Your senior portrait is likely to be the last solo portrait you have of yourself for many years.  Once you graduate from high school, you stop having your picture taken each year at school, you aren't being photographed by your mom and dad with their cameras or phones, and hopefully you don't consider a selfie at a concert to be a portrait.  Right now, when your parents are investing in your senior portraits, why not consider making them as original and special as possible?

Location, Location

You probably know where half the photos in your yearbook were taken: a popular park, neighborhood, or a familiar studio setting.   If you are going for a unique look in your senior pictures, consider working in a unique location that is less familiar or cliché for senior portraits.  Ask your senior portrait photographer to recommend locations that are rarely used in senior pictures, or perhaps she/he has a new location that they would like to try out.  Photographers tend to pay attention to new and interesting locations for photos and would probably be very excited to work an untried location.  Avoid the most popular spots and try something different.

Risky Business

Take a risk and do something unexpected in your senior photos. Bring your robot, soldering gun, and goggles.  Show off your flute or your fencing whites at the mall.  Walk in the rain, leap in a lake, jump your bike over your photographer.  Props can help tell the story of your extracurriculars and include your personality in your senior pictures.  Let go of the “pretty picture” and enjoy the energy of the unexpected.

Take a Deep Breath and Go Underwater

Working with a photographer who is comfortable in the water, you can create fun and unique senior pictures that bring fine art to your photos.  The ethereal, floating look of images underwater, the casts of blue in most pools, the unconventional poses that can be achieved in water will give you a series of incredible senior pictures that few others will have at your school.

Get Fancy

Did you know that you can rent clothing?  From costumes to designer gowns, rented clothing can be a fun way to show some whimsy, creativity, and fashion.  If your senior photographer works with a stylist, ask for some ideas to create an out-of-the-ordinary look for your senior pictures.  Or hit the thrift stores and look for vintage clothes, fabulous gowns, suits, and accessories that could be the centerpiece of a memorable senior picture.

Go Dark

Most senior pictures are taken under studio lights or in daylight.  Consider creating your senior portraits after the sun sets.  Catch the city lights, motion blur, or the neon of a carnival.  Lights reflected on the water, or the final light of the setting sun can make a stunning portrait that won’t look like anything else in your yearbook.

Accessorize For Impact

You know what stands out in senior photos?  Hats.  Bowties.  A great vest.  Your accessories draw attention to you and are just another way to show your personality.   Or make an accessory that’s just for your senior photos, something that’s meaningful to you and will have a high impact in your pictures.  

Have a Sense of Humor & Have Fun

The most interesting senior photos happen when you’re able to let go and try something new.  Awkward pose?  Bring it.  Strange location?  Sure thing.  Laughing at yourself? Priceless.  Letting go and being prepared to laugh is a good way to help your photographer create authentic photos of you. 

You Be You

Always remember, there is only one you, and whatever you choose for your senior pictures, nobody can replace you in them.  It’s fun to think about a unique option for your senior pictures, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is for you to be yourself and let your professional photographer capture your heart and your personality.  YOU will be the most unique part of your senior photos.

Looking for ideas on unique senior picture locations?  Read about some here.