• Tips and Techniques

Essential and creative poses for senior boys.

Photo credit: Wild Orchard Studios Photography

Life is a fast-paced journey, and moments pass by in the blink of an eye. Senior pictures are kind of like magical time capsules that freeze precious moments in time. They help us revisit memories and remember specific periods of our lives in greater detail.

As photographers, we understand the significance of senior pictures, not just as photographs but as powerful tokens of nostalgia. Senior portraits are an opportunity to immortalize the essence of a teenager on the cusp of becoming an adult. They can capture their dreams and achievements and tell a unique story.

Most senior photographers can tell you, posing teen boys can often feel more challenging than posing teen girls–but we all know that comfort in front of the camera isn’t specific to any gender. Instead, it is more often our own lack of familiarity with poses that feel masculine, or poses that work for all genders. In this guide, we’ll walk you through 14 senior picture poses, from the basic essentials to the creative. We’ll also go over some common mistakes to avoid while your clients are posing. 

If your goal is to give your clients a great senior session experience and capture the essence of this fleeting time, this blog post is for you.

Understanding the basics of posing.

Before we dive further into some essential and creative senior picture poses for guys, let’s establish a foundation of the basics of posing. A successful pose has three important elements:

1. Body angles: The angle at which someone positions their body can greatly impact the overall look and feel of the photograph. Experiment with different angles and try to find one that best showcases the personality and style of each client.
2. Facial expressions: Every face tells a story. A genuine and confident smile can easily light up a picture, but it is just as important to include “serious” non-smiling expressions that reflect other facets of their personality. Help your clients relax and guide them through a variety of facial expressions that reflect these.
3. Posture: Another important part of posing is good posture. When your clients are standing tall with their shoulders back and their core engaged, it will exude confidence. Even while leaning or sitting, keeping their lower spine straight will prevent the “teen slouch” look.

Pro tip: Create a few playlists with different types of music, or ask your seniors some of their favorite musicians in your questionnaire. Playing their favorite tunes on a bluetooth speaker helps seniors get comfortable and have fun during the shoot.

The factors influencing a good pose.

There’s more to creating a great experience and natural pose than body and facial expressions. It’s a blend of different factors that work together.

1. Location: Whether shooting in an urban landscape, a quiet park, on a beach, or a school sports field–the location should match the teens interests and will help determine mood and poses of your subject.
2. Lighting: Lighting can make or break a pose. While natural light works wonders, it takes a keen eye to understand how to use it to your advantage. Soft, diffused light can create a flattering effect, while dramatic lighting can add intrigue and interest to an image.
3. Wardrobe: Clothing plays an important role that reflects style and personality. It can define the overall mood of the pose.
4. Personality: Remember that a pose should be an authentic reflection of who your clients are. Consider embracing the quirks of your clients to add character to the photographs.
5. An assistant: While having a paid assistant can be helpful, too, this could simply be a family member or friend of the senior. A helper can do anything from hold your reflector to helping the senior smile or laugh more naturally. Don’t be afraid to ask parents or others accompanying the senior to get involved, it can be a great way to make them feel needed and the shoot to go more smoothly. 
6. Variety: A good pose can always give you a variety of shots for the gallery–you don’t have to push the senior through a dozen poses in every session simply to offer the teen and their parents more choices. In each pose, mix things up by moving yourself: cropping in close, pulling back to fit their entire body, or going farther back to include more of the location. Direct the teen to keep moving, too, with simple prompts: look into the camera, turn our head and look away from the camera, smile, look serious or thoughtful, laugh, give me your game face, and more. 

Pro tip: Avoid rushing through poses with the senior, and also be aware of poses or directions that look awkward or uncomfortable for your client. Not every pose or hand position will look natural for every client–and that’s ok! Learn when to move on and when to help them make it their own. 

Standing senior picture poses for guys.

Now that we’ve reviewed the basics, let’s get started with some senior picture poses for guys to do while standing. From easy to creative, we’ve got you covered.

1. The classic: hands in front pockets

One of the best senior picture poses to start with for guys is a total classic–from senior portraits to the wedding day, you can’t go wrong. Facing straight toward the camera, feet shoulder width apart with their weight evenly on both legs, shoulders back, and both hands with the thumbs hooked in the front pockets. 

In a properly fitted shirt, tie, and blazer, this is a timeless and sophisticated choice for senior pictures. A variation on this would be to have them put their hands in their pockets with thumbs out, rather than hooking their thumbs in with fingers out–do what feels most natural for each client! 

Even in more casual clothing, this confident stance can be a great way to start a session and transitions easily into other standing poses. 

2. Thumbs in back pockets

With legs about shoulder width apart, have your senior guy transition from the previous pose to place his thumbs in his back pockets. This shift in arm placement has a more casual feel. 

3. Hand holding onto jacket

When the senior is wearing a suit, blazer, hoodie, or other jacket, this is a great one to include in your posing flow. Direct him to gently grab one side of the outerwear around the same height as his chest, right where the lapel on a suit would be. 

For hoodies or zippered jackets, be sure to have them partially or fully unzip the garment so that it is open at least two thirds of the way to their belly button. 

4. The casual stance

The casual stance gives a more relaxed and approachable vibe. The teen should put more of their weight on one leg and one or both hands can be tucked into the front pockets–either fully or with thumbs out. 

5. The casual cool

An easy transition from the last pose, direct the teen to place one hand in their back pocket and the other in their front pocket. His weight should be in the leg farther away from the camera, have him place the hand closer to the camera in his front pocket. Shoulders should be relaxed but not hunched–and not hiked up by his ears! 

This pose gives a chill vibe and works well for guys when dressed in a more casual or edgy style. 

6. The basic standing lean

Whether you begin with this pose or use it to help transition to seated poses, pretty much everyone can get comfortable while leaning. Seniors can lean one shoulder into a wall or lean part or all of their upper body flat into it, facing fully away from the wall. Hands can be in front pockets, back pockets, one fixing their hair–be as creative or simple with this as you like.

Pro tip: Don’t have a wall nearby? No problem–seniors can lean onto a fence, a tree, a car, a goalpost…anything that is comfortable and available will do.

7. The elbow lean

Direct the senior rest his elbow on a fence, railing, car hood, rock formation, or other structure around chest height. Have him lean his weight on the side where he’s resting his elbow and cross the second foot in front of it. Finally, his other hand or thumb can be tucked in his pocket for a cool, casual look. 

8. Arms crossed

Another option in the endless “What do I do with my hands?” quest, having guys cross their arms across their chest helps showcase their confidence. Whether he’s standing upright with his legs shoulder-width apart, leaning on something, or in full sports uniform, this arm/hand position can add variety to both relaxed and fierce poses.

9. The posed athlete

For some teens, their greatest passions are the sports they play, and incorporating them is a must. This pose is a bit looser, as the student athlete you’re photographing could have a wide variety of related gear they wish to incorporate. Before the session, plan with your clients to bring some of their sports gear and their team jersey or uniform. 

Pose them wearing their uniform and holding the related ball, stick, helmet, or other gear in both hands in front of their bodies in a variation of the classic pose, then transition to the casual stance while holding their gear beside or against the side of their bodies. 

10. The athlete in action

This is great to include when your location is at the school or team sports field. Depending on the student’s sport, they can kick, throw, or hit a ball while you capture the action. Swimmers offer a cool opportunity to photograph underwater or play with freezing the movement of splashing water. With hockey or field hockey, they can swing their stick. Goalies can block an incoming ball, gymnasts, dancers, or cheerleaders can perform leaps, backflips, and other dramatic positions–this is a great opportunity to let the senior take the lead and show their skills. 

The senior’s family or friend, or your assistant, can help by tossing and retrieving balls or other gear so you can focus on capturing the movement.

Pro tip: No props? No worries–have fun with their natural creativity and experiment with edgy poses and unique camera angles. Shoot from the ground, shoot from above, and play around with cropping super tight or farther away than usual. 

11. Getting creative

Seniors who don’t identify themselves as athletes still offer opportunities to get creative. Whether they are artists, theater kids, musicians, or just wanting something a little different, this is your chance to create something a bit more playful, or even editorial. Incorporate favorite costumes, props, and musical instruments and photograph them interacting with these items. 

Sitting senior picture poses for guys.

Sitting poses give both you and the seniors more natural options for what to do with their hands during posing, and generally have a more relaxed vibe.

1. Elbows on thighs

Have the senior sit on a chair, bench, or stairs and pose them so that they’re sitting with their legs roughly shoulder width apart. Their elbows will rest on their thighs with their hands together in the middle. This position will cause the senior to automatically lean forward when his elbows touch his legs, like he’s sitting courtside at a basketball game or chatting with friends, and it creates a chill, comfortable look.

2. Sitting on stairs with legs staggered

Ask the senior to sit on stairs with one leg on the step below his seat, and the second leg one step further down in a natural position so that his legs are staggered. His elbows can again rest on his legs–hands could be clasped with fingers entwined, one hand holding the other, or simply hanging relaxed and not quite touching. 

If your senior sat on a staircase for the first sitting pose, use this next in your posing flow. This pose also works with large rocks on beaches, curving angled walls at skate parks, and the slopes of mountains or hills.

3. Sitting on the ground and leaning back

Direct the senior to sit with his back leaning against a wall, one knee up and the other relaxed out in front of him, or curled under the first leg. One arm can rest straight out on his knee and the other rested in a relaxed way on his lower leg. If you need to shoot in a certain direction, the leg closest to the camera should be the one with the knee up. If they seem uncomfortable, try different arm and hand positions until you find what feels most natural for each client. 

This is a great alternative to having both knees up, which can sometimes feel unnatural. When photographing seniors of any gender, posing that feels natural will always photograph better than stiffly adhering to an exact body position.

Pro tip: Use encouraging words and affirmations throughout your senior sessions. Be excited, but also be yourself, so that your comments of  “Aaahh, that was really good!” and similar feel authentic.

Creative props and locations for senior portraits.

• The academic or bookworm: Settings that work well for this include a library or classroom, and stacks of books and cozy chairs make excellent props. 
• The outdoor enthusiast: Begin with a natural setting for this pose, such as a forest, lakeside, or mountain backdrop. Capture them in action hiking, gardening, skiing, kayaking, or whatever their favorite outdoor activity may be. 
• The car enthusiast: Have your client pose in front, beside, or inside their favorite vehicle.
• The artist in action: For seniors who express themselves through art, have them bring along a work in progress and photograph them while sketching, painting, or another creative pursuit.
• The aspiring chef: Ideal for culinary enthusiasts, plan to photograph them cooking or baking in their home or school kitchen. 
• The film buff: Seniors with a love for cinema might enjoy incorporating elements of films they enjoy, or classic cinematography props like clapperboards or vintage cameras. 
• The family pet: Including your client’s beloved pet in their senior picture is always a fun idea. Whether it is their dog, cat, bird, or horse, posing the senior holding or hugging their favorite animal will showcase their love and connection to each other. 

Common mistakes to avoid during senior photo sessions.

Capturing the perfect senior picture isn’t without its challenges–especially since that might mean different things to the senior and their parents. Creating a fun yet relaxed experience for each senior will go a long way to making senior photos that radiate personality and authenticity. Even so, it helps to keep an eye out for these common posing mistakes and know how to correct them without ruining the vibe.

Stiffness or poor posture

A stiff, unnatural posture and slouching are some of the most frequent problems that can occur in senior pictures. Help remind seniors to straighten their back or put their shoulders back in a friendly, encouraging manner, and model what you’re describing with your own body. 

Alternatively, when you notice shoulders getting tight or the overall pose getting stiff, the best way to get them out of it is to have them move their bodies. It can help to explain to seniors that movement will make it easier to look natural–they are old enough to get the idea! You’ll find what works best for your style and clients over time, but until then, try some of these: 

• “Location scout” together between poses so they have some off camera time in short walks between locations. 
• Do quick stretches together between poses–we photographers can get stiff, too!
• Direct them to shift their weight, their hand position, turn their head–and don’t keep them in the same position very long each time. 

Forced smiles

It’s easy to tell when someone in a picture is forcing a smile or has been holding it too long. Try saying or doing something silly, like demonstrating an outrageous pose (that you won’t be having them do) or simply tell them to laugh–the absurdity of fake laughter usually turns it into real laughter. You can also have a simple conversation with them about one of their interests (thank you, pre-session questionnaire!) which will often bring on a natural smile. 

You can also incorporate smile breaks–non-smiling photos can be just as expressive, even though they are less joyful. 

Overly complex poses

Creative poses are appealing, but can sometimes end up looking awkward–and not in a cool, artsy way. Knowing your client and what they are up for is key. Over time, you’ll get an idea of which seniors are up for experimenting and which do best with simple poses. 

Location and outfit mismatch

Clothing choices play an important role in senior pictures. One common mistake is your client wearing outfits that don’t align with their personal style or the location of the photoshoot. Discuss wardrobe options with the senior and their parents in advance to help them make good choices–with senior boys, this often means at least one outfit chosen by mom, and at least one outfit that reflects the senior’s own personal style.

Lack of communication

Another common mistake is not communicating with your client. Open and clear communication is key to achieving the perfect senior pictures. Having seniors fill out a client questionnaire before the photoshoot will give you an awareness of your client’s preferences, ideas, and concerns.

Rushing the process

Getting senior pictures is a big milestone for many people. Although there is likely a time limit on your session, there’s no point in rushing through the photoshoot. Take your time, relax, and make sure your client is comfortable. Explore different poses and expressions, and take conversation and movement breaks between locations or poses to give them breaks from the camera as needed. It’s better to end the session with 100 shots of a comfortable, happy senior to cull and edit than 300 potentially awkward ones. 

Capturing memories that last.

Senior pictures are more than just images; they’re a reflection of a transformative phase in life. As photographers, we can best serve our clients if we take steps to create a positive experience–before, during, and after our sessions. 

Ready to transform your senior portrait experience into lasting memories for your clients and a referral source for your business? Refine your questionnaires, download some tunes, practice the poses so you can demonstrate them to your clients, and update your senior portfolio on your website. Then get out there and create some of your best senior photos ever!

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