Senior Style Portrait Photography Tips & Location

Senior Portrait PhotoClothing
Clothing is largely a personal choice and a means of self-expression. My goal is not to change who you are, but rather to provide some guidance to assure your portraits are the best they can be. Typically, we can do 2-3 clothing changes in a portrait shoot.

  • Simple garments always photograph best. What colors look good on you? Be sure to pick those outfits.
  • Sweatshirts are not recommended.  Long sleeves work better than short sleeves as long sleeves cover bare arms that can be distracting or overpower the face. Collared shirts look great in portraits.  If it is going to be chilly, sweaters or nice jackets are recommended.  Most likely, we will be walking in long grass and uneven ground so high heels are not recommended, or bring a change of shoes.
  • Busy patterns and too bright colors are not appropriate for formal portraiture. They call attention away from the face and distract from the overall quality of the portrait. Bold stripes, prints or checks can be distracting, solids work well.
  • Solid colors (not too bright) tend to photograph the best, choose colors that will go well with where we are shooting. Solid dark and neutral colors are the most flattering.  In general, dark colors slim and light colors add weight. Cool colors (blues, greens, purples) and neutrals (black, gray, and white) add emphasis to the face and make it appear warmer and more pleasing in your portraits.
  • Avoid logos, unless we are wanting some shots with school themes and colors.
  • Jewelry & glasses; simple is best, big and shiny is distracting.  Most glasses glare, decide ahead of time if you want to wear contacts or glasses. Transitions brand glasses do not work well for portraits in the sun. Please bring a different pair if you want to have glasses in the portrait.

Hair and Skin
If you are planning to get a haircut or perm, do it at least one week before your session.  You should avoid sunburns and tan lines – avoid overexposure to the sun. Keep your makeup natural and fresh – you should wear the same amount of makeup you would normally wear.  If you have facial blemishes don’t be embarrassed! Most of us deal with them. To help with blemishes, you can try using a cover-up stick and/or makeup. If you have blemishes and makeup doesn’t cover it, we can do touchups in the printing process.

Senior Portrait Photo Senior Portrait Photo

Location, Location, Location!
The beautiful parks and rivers and unique urban areas surrounding Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder and Denver provide awesome backdrops for us to capture your style for your senior pictures. Our location provides us with an indoor studio and 3 acre outdoor portrait park. Of course we love to meet up with seniors for their pictures anywhere from Red Rocks Amphitheater, Rocky Mountain National Park or Old Town Fort Collins.

Senior Portrait PhotoSessions
The possibilities are endless! We’ll even meet with you before the photo session for a free design consultation to plan ahead and make sure your shoot goes perfect. We want you to get and have that once in a lifetime image.

Our Studio
Our indoor/outdoor Fort Collins based photography studio is a convenient one-stop location for multiple backgrounds for your senior pictures. We are located just minutes from Old Town Fort Collins and easily accessible from I-25.

Contact us to set up a session and get directions.

Senior Portrait PhotoSession Details
Your high school senior pictures and photographs are a celebration of your senior year and this once in a lifetime event as you soar into adulthood!

  • We encourage all high school seniors to showcase who they are and allow us to help them tell their story in a photographic collection of images. Bring anything that will help tell that story!
  • Find a balance of clothes and styles that are well suited for your families purpose of sending to relatives and friends of the family and your purpose of giving photographs to friends and posting online.
  • Session Fees are due at the time of the booking to reserve your appointment.
  • We will schedule a viewing & ordering session 7-10 days after the photo session. At that session we view your slideshow and get you your proof book. We might even choose your yearbook photo.
  • We normally take 2-3 weeks to complete your finished photographs, depending on the product. If you need them sooner, please ask us and we will try our best to speed up the process for you!

Contact us to book your session now!

Kimball Nelson Photography

Interested in High School Senior Portraits? Call (970) 472-1661 or click below.

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Kimball Nelson is an award-winning professional photographer serving Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and all of Colorado’s front range. Kimball provides candid, natural portraiture photography to clients across Colorado and has shot weddings, high school senior and family portraits across the Rocky Mountain region from Cheyenne to Telluride. As a Certified Professional Photographer she relies on her years of experience, skill and training to create natural, beautiful images that tell her client’s stories.
Contact us to set up a meeting.

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