<p>I was going to ask about senior pictures for girls, but I realize that the problem may be just with my daughter and not all girls. For my son, it was no big deal. He wore a suit, a casual outfit and his sports uniform. I didn’t love the pictures, but they were fine. Now my daughter apparently doesn’t have anything to wear (in that closet full of clothes), can’t find anything in the stores, wants to get her makeup done - or at least taught how to do it properly. On and on…like it’s a cover shoot for a magazine or something.</p>
<p>Any suggestions on what your daughters wore, or did or didn’t do that you found helpful?</p>
<p>If only she cared this much about scheduling college visits…but that’s a different post! </p>
<p>I had D look through the previous year or two of pics in the yearbook to see which poses and outfit concepts looked best (she wasn’t that into it and wanted a yearbook shot only). We then did home made proofs of outfit combos and poses out in the yard to see which ones looked best on film and what lighting and background style was best. We narrowed to one outfit and two poses then took a bunch. When we had one that we really liked we just tried to reproduce it. It sounds like your D wants something more comprehensive, but a few test shots at home to see which styles photograph better could give her more direction.</p>
<p>We just shot some senior pictures this weekend. My daughter decided that she didn’t want an official photographer and wanted her sister to take some photos at our cottage/beach on Lake Huron (using an iPhone - not kidding, some of them are AMAZING!!) - thrilled to save the money!</p>
<p>Anyway, back to clothes - here’s the kind of stuff she brought to wear:
Coral eyelet sundress
Skinny jeans and a grey short sleeved top with sparkly trim around the neck.
Skinny jeans and a white 3/4 cotton eyelet/lacey top.
Colored shorts and a JCrew print tshirt.
Another colorful sundress.
Several different chunky necklaces
Some hair up, some hair down.</p>
<p>We’ll do some more in a couple of weeks - with new outfits probably!</p>
<p>The photographer made suggestions. She advised my daughter to select basic outfits such as a few dresses, jeans and top, skirt and jacket, and then bring lots of accessories such as belts, scarves, jewelry, cardigans, boots, sandals…you get the idea. It worked out great.</p>
<p>We actually shopped for belts, jewelry, and scarves. Other than that, she used what was in her closet.</p>
<p>Tired Already, it’s up to you to put a budget on the process. Add up the costs of makeup classes/new makeup, hair appointments, new clothes, accessories, photography fees, photos, frames, etc. - that would fund spending $$$ for a year or two at college! </p>
<p>Every kid is different. Every budget is different. My D tends loves nice clothes but would rather have a few great pieces than a closet full of ok pieces. I think she feels the same way about the pics. Wear her fav things and get a few great shots and she is good to go. Heck, I jumped on the idea when she brought it up for us to give it a shot ourselves! I prefer outdoor shots. </p>
<p>My kids didn’t have senior pictures that we arranged.
Youngest had a friend take her photo at a local park, oldest school had photographer take photos at graduation.
I wasn’t involved in the process at all.
Kids are sure different, aren’t they?</p>
<p>Yes, they are different. My son never did this at all. He didn’t see the point and one daughter is a performer so she elected to get new professional headshots instead. Some kids really do make a big deal about it, though. And, some schools encourage it. </p>
<p>Wow, that’s a lot of work for senior photos. I just wore a dress I liked, and the school photographer took a few pictures on a designated day. Most of the people I knew did the same. One did use an outside photographer, but mostly to save money.</p>
<p>My kids wore the graduation robes and the black robe. She did take some favorite outfits but ended up liking the traditional ones best. She just flat ironed her hair and did her makeup as usual. I wanted the pictures looking like her, not what a makeup artist did. </p>
<p>Pretty much standard stuff: a fancier looking dress, a jeans/tee kind of outfit, and a sports uniform. Pictures were taken by a friend’s friend, and all shopping was done in the closet. 
Baby kiddo photoshopped her pictures a bit to correct lighting and adjust colors. </p>