Senior Pictures for Marcus Brother and Sister by Dallas Photographer Lisa McNiel

Landon and Mari will be graduating in a few short months are are preparing for a list of lasts: last high school football game, parking lot nightmare, prom, bell schedule, and dress code. Mari is an excellent student and was thinking she wanted to go to UT Austin when we last talked. Her mom says she has had a crazy personality since she was three!

Landon was calm and kind throughout the shoot. He enjoys welding and his mom tells me he's artistic. It will be so quiet next year and all these years of raising 4 children and then suddenly an empty nest!

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Here are some tips on hoow to prepare for your Senior Picture Session for Guys when booking with me:1. Bring snacks and water - but especially water - for your son. I know it's mostly moms reading this because I'm a mother of sons and my boys would never think about it until an hour before the shoot! They will not think they need it. You won't think they need it. I want them to have it. It puts them in a good mood to be hydrated and a blood sugar boost about halfway through the session.

2. Put together a really dressy outfit. Buy a suit. He will need it for so many things this year. And when you have that wedding or funeral, he will be prepared. Get help from the stylists at the store. They are up-to-date on fit and style for young men. They also know that cool, funky, socks with a suit are in style now. 

3. FIT is important. All his other clothes should have a "slim fit" or better, "athletic cut," unless he is stockier. The clothes need to fit his body without being tight.

4. Shoes are important. They are important to the dressy AND the casual outfits. They need to not only match the style of his clothes, they need to be on the newer side. 

5. Socks are also important. They will show in various poses.

6. Bring props: a framed photo of him as a little boy, a letterman's jacket, a prop from a sport he plays, sheet music, an instrument, a jersey, a helmet, a globe if he wants to travel, comic books, 
anything you can think of. The only exception I can think of is gaming. I haven't thought of a good prop for gamers, but if you think of one, please contact me!

7. Please ask me to send you the Questionnaire and fill it out with your son. I find out things in it that can enhance your session with different ideas, and also it gives me something to talk to him about so that he feels more comfortable and relaxed with me and I get more genuine expressions.

8. Please let me know if you have a dog that could come for a few of the shots or can stay in the car for part of the session. Though they can eat up a little time, they make for genuine smiles. This also goes for girlfriends!

9. Please make sure the haircut is not too new. A week to two weeks before the shoot should be good depending on how fast his hair grows.

10. Don't pick at your skin. I can edit blemishes. Also, be sure you do not get a sunburn before the shoot. Red skin is very difficult to edit, and peeling skin, even more so, plus the nose always takes the brunt of it, so it looks crazy. 

When preparing for senior photos for girls when booking with me, please follow these tips:

1. Choose clothes that are flattering to you and your figure and coloring regardless of what is in style... If you don't look your best in white jeans. Don't wear them. If the top is completely shapeless and you have a small waist, for heaven's sake, find something fitted, but not super tight to where your underwear shows.

2. Check your fingernails! Make sure they are clean or painted. Chipped fingernail polish looks terrible.

3. Don't tan too much or get a burn before your photos. 

4. Your hair will need to move, so even though it may be curled or straightened, it will eventually "fall." Relax and go with it. Movement in hair is beautiful!

5. Bring props that reflect your interests or those you used to enjoy, or plan to major in. You can be creative! If you want to travel the world, bring a globe!

6. Bring more clothes than you think you need. Put the outfits together and get a ziplock bag and put any jewelry, special underwear, or lipstick into in that bag and poke a hole in it and hook it onto the hanger. Time is precious when the light is pretty, and changing needs to be quick!

7. Bring a strapless bra. Bra straps are nearly impossible to photoshop.

8. Hats make great props. You can wear them, play with them, pose with them. Try to bring a hat for at least one outfit.

9. Take the black ponytail holder that is always around your left wrist off before we start shooting your session! Hahahahahaha!