What to Wear for a Headshot Session / Coastal summer teen actress portraits

If you’ve booked a headshot session, or are thinking of booking one, oftentimes the most stressful part of the experience can be deciding what to wear! I get you, you want to look your best! I have several tips and tricks that I pass along to my clients when they book a headshot session.

1. Avoid tops that have busy or distracting patterns.

   As a general rule, solid color tops are best. Shirts or blouses that have a texture to them will work well, but patterns will distract from your face, and your face is the star of the show!

2. Also, avoid shirts that have logos or graphic tees.

   For all the reasons listed in #1. Let’s move this along.

3. For those with long hair, choose a color that contrasts with your hair color.

   Wearing dark colors if you also have dark hair can make you look one-dimensional—same if you have light hair and wear a light color. Establishing a contrast between your hair color and shirt can be more striking than you realize.

4. Bring a couple of different tops

   There is usually time to have at least one outfit change in order to have variety in your finished gallery. But I’m also happy to offer feedback, either prior to or at your session, on the very best top for you.

5. Bottom choices are important, but not that important

   Headshot sessions primarily focus on your….well your head, but let’s call it your stunning face. Depending on the use of your image, you’ll likely only need a tight crop of your face—meaning that it’s not super important what you wear on the bottom. If you’re curious whether you should

BONUS TIP: Make the most of your headshot session by booking yourself an appointment to have your hair and makeup done. For those local to me in Cape Ann, I have plenty of suggestions for the best stylists in the area!

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester MA Senior Portraits / Westwood High Senior

Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts provided the perfect backdrop for this senior portrait session featuring a high school senior from Westwood High School, class of 2023. With the sun casting a warm, glowy light and the sound of waves crashing in the background, the setting was nothing short of magical. Hannah was able to relax and have fun during the session, which allowed for natural, candid (and only a little bit cheesy) shots that truly captured her unique personality and spirit.

The session also took advantage of a nearby grassy field filled with early spring blossoms and soft green grass, which added a beautiful pop of color and texture to the photos.

Scroll on through to see some of my favorite images from Hannah’s session and be sure to leave a comment below, telling me whether you’re Team Flowers & Field or Team Beach Waves!

Rockport High School Senior Portrait Session / Andraya

I am in the thick of senior portrait season over here, and I’m really loving it! Most of my seniors through mid-September have kept their sessions on the beach or the nearby coast, which works perfectly because beaches on Cape Ann have cleared out once the summer ends so we have plenty of space to get creative.

Surprisingly, portrait sessions during COVID-19 haven’t been terribly different. The biggest difference is that I’m wearing a mask the entire time. But other than that, I am sure to use my long lens so we can socially distance. It feels totally safe being out in the open air.

Today I’m so happy to share Andraya’s senior portrait session. I have loved reviewing all of her images again because you can just feel her joy! We split her portrait session between the rocks on the backshore of Gloucester and Good Harbor beach. Scroll through to see some of my favorites from her session and be sure to leave her some love in the comment section below!

xo

Cassie

Senior Portrait Session on Northshore MA / Olivia

I’ve talked on the blog before about bringing close friends and family to your senior portrait session to join in a few shots. But there are other ways to personalize your senior portrait session as well, like including items that reflect your hobbies and interests. This used to be something cheesy that people did in the 80s, but I promise, it can be done well! During Olivia’s senior pictures, she chose to wear her pointe shoes for several images to reflect her passion for ballet.

Here are some other ideas for including items to reflect your personality:

Sports:

• Hockey skates, softball jersey, running shoes

Hobbies:

• Music lover-headphones, Animal lover- bring your pet, avid reader- favorite book, Photographer- camera, Fashion lover- bring your best outfits!

Personality:

• Homebody- cozy sweatshirt and leggings, Extrovert- best friend

And there are so many more possibilities! I’ve included some of my very favorite images from Olivia’s senior session. Scroll through and tell me how you will personalize your senior session in the comment section below!

Planning for Bad Weather / Grace's Senior Portrait Session

Probably one of the most stressful aspects of planning a portrait session (aside from outfit planning, of course!) is dealing with weather. My informal policy is that if there is more than a 50% chance of rain, we reschedule to another time. Most times I like to wait until 24 hours before the session to make the official call, leaving room to reschedule hair/makeup appointments, if necessary. I love my sessions to be “glowy” and sun-filled, and will try to do everything possible to make that happen!

One of the more insidious forms of bad weather, however, is high winds. Anything higher than 10 miles an hour is pretty dang annoying for everyone involved, but especially if you want to keep your hair in check!

For Grace’s senior session below, we originally planned to take her pictures at Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA. Promptly after we arrived, though, we realized that the wind was whipping razor sharp sand particles in our eyes and that the beach was a no go. Fortunately, there are no shortage of gorgeous locations for portraits on the north shore that I have up my sleeve, so we quickly ran down the street to another location. It turned into a perfectly fall portrait session, and you can hardly tell that Grace is freezing cold from the wind. Check it out below and let me know in the comments whether you agree that Grace rocked her senior pictures!

Planning Your Session to Include Two Locations / Jaymee's Classic Senior Session

Well here we are stuck in the middle of winter, with NO SNOW, which is the absolute worst kind of winter. I don’t know about you, but I’m torn between doing a snow dance to get the snow flying around here and just wishing for spring. One thing for sure, it has me dreaming of getting back outside for portrait sessions!

Jaymee’s senior portrait session is an oldie but a goodie. I can’t believe I haven’t shared it before you, because dang look at those eyes! For her session, we were able to combine a classic wide open field with dreamy sunlit grass AND the beach to rock the purple-hued sunset in the waves. It’s the best of both worlds!

We have such a wealth of gorgeous locations on the northshore of Massachusetts, and I work hard to coordinate with each of my clients to select the perfect location(s) to match your vision.

By the time our session was over, Jaymee was a becoming her true self in front of the camera. Just scroll and see!

Enjoy! xo

What is the Best Time of Day to Schedule my Portraits | Ella's Senior Session

Ask any photographer about the time of day you’ll find the best lighting, and I bet you one million dollars that the words “golden hour” will come out of their mouth.

What is the golden hour?

It’s the hour that leads up to sunset. This is the time when the sun is the most directional, meaning that it’s not blasting down at you from overhead, creating some nasty raccoon eyes or making you squint. Mid day sun can be harsh and unforgiving. Golden hour has dreamy light, that will make your hair glow from behind and cast warm rays.

Check out below how the sun is lighting up the sea grass behind Ella during her senior portrait session.

An added perk is that the golden hour leads right up until sunset where sometimes we can get some beautiful color in the sky. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see the sunset casting gorgeous colors across the ocean behind Ella.

Of course, help with picking the perfect time for your session isn’t the only thing I’m good for! There are many other ways I like to coordinate with my clients prior to their session.

Ready to see for yourself?

Why You Should Consider Having Your Senior Session with Your Best Friend | Kelli and Thayna Senior Session

What does a senior portrait session with your best friend look like?

When you combine your session with a friend, you can expect that your session will last 90 minutes total for both of you. That means that you can expect 40-ish minutes of solo time in front of the camera and ten minutes in front of the camera with your BFF (usually at the end). While your friend is being photographed, it’s a great time to switch up your outfit/look!

There are four great reasons why you should consider partnering up with your best friend for your senior portrait session:

1. Comfort Level

   Let’s admit it—most of us can feel a little uncomfortable in front of the camera at first. It’s natural to need a few minutes to warm up. When you’re with a friend, you can be at-ease right from the start of the session because you’re sharing this experience with someone who may be feeling the exact same way you are! And it takes a lot of the pressure/focus off of you, which in turn will make you more comfortable.

2. Feeling Giggly

   I like to think that I have a calm, laid-back demeanor that will make you smile, but I don’t by any means consider myself ACTUALLY funny. (Most of my jokes I forget the punch line to!) So if you have your friend acting a fool behind my back as I’m photographing you, you’re much more likely to show me a totally genuine smile or laugh. And those are the moments I just love to capture!

3. Cost

   While each photographer may be different, many of them will offer a discount for combining your senior portrait session with a friend. For example, I typically will extend my session from 1 hour to 90 minutes for two people, but will offer a cost savings over booking two separate senior portrait sessions. (Ask me for more details on this)

4. BFFs

   Senior year can be really special because you’re on the brink of your whole world changing. Yet some of the friends that you’ve made during your time in high school will stick with you forever. Including your BFF in your senior session is a great way to capture these relationships at this crazy exciting time in your life.

Of course, you’ll want to choose a friend who is sure to be a BFF for life (I guess that’s redundant, ha!) so you don’t have buyer’s remorse.

Ready to do it?

And don’t stop your scroll to see more of Kelli and Thayna’s senior portrait session at Halibut Point in Rockport, Massachusetts!

Becka | Class of 2017 Beachy Senior Session

It seems appropriate to blog Becka's senior portrait session as she is days away from graduation!  This lady is the real deal-- senior at Manchester Essex High School by day, lifeguard by summer, fashionista every.damn.day. And she'll be heading to UD in the fall. 

We obviously had an amazing time during her portrait session last summer as we skipped along the rocks of the back shore in Gloucester and chased the light at the beach at Good Harbor.  It doesn't get any better.

I hope you enjoy Becka's beachy senior portrait session, and if you do, leave her some love in the comment section below.  

Sydney & the Sea | Northeast Metro Tech Senior Pictures

One of my loves early on into my photography journey was photographing my loved ones and seeing their joy in being captured behind the camera. When my cousin Sydney entered her senior year at Northeast Metro Tech (Wakefield, MA), it was a no-brainer that I absolutely wanted to capture this exciting time in her life. Not to mention that she's entirely gorgeous and stylish and made my job incredibly easy!

For this session, we spent some time in a cove on the Rockport/Gloucester line, then we made it to the beach by sunset.  It was definitely one of those sessions where it was nearly impossible for me to narrow down the choices.  

After you look through Sydney's stunning senior pictures, be sure to hit that "heart" at the bottom and show some love! 

xo

Long Beach, Rockport MA Senior Portrait Session | Taylor

Weather in New England is a funny thing sometimes. On the days leading up to Taylor's senior portrait session, we went back and forth about rescheduling because the weather was iffy and Taylor and her family were traveling to their vacation home in Rockport from Connecticut and didn't want to make the drive if the weather wouldn't cooperate. We ended up keeping our date and the weather was foggy--misty at worst. Yet, we were determined to make it work because it may have been our only opportunity with both our busy schedules.

 I have to say, the fog made for the most romantic, moody images for Taylor's senior pictures.  She was a dream to photograph--so sweet and smiley! Later at Long Beach, we got the rest of the family in on the fun for photos on the beach.  

Have fun scrolling through some of my favorites from Taylor's senior portrait session and please leave some love for her in the comment section below!

Courtny and Katelyn | Salem High School Senior Girls' Portraits

I've known these girls since they were little tots, and, yes, they were just as adorable back then too.  Cortney and Katelyn are seniors at Salem High School in Salem, NH.  Yes, they are twins. Was that fun to photograph, you ask? UMYES!

They are looking forward to graduating (finally!) in June 2015; this is, of course, reliant on the fact that they can keep themselves awake during 1st period History class.  

Katelyn is an aspiring photographer herself, so it made me more than a little happy to talk photography with her.  It was actually kind of nice for someone to understand me when I started drooling when we stumbled across an insanely gorgeous field of wildflowers.

Both of these girls have a bright future ahead of them.  I can't wait to see what they will achieve! 

We shot on location at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, New Hampshire, as well as the orchard at Mack's Apples in Londonderry.

Rockport, MA HS Senior Portraits | Saasha

I had been hinting begging Saasha to let me take her senior pictures for quite some time.  She is the type of person who gives so  much of herself, that I just had to give something back.  Not to mention that I just KNEW the kind of photographic magic we could create! We set about Rockport, MA one summer evening, making sure to hit all the hot spots, like Motif #1 and some rocky coves.  Have a peek at some highlights, and if you like what you see leave me some love in the comments! XOXO