Here are some great senior boy poses that male seniors can use to get some great graduation pictures of themselves and their families and friends on their graduation day! Senior boys poses may not come as easy as they do with the girls, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying!
Senior Boy Poses Sitting Down
Sitting in one of the best poses for senior boys to get them to relax. Whether it is inside or out, get them to be as comfortable as possible. This sitting pose can work for anyone from a male college grad to a high school senior boy. Your senior portraits will look great in these types of poses! Using furniture as props in the photos helps as well.
Senior Boy Poses Seated Against a Wall
One of my favorite poses for seniors is to have them sit against a wall. By doing so, it allows us to capture some great lines in their body, their face and allow us to make sure there are no distractions in any other part of the image. The wall will also help separate your subject from any busy backgrounds or unwanted clutter. If you’ve ever had someone stand up with their back towards you, you know how hard it can be to get a good shot.
Having him seated gives me lots of room to work with and control of where I want to go with his hands/arms as well as showing off his posture. This pose can easily be changed into different looks just by adjusting lighting. You can position your lights on either side of him causing shadows on one side or behind causing light on one side. Or if you’re feeling adventurous try using split lighting to achieve some very interesting results! Do not use flash when shooting indoors especially during senior session. Flash will cause your images to look more amateurish and we all know that’s not what you’re looking for! For outdoor shots, you have more flexibility and can use fill flash or natural light.
Senior Boy poses while sitting on steps
Getting your senior boy to sit on steps is a great idea for school pictures. The stairs will create extra space behind him, which makes it easier to have a little breathing room in your picture. This pose will work best with seniors who are wearing button down shirts or vests for their portrait session. The outfit should be solid colors because patterns can be distracting in photographs and take away from your senior’s facial features. Sitting on steps is a good way to keep your senior looking natural as well. One of my favorite things about posing seniors sitting on steps is that you don’t need many props; just the stairs and the senior! Again, they don’t have to always look right into the camera and this keeps them relaxed. But when they do look, a nice relaxed smile always works!
Standing Pose ideas
When standing, a senior boy should try to stand up straight with his hands by his side. It’s not necessary for him to be holding anything because that makes him look stiff and uncomfortable. If he does want to hold something, he should just have one hand on his belt or in his pocket for maximum naturalness.
Senior boy poses when they are very relaxed in photos looks great! So don’t hesitate to ask them if they’re ready to get their hands out of their pockets while they stand. Another common pose is having to put one arm over another. Don’t forget that leaning against objects such as trees can make them seem relaxed too! Be sure to keep senior boys away from bright colors (such as red) while they are posing unless you think it would enhance a photo; bright colors tend to draw attention away from your subject. If a senior boy has long hair it is really easy for him to push back his hair behind one ear so it doesn’t distract from his face.
Senior boy poses with pets
Having the Family pet in senior photos make for great memories! Family pets also help the senior boy relax because he has one of his friends with him. Even if it is the four legged kind! For these shots, just capture the nature interaction between the senior boy and his pet. The casual shots make some of the best photos.
Senior boy poses for student athletes
Here are some great senior boy poses for a high school or college senior if he is a student athlete. However, we’d recommend using during practice or something of that nature rather than in action. After all, your photographer will likely snap pics throughout practice, not just during games. So while you don’t want to miss out on showing his on-field prowess, it doesn’t necessarily have to be captured in an action shot. While standing at attention seems like a good idea, I think bending over is better here. It’s more masculine and yet still relaxed — which is key! If you can get access to the field or court when he played sports, that is ideal. If not, any park will do and give a similar look.
Think about how you would naturally stand if someone put a camera in front of you and asked to take photos: Are you super into posing? Or do you tend to move around? Bend down? Roll around? If so, then these poses work well! Otherwise, avoid them. Someone looking to capture moments should choose different shots (walking down stairs, etc.). Also, as always when shooting men , pay special attention to their facial expressions . Often guys are uncomfortable making unnatural faces. Encourage your senior guy friend to try a few different ones; maybe even tell him what you’re looking for (You know what would be perfect?) and see how he responds.
From there find common ground (I love that smile…keep doing that!) or help him understand what might feel awkward or unnatural before it gets too late — especially if he tends to get stage fright! Lastly, keep in mind things such as body language. Some of these poses feature hands behind back or hips pushed out – actions can convey messages without words! What message is sending through your choice to place hands behind back or push hips towards camera? There are certainly messages both ways so be mindful when picking a pose. Want some more great senior boy poses ideas? Check out my gallery. When you are ready to book your senior photos, Check my calendar. You can also contact me and I will respond promptly with information.