Senior Pictures for Guys Who Really Don’t Care About Senior Pictures

If your son gives you a blank stare every time you ask what he wants to do for senior pictures, this one’s for you.

You ask what he wants to wear.

“I don’t know.”

Where does he want to go?

“I don’t care.”

Is there anything he’d like to include?

“Not really.”

Super helpful. 😂

Some seniors come into their consultation with ideas, outfits and screenshots saved on their phones.

And some senior guys are participating in senior pictures for one very important reason:

Their mom told them they were happening.

And you know what?

That’s completely fine.

Your senior doesn’t have to be excited about senior pictures for us to create photographs that actually feel like him.

He Doesn’t Need to Have a Vision

One of the biggest misconceptions about senior pictures is that you need to know what you want before you contact a photographer.

You don’t.

Especially if you’re a teenage boy who has spent approximately zero minutes thinking about senior portraits.

He doesn’t need a Pinterest board.

He doesn’t need to know what locations he wants.

He doesn’t need four perfectly coordinated outfits hanging in his closet.

And he definitely doesn’t need to show up saying:

“Megan, I’ve really been thinking about the overall aesthetic for my senior session.”

Although if that ever happens, I may need a minute. 😂

That’s why we plan everything together.

I’ll ask questions.

We’ll talk about what he likes, what he doesn’t like, what he spends his time doing and what would make the session feel less like SENIOR PICTURES and more like…him.

Start With What He Actually Likes

Sometimes the easiest way to get a senior guy interested in his pictures is to stop talking about pictures.

What does he actually like?

Baseball?

His truck?

Fishing?

Hunting?

Music?

His dog?

Working on cars?

The gym?

Being outside?

A favorite pair of sneakers?

Maybe there’s something he’s been doing since he was five.

Maybe there’s something he’s obsessed with right now.

And maybe his answer is still:

“I don’t know.”

That’s okay, too.

We don’t have to build an entire session around a hobby.

Sometimes learning a little about him simply gives me a better idea of what kind of locations, clothes and overall feel will work.

Senior Pictures Don’t Have to Be Elaborate

This is a big one.

Senior pictures do not have to involve elaborate outfits, complicated props or an entire day devoted to being photographed.

We can keep things simple.

A couple of outfits he already likes.

A location that fits him.

Maybe something personal if there’s something worth including.

And then we make really good photographs.

That’s it.

Because sometimes adding more things doesn’t make a session more personal.

Sometimes it just makes it more.

And those aren’t the same thing.

Give Him Some Say in the Process

Parents, this part can be hard.

You probably care more about these pictures than he does right now.

I get it.

But whenever possible, give him a little ownership.

Maybe you love one outfit and he loves another.

Bring both.

Maybe you’re picturing beautiful trees and tall grass, and he’d much rather be somewhere downtown.

Let’s see if we can do both.

Maybe you desperately want one good smiling picture.

Fair.

But he also wants one where he isn’t smiling.

Also fair.

The goal isn’t for either of you to get everything you want.

It’s to create a collection where both of you see something you love.

We Can Include His Car, Sport or Hobby Without Making the Whole Session About It

If he has something he really cares about, absolutely bring it up.

His car can be part of the session without every photograph looking like an ad for Ford.

His baseball gear can make an appearance without every picture being on the baseball field.

His guitar can be included without us pretending he’s releasing an album next Tuesday.

😂

Those things are there because they’re part of who he is right now.

But I still want photographs of just him, too.

Because years from now, the things surrounding him may change.

The kid in the pictures is what you’re really going to want to remember.

He Doesn’t Have to Know How to Pose

This is usually somewhere on the list of reasons guys aren’t particularly excited about senior pictures.

They don’t know what they’re supposed to do.

Good news:

They aren’t supposed to.

I’m not going to stand 20 feet away and yell:

“Okay! Do something!”

That sounds terrible for both of us. 😂

I’ll tell him where to stand.

What to do with his hands.

Where to look.

When I want a smile.

When I don’t.

And if something looks awkward, we’re going to fix it instead of photographing it.

Knowing how to look comfortable in photographs is not his job.

It’s mine.

And No, He Doesn’t Have to Smile in Every Picture

Mom probably wants a smile.

We’ll get one.

Probably more than one.

But we’re also going to create photographs with expressions that actually look like him.

Because some guys naturally have a huge smile.

Some have a little half-smile.

Some look fantastic with a serious expression.

Some will laugh the second I tell them not to smile.

Which, conveniently, also works. 😂

I don’t need him performing for the camera.

I want him looking like himself.

The Goal Isn’t to Make Him Love Having His Picture Taken

This might surprise you.

I’m not trying to turn your senior into someone who suddenly loves photo shoots.

That’s a pretty high bar.

My goal is much simpler.

I want the guy who showed up thinking:

“My mom is making me do this.”

to leave thinking:

“Okay. That wasn’t bad.”

That’s a win.

An even bigger win?

When I show him one on the back of my camera and suddenly he’s paying a little more attention.

Because maybe he didn’t care about senior pictures.

But he does care whether he looks like himself in them.

He May Care About These Pictures More Later

Here’s the part that’s hard to explain to an 18-year-old.

Right now, these may just be pictures Mom wants.

Later?

They become something else.

They show the truck he drove in high school.

The baseball uniform he wore for the last time.

The hair he insisted was going to look good that way forever.

The expression you’ve seen approximately 9,000 times since he was little.

And just…him.

Right before life changed.

That’s why I don’t need him to understand exactly what these photographs are going to mean someday.

We can make them anyway.

Not sure which pictures you’ll wish you had later? Grab my free guide: 7 Photos Most Seniors Regret Not Having.

So What If Your Senior Guy Really Doesn’t Care About Senior Pictures?

Book them anyway.

Not because every senior is secretly dying to have a photo session.

They’re not. 😂

Do it because this is one of those weird little in-between seasons that disappears faster than you expect.

And we’ll figure out the rest together.

He doesn’t need the ideas.

He doesn’t need to know how to pose.

He doesn’t even have to be particularly excited.

He just needs to show up.

I’ll take it from there.

If you’re looking for a Blue Springs senior photographer serving the Kansas City area and your senior guy’s current contribution to the planning process is “I don’t care,” don’t panic.

I’ve got questions.

You’ve got a teenager.

We can work with that. 😉

Ready to start planning his senior session? Let’s talk.