Senior Photo Trends: How They've Evolved Over the Years

Senior photos have come a long way from the stiff poses and standard backdrops of the past. Today, they’re a vibrant, creative celebration of individuality and style. As a Pittsburgh senior photographer, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing these exciting changes firsthand. Here are some of the biggest trends we’ve seen in recent years:

1. Natural Settings Over Studio Backdrops

Gone are the days when studio portraits were the norm. Now, seniors are stepping outside and embracing natural settings. From the lush greenery of Frick Park to the industrial charm of Pittsburgh’s Strip District, outdoor shoots provide dynamic and personalized backdrops that add life and depth to photos.

2. Lifestyle Photography

Today’s senior photos feel more like lifestyle shoots. The focus is on capturing authentic moments rather than overly posed portraits. Think laughing on a park bench, walking down a city street, or even grabbing a coffee at your favorite local cafe. These candid, real-life vibes create images that truly reflect your personality.

3. Personalization is Key

Seniors want their photos to tell their unique story, and photographers are getting creative to make it happen. Whether it’s incorporating hobbies, pets, or favorite outfits, personalization has become a cornerstone of modern senior photography. Love basketball? Let’s hit the court. Passionate about music? Bring your instrument along for the session.

4. Creative Wardrobe Choices

Fashion has taken center stage in senior photo trends. Seniors are showcasing their personal style with bold outfits, statement pieces, and multiple wardrobe changes. From casual jeans and sneakers to elegant dresses or sharp suits, the options are endless. Coordinating colors and textures with the location is also a popular way to create cohesive and visually stunning shots.

5. Incorporating Urban and Industrial Backdrops

Cities like Pittsburgh offer a perfect blend of natural beauty and urban grit, and seniors are taking advantage. Industrial backdrops, colorful murals, and cityscapes have become increasingly popular, adding an edgy and modern twist to traditional portraits.

6. Golden Hour Magic

The golden hour (just after sunrise or before sunset) has become a coveted time for senior shoots. The soft, warm light during this time creates a dreamy and flattering glow that enhances every photo. It’s a simple yet powerful way to make photos stand out.

7. Themed Sessions

Themed senior sessions have been gaining popularity as well. Whether it’s a vintage vibe, a boho aesthetic, or a nod to a favorite movie or book, themes help seniors express their passions in a fun and creative way.

8. Focus on Storytelling

Perhaps the biggest shift is the emphasis on storytelling. Senior photos are no longer just about how you look but about capturing who you are. From locations that hold personal significance to props that represent your journey, every detail is carefully curated to tell your unique story.

Ready to Capture Your Style?

The evolution of senior photography is all about freedom, creativity, and individuality. If you’re ready to create a session that reflects who you are and celebrates your journey, let’s chat! Whether it’s a bold cityscape, a serene natural setting, or something entirely unique, I’m here to help bring your vision to life. Let’s make your senior photos unforgettable!

Reach out to me directly at jhidingerphotography@gmail.com to begin the conversation!

Natalia P: Mellon Institute & Mellon Park Senior Photos

You know I love Hartwood... but there's something magical about Mellon Park & the Mellon Institute, too! And both spots were in their prime the night of Natalia’s session!

Natalia is a Chartiers Valley senior! Her first day of school was the day of her senior session - talk about a great way to kick off senior year!

Natalia came with 5 gorgeous outfits for her photos... each of them just as beautiful as the last! Her and her mom had a vision for her photos and I think we were able to bring it to life. Natalia also plays basketball and lacrosse!

Also... Mellon Park - wow! It has all of the gorgeous architecture that Hartwood has, but a little bit of extra "glowy" light... which I love! It's a great alternative to Hartwood if you're looking for something a little different.

Congratulations to Natalia on her senior year!

Lizzie W: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Lizzy!

She's a Seneca Valley senior whose session took place at the beautiful Hartwood Acres Mansion on a beautiful morning right at sunrise!

I'm thankful that we were able to get some glowy morning light too - and the mansion area practically to ourselves!

Lizzie plays volleyball and wants to attend college somewhere warm. Her pup Marty came along and enjoyed perusing the garden... so of course we needed to get him in a few photos!

Congratulations on your upcoming senior year, Lizzie!

I also want to give a HUGE shout out and thank you to my incredible assistant Dani for helping me with this super early morning session - and for the many others you have helped me with too!

Camille B: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Camille!

I love that Camille brought so many meaningful things to incorporate into her session! Her one year old black lab, Roxie, a sketch pad, and a book - not to mention some beautiful florals that complimented her last outfit perfectly!

We had such a great evening for Camille's photos! The weather was beautiful... it almost felt like fall.

Congrats on your senior year, Camille!

Hayden S: Zelienople Senior Photos

Meet Hayden!

I photographed Hayden in my favorite town... Zelienople! It truly had an endless amount of locations for urban style photos, which was exactly what Hayden was looking for. I loved getting to photograph someone in a location that I am so personally familiar with!

Hayden attends Canon-McMillan and plans to study something in the engineering or medical field post high school - he is a super smart one! He loves playing video games and is into Japanese culture.

We chased the evening light all around town... even behind the local BP gas station, much to the surprise of a few locals who were passing by You never know where the best light will end up being!

Congratulations on your senior year, Hayden!

Travis S: North Shore Pittsburgh Senior Photos

Meet Travis!

He's a senior at Butler High School who plays baseball, and who hopes to study engineering post high school! Because of his love for baseball, he chose the North Shore for his photos. It was so much fun to get PNC Park in the background of some of his photos, along with the beautiful cityscape!

Travis chose a morning time slot for his senior session, which I loved, because there were so few people around the places we wanted to use for photos. It was great!

Also, fun fact, Travis has never been to Chipotle.

Congratulations on your senior year, Travis!

Gaby O: Grove City College Senior Photos

Meet Gaby!

Gaby is a senior at Seneca Valley, and a cheerleader! She chose a different location for her photos... Grove City College, which was so much FUN! There are so many beautiful architectural elements around the campus, so there was no shortage of beautiful backdrops for us to use. And with this session being in the summer to fall transition timeframe, we had some beautiful florals AND fall leaves to work with. It is one of my favorite times of the year for senior photos!

Congratulations on your senior year, Gaby!

What is the Best Time of Day for Senior Pictures? Answered by a Pittsburgh Senior Photographer

Is there a “best” time of day for senior photos?

The answer to this question might vary from photographer to photographer, but generally, the answer is yes! There is a “best” time of day for taking photos - or in my case, there are two times of day that are my personal favorites for taking photos! These times of day help me…

• Make sure my client’s skin looks its most flattering (almost luminescent!)

• Make sure my client is not squinting their eyes during their session

• Have an easier time controlling the available light

• Not have to use off camera lighting (my preference is natural light, paired with a reflector!)

A few important things to note: as a primarily “natural light” photographer (or in other words, as a photographer who uses the sun as her main light source usually without the addition of artificial lights!), I plan my sessions around when the natural sunlight is best. And for the way I prefer to shoot, the best light of the day is generally found within two hours of sunrise and two hours before sunset. This is when the sun is lowest in the sky, which gives me the ability to maneuver it a bit easier! It’s also softer and warmer within both of these time frames - the higher the sun gets in the sky, the harsher the light becomes, creating harsh lines, highlights, and shadows on my subjects (and makes them squint!)… and I want every person I photograph to have that beautiful, flattering soft light that can be found at those two times of day, so that is typically when I plan my sessions for!

However, on a cloudy day (we get lots of those here in Pittsburgh!), the rules can change a bit.

On a cloudy day, the clouds act as a giant soft box for the sun - meaning that the light is less harsh, and doesn’t create harsh lines, shadows, and highlights on my client’s face… so we can get that beautiful soft light throughout the entire day! There are even times when the cloud coverage is so heavy (blocking so much of the sunlight, effectively creating an “earlier” sunset) that I actually have to move my session up an hour or so.

But because I plan my sessions so far out in advance (usually a few months out), I always schedule my sessions within two hours of sunrise, or two hours before sunset. That way, we know we will always have the best light of the day whether it’s sunny or cloudy! And then I watch the sunlight and cloud coverage throughout the day to see if the timing needs to be adjusted.

Below are some photos that were taken within two hours of sunrise, or two hours before sunset!

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What Time of Year is Best for Senior Pictures? Answered by a Pittsburgh Senior Photographer

Believe it or not, there’s not a one size fits all answer to the question “what time of year is best for senior pictures?”

The most popular time of year here in Pittsburgh for senior photos is no doubt the fall, usually in October. We are blessed with some beautiful foliage in the autumn months here in Western Pennsylvania, and many seniors want to take advantage of that for their photos! And it’s always nice to not be sweating during your senior pictures, which is often the case in summer.

However, instead of telling you what the best time of the year is for senior pictures, I’d love to help you figure out when would be the best time for YOU by walking you through some questions:

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Does being really hot or really cold bother you?

I know, kind of a weird question, but stay with me! If you aren’t a fan of hot and humid weather, you’ll probably be miserable during a summer session. On the flip side, if you aren’t a fan of the cold, waiting until mid November for your senior photos probably isn’t a great option, either. But if you’re a huge fan of summer and can’t wait to wear a sun dress or shorts and a T-shirt for your photos, then summer might be the perfect time for your photos! Which leads me to my next question…

What kind of clothing do you picture yourself wearing for your photos?

This might help you decide what season you want your photos taken in! If you aren’t fan of short sleeves/pants and prefer long sleeves and/or layers, a cooler timeframe might be better for you - think early spring or mid to late fall! However, if you really like summer attire and want to show off your summer tan, a warmer month (June, July, August) might be perfect for you!

What is your preferred type of scenery?

This one might be obvious, but I think it’s worth throwing in here anyways, because there are some types of scenery that are “best” during certain times of year. For example - if you want lots of beautiful blooms in your photos, spring is a must! Summer can also be a good time for photos with flowers, especially at a location like Hartwood Acres Mansion, because their garden is in full bloom by late summer. But you won’t find many flowers in the fall (obviously! ;) ).

When do you actually have time for your photo session?

Last but not least, what does your schedule look like? Is the school year super crazy for you with sports and extracurriculars? Then it might be best to have your senior photos taken over the summer! Or is summer super crazy for you? Will you be traveling all over the place without much of a break? Then consider booking a senior session for the school year! Whatever the case, having an idea of when you’ll have a bit of extra time is important. Senior photos are meant to be fun and relaxing - a celebration of the end of a season and the beginning of a new one! So if trying to schedule your session during a certain time of year stresses you out, then don’t even go there. Choose a time where you’ll actually get to enjoy the experience without being too rushed!

STILL UNSURE?

If you’ve considered all of these questions and you’re still not sure, know that you can’t go wrong with any season, really! Spring, summer, fall, and winter all have their pros and cons when it comes to scheduling a senior session during any one of them - and the “best” time is different for each senior based on their personal needs, preferences, and schedule!

MY PERSONAL OPINION

But if you want to know what I think… my (personal) favorite months for senior photos are end of April/early May (with the beautiful spring flowers!), August (right before school starts, everything is so green, and seniors are less stressed), and end of September into all of October (fall foliage and cool weather is my absolute favorite!). I also love winter senior sessions when there is snow… because it’s such a unique backdrop! The cold isn’t always so fun, but the beautiful scenery makes it worth it!

Pictured below from left to right: spring, summer, fall, winter.

How to Take a Good Senior Yearbook Picture

Taking a good senior yearbook picture can be a daunting task. Not only will your senior yearbook photo will live on in the yearbooks of hundreds (possibly thousands) of your fellow students, but it will also represent who you are during one of the biggest seasons of your life… for the rest of your life.

So no pressure, right?!

Hopefully I haven’t scared you off yet! But if you are feeling a bit nervous about what you might need to take into consideration to have a great photo to submit to the yearbook - fear not! That is exactly why I created this blog post - to walk you through all of the necessary components of getting the perfect shot for the yearbook that you will LOVE for years and years to come!

Without further ado, let’s start right at the very beginning. The first thing you need to do is…

KNOW THE YEARBOOK REQUIREMENTS

This includes knowing…

1. When your yearbook photo is due. This information usually gets sent out at the end of junior year, over the summer between junior and senior year, or at the beginning of senior year.

2. What the requirements are for the photo. Is it required to have your photo taken on a white backdrop? Can your photo be taken outside with outdoor scenery? Are your hands allowed to be in your photo? Most schools send out a list of requirements when they send out the date that the yearbook photo is due.

3. What the requirements are for the actual photo submission. The school will also let you know what format they want the photo to be submitted as. Usually, they want the photo submitted as a JPEG, portrait orientation, sized at 300 dpi for print - that’s all fancy file talk, but your photographer will be able to help you make sure you have the correct format!

4. Who needs to submit the photo. Does the senior photographer have to submit the photo, or can the student or parent? This is also something that varies from school to school.

5. How the photo is to be submitted. Most senior photos are submitted nowadays via email, but I work with a few schools that still accept photos on a USB drive, so be sure to know how that photo needs to be submitted!

6. Where the photo is to be submitted. In most cases, the yearbook photo will be submitted to a yearbook advisor or member of the yearbook staff.

After you know the requirements, it’s important to find (and book!) a photographer who can help you look and feel your best! But with SO many senior photographers to choose from… how do you go about finding the right one for YOU?

FIND A GREAT SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

1. Figure out the style of photography you’re looking for. Start looking hashtags on Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest and save all of your favorite senior photos to a folder. After you’ve saved 25-50, come back to that folder and look at what those photos have in common. Is there a specific editing style you saved more of than others? Are the majority of the photos you saved more candid, more posed, more fashion inspired, more casual? Make a note in your phone (or elsewhere) of the characteristics that stand out as themes, and then start looking for photographers in your area that have that style!

2. Find a photographer who specializes in that style, or in a location you like, in your area. This one is probably the easiest in our technologically advanced day, but start looking for photographers in your area! Many of my clients find me through hashtags on Instagram (#pittsburghseniorphotographer), and sometimes through Googling/searching a specific location that they are interested in using for their senior session. For example - I photograph a TON of seniors at a very popular location in my area for senior photos, Hartwood Acres Mansion. I’ve had many seniors book with me because they’ve seen photos I’ve taken at that location… I know that spot so well, and sometimes that helps seniors and parents of seniors feel confident that they will be able to get awesome photos at that specific location, too!

3. BOOK ‘EM! Be sure to reach out when you find them - you don’t want to miss out! If you’re interested in reading more about how far in advance you should schedule your senior photos, check out this blog post, where I list out all of my tips: When Should I Have My Senior Photos Taken?

PREPARE YOURSELF

If you book with an experienced senior photographer, they will most likely give you lots of guidance on what to wear, what not to wear, and how to prepare for your senior pictures to make sure you love the results! One general tip I love to give my clients is to look at my senior photo galleries before their session so they have an idea of what poses/prompts I might use for them during their session. This familiarizes them with what they can expect during our time together!

On top of all of that, I give my clients a general timeline for how to prepare in the months, weeks, and days leading up to their session. Take a peek below!

One to Three Months Out:

• Schedule any hair, makeup, or nail appointments you might want!

• Start thinking about what you might want to wear - go through your closet in advance to see if you’ll need to purchase any additional garments

• Choose a location where your senior photos will take place (click here to see some of my favorites for Pittsburgh Girl Senior Photos, and click here to see some of my favorites for Pittsburgh Guy Senior Photos!)

The Week of Your Session:

• Finalize and steam or iron all of your outfit choices (wrinkles be gone!) & props!

• Drink LOTS of water! This is good for your skin and will give it a nice glow!

• Make sure you are applying chapstick, especially if you are prone to chapped lips! (Chapped lips can’t be fixed in photoshop!)

• Make sure your nails are clean or, for the ladies, painted!

• Refrain from wearing sunglasses for the week leading up to your session so you aren’t squinting during your session!

The Day of Your Session:

• Give yourself plenty of time to get ready – more than you think!

• Don't forget to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before our scheduled start time. Your session will begin at the time we set in advance, not at the time you arrive.

• Eat a snack before you come – it’s not fun getting your photo taken while you’re hangry!

What to Bring:

• Any outfit changes you might have

• Any props you may want to include (an instrument, soccer ball, pet, etc.!)

• A change of comfortable shoes to walk in

• A hair brush or comb (or anything for on location touch ups!)

• A parent or friend (moral support is always a good thing – plus, if you’d like they can step in for a few photos at the end!)

TRUST YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

This piece is crucial! You hired them… now trust them to do what you hired them to do! If you’ve seen their work in advance, you have an idea of how they’ll pose you… so trust them! Some poses and prompts might feel silly, but sometimes what looks the best in a photo feels a little funny… like pushing your forehead out and tilting your chin down. Yeah, definitely not something you’ll do in real life, but it looks great on camera and you won’t be able to tell that you’re in a wonky position!

However - if a pose/prompt makes you feel really uncomfortable, be sure to voice that to your photographer. The worst thing a subject can be while having their photo taken is uncomfortable. It always shows in the final images!

CHOOSE YOUR YEARBOOK PHOTO!

So now you’ve made it through your actual senior session - congrats! Once your senior photographer delivers your gallery, the hard part begins… choosing the actual photo that will go in the yearbook!

Hopefully you’ve given your yearbook requirements to your photographer in advance of your session so that you’re able to have a solid handful of images to choose from that fit your yearbook requirements. Like I mentioned above, most yearbook pictures are portrait orientation, and most of them are closer up (typically at least head to chest, sometimes closer). You’ll be able to narrow down your favorites within your gallery by looking at options that are shot closer up!

Something to note: if there is a photo you really love and want to use for the yearbook but is the wrong orientation (horizontal) or isn’t cropped in as close as the yearbook requires, ask your photographer about a re-crop. I have many seniors ask me about this, and usually I’m able to make it happen for them! The only times I am not able to make it work is whenever the photo is too far away to begin with. As you crop in on a photo, you lose quality, and if you crop way too far in, sometimes the photo can become pixelated. Trust me… you do not want a pixelated photo in your yearbook, especially if you paid good money for your senior photos! Try to steer away from asking your photographer to crop in full body photos to just head & shoulders.

Below are a few examples of what some of my seniors have submitted as their senior yearbook photo!

And there you have it! I hope that this blog post has given you the confidence you need to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that you can (and will) have an awesome yearbook photo!

If you’re based in the Pittsburgh area, I would absolutely love to take your senior photos. Please feel free to click here to reach out to me via my online contact form, or email me directly a jhidingerphotography@gmail.com for more information about senior photos!

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

One of my favorite ways to prepare my clients for their senior sessions is through my blog! Check out the popular blogs below to see if any of your senior Q’s can be answered, or reach out using the contact tab in the navigation above to start a conversation! ☺️

• Pittsburgh Area Location Ideas for Senior Girl Portraits

• Pittsburgh Area Location Ideas for Senior Guy Portraits

• 4 Tips for Preparing for Your Senior Photo Session

• When to Have Your Senior Photos Taken

• 4 Ways to add more “Umph” to Your Senior Photo Outfits!

• 4 Reasons to Have Your Senior Photos Taken Over the Summer

• Why Professional Prints are Worth the Investment