and excitement for the future," she says. "I love to capture those emotions in pictures for them." And having a bridge as a background is also a perfect symbol for their new post-graduation life.
Throw in Some Fall Leaves
Senior photos filled with autumn leaves are a gorgeous reminder of the start of school … which is why this high school senior shot by Anne Schillings used them to spell out her graduation year.
Incorporate Man's Best Friend
This senior pic of boy with dog from Crave Photography highlights the important role animals can play in our teenagers' lives. So if a dog or cat was your teen's constant companion through the years, consider commemorating that bond.
Get Silly (String, That Is)
Take a can of silly string and a senior with a whimsical sense of humor, and what do you have? A very playful senior portrait. She even used the string to inscribe her graduation year on the hay bale behind her.
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
This senior photo featuring the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go! from photographer Madison Cary is also amazingly fitting for teens about to embark on their post-graduation life. In fact, any inspiring message on a book, greeting card, or note can make a great prop and embody a high school senior's anticipation for what comes next.
