Senior Pictures in York, Lancaster & Hershey PA: Everything You Need to Know Before Your Session
So, you booked your senior pictures. Now what?
If you’re already wondering what you’re going to wear, whether you need to know how to pose, where we should go, what you should bring, or how you’re possibly going to narrow down all the ideas you’ve saved — you’re in the right place.
Senior pictures have changed A LOT since the days of sitting on a stool in front of a gray backdrop, turning your head slightly to the left, and calling it a day.
Your senior session should actually look and feel like you.
As a senior photographer in York PA, I photograph seniors throughout York, Lancaster, Hershey and surrounding Central Pennsylvania areas. Every session is different, but there are definitely a few things you can do ahead of time to make yours even better.
So, let’s get into it. Here is everything you need to know before your senior pictures.
When Should You Book Your Senior Pictures?
Earlier than you probably think.
Late summer and fall are two of the most popular times for senior pictures, which means those dates tend to fill first. If you know you want fall colors, don’t wait until October to start looking for a photographer.
But fall definitely isn’t your only option.
Spring is beautiful if you love flowering trees, gardens and tulips. Summer gives us tons of greenery, flowers and those long evenings. Late summer gives us gorgeous warm light, while fall brings deeper colors and the option for sweaters, jackets and layers.
There really isn’t one perfect month for senior pictures. It comes down to what you want your photographs to look like.
If you have your heart set on a particular season or location, though, book early. It gives us a lot more flexibility when we’re planning everything.
Want to see what a full spring senior session can look like? I photographed a gorgeous session at Hershey Gardens that you can see in my post about senior pictures in Central PA and Hershey Gardens.
Where Should We Take Your Senior Pictures?
This is one of my favorite parts of planning.
And no — you absolutely do not need to know where you want to go before you contact me.
We’ll figure that out together.
I photograph senior sessions throughout York County, Lancaster County, Hershey and surrounding Central Pennsylvania, which gives us SO many different options.
We can do gardens and flowers, fields and wooded areas, parks, stone architecture, bridges, downtown areas or something completely different.
The location should fit you, not simply be somewhere you’ve seen everyone else use.
If you love flowers and softer colors, we’ll look at gardens.
If you’re more laid-back and want something natural, we can use greenery, fields or wooded areas.
If you want something with a little more texture and personality, we can look at downtown areas, stone buildings, bridges or another architectural location.
And if you’re completely overwhelmed by the options?
That’s okay too.
Location planning is already part of my senior photography experience, so you aren’t expected to figure all of this out on your own.
What Should You Wear for Senior Pictures?
Okay. This is probably THE question.
My biggest piece of advice is to choose clothes that feel like you, but also give us some variety.
Instead of bringing three dresses that all have basically the same look, think about creating completely different outfits.
For example:
- A dress or skirt
- Jeans with a cute top or sweater
- Something a little dressier
- Something casual that you’d actually wear
Long dresses are especially fun because they give us movement. Jeans can give the session a much more relaxed look. A short dress gives us something completely different from both.
And you do not need to go buy an entirely new wardrobe for senior pictures.
Sometimes the best outfit is something you already own and know you feel amazing wearing.
One thing I WILL tell you to do: try everything on before your session.
And I don’t mean standing in front of your mirror for 30 seconds.
Sit down in it. Walk around. Raise your arms. Bend over. Check your straps. Make sure you’re not going to spend the entire session pulling something up, pulling something down or worrying about whether your bra is showing.
If you’re uncomfortable, you’re going to think about it the entire time.
How Many Outfits Should You Bring?
You don’t need to bring your entire closet.
For most senior sessions, 2–3 outfits gives us plenty of variety without spending half of your session changing clothes.
I’d much rather have time to actually photograph you in each outfit than rush through six different wardrobe changes.
When you’re choosing everything, lay your outfits out together.
Do they all look basically the same?
If so, switch something.
A casual outfit + a dress + something that really shows your personality gives us three completely different looks without overdoing it.
Should You Bring Props to Your Senior Session?
I’m not a huge fan of bringing random props just because Pinterest says senior pictures need them.
BUT…
If something is actually important to you?
Bring it.
Play guitar? Bring your guitar.
Play a sport? Let’s incorporate it.
Love books? Art? Music? Have something you’ve been involved with throughout high school that has become a huge part of who you are?
Tell me about it.
Your senior pictures are documenting you at this exact point in your life, so those personal things can make your session completely different from anyone else’s.
What About Hair, Makeup and Nails?
You absolutely don’t have to have professional hair and makeup done.
If you normally wear very little makeup, you don’t need to suddenly show up looking like a completely different person.
The goal is to look like yourself on a really good day.
I wouldn’t experiment with brand-new makeup, a drastic haircut, self-tanner you’ve never used before or anything else major right before your session.
And don’t forget your hands!
Your hands show up in photographs WAY more than you probably realize. Your nails don’t have to be professionally done, but if you’re wearing polish, make sure it isn’t chipped.
For hair, bring a brush or comb and whatever you normally use for little touch-ups.
“But I Have No Idea How to Pose.”
Perfect.
Because you don’t need to. 😂
I don’t expect seniors to show up knowing what to do with their hands, where to look, how to stand or whether their left knee should be bent at a 42-degree angle.
That’s literally my job.
I’ll direct you throughout your session.
But I’m also not going to stick you in one pose and take 37 versions of the exact same photograph.
We’ll move.
We’ll walk.
We’ll change things up.
Sometimes you’ll look at me. Sometimes you won’t. Sometimes I’ll give you very specific directions, and sometimes I’ll catch something happening naturally and just keep shooting.
And yes, I will probably ask you to do something at some point that feels completely ridiculous but looks fantastic in a photograph.
Just trust me. 😂
What Should You Bring With You?
You don’t need to pack for a weeklong vacation, but I would bring a small bag with a few things:
- Your outfits and accessories
- Comfortable shoes for walking between locations
- Brush or comb
- Lip gloss or lipstick for touch-ups
- Water
- Any personal items we’re incorporating
- The correct bra/undergarments for each outfit
- A few safety pins because those things somehow save the day
Put everything together before you leave home.
Nothing starts a session quite like realizing the necklace you bought specifically for outfit #2 is sitting on your dresser 45 minutes away.
Don’t Forget the Little Details
The week of your senior session is NOT the time for a dramatic haircut you’ve never tried before.
Same goes for spray tans.
And eyebrows.
Basically, let’s not make any major life decisions 24 hours before senior pictures. 😂
Give yourself enough time to get ready without rushing. Steam or iron your clothes beforehand, remove tags and make sure your shoes and jewelry are together.
And guys — EMPTY. YOUR. POCKETS.
Phones, keys and giant wallets have a magical ability to become the most noticeable thing in an otherwise fantastic photograph.
What Happens If the Weather Looks Bad?
I watch the weather closely leading up to outdoor sessions.
But Pennsylvania weather also enjoys changing its mind approximately every eleven minutes, so I don’t make decisions days ahead based on one little weather app icon.
And clouds aren’t automatically bad!
Overcast skies can actually give us gorgeous, soft light.
If we’re dealing with actual rain, thunderstorms or conditions that are going to negatively affect your session, we’ll talk about our options.
So if you see a cloud icon five days before your session…
Don’t panic.
What Happens During Your Senior Session
We’ll usually start with one outfit and ease into things.
Those first few minutes are really about getting comfortable. I’ll give you plenty of direction and we’ll start with easy poses before adding more movement and variety.
As we go, we’ll change backgrounds, poses, outfits and sometimes locations.
Some photographs will be closer portraits.
Some will show your entire outfit.
Some will be wide and show off the location.
Some will be smiling straight at the camera.
And some of my favorites will probably be the ones that happen somewhere in between all of that.
That’s also why I plan every senior photography session around the actual senior rather than following the exact same shot list for everyone.
What Happens After Your Senior Session?
After your session, you’ll receive your gallery where you’ll get to see all those photographs we created and choose your favorites.
And yes…
Narrowing them down can be HARD.
That’s a good problem to have.
I photograph a ton of variety during senior sessions specifically so you aren’t choosing between 40 nearly identical smiling photographs.
You’ll see different expressions, poses, outfits, backgrounds, close-ups, full-body portraits and those in-between moments.
Choose the ones that immediately feel like you.
And let Mom have a few favorites too.
She got you this far. 😉
You can see more about how my sessions work and what to expect on my York PA senior photography page.
Ready for Senior Pictures in York, Lancaster or Hershey PA?
Senior year is such a weird little spot in life.
You’re finishing something you’ve spent basically your entire life working toward while simultaneously trying to figure out what’s coming next.
College. Work. Moving away. Staying home. New friends. New routines. A whole lot of change.
That’s part of why senior pictures matter.
Yes, I want you to have beautiful photographs.
But I also want them to show who you are right now.
The clothes you loved. The things you were into. Your real smile. The way you laughed. The guitar you played constantly. The sport that consumed half your life. All those little pieces of you before everything changes again.
Whether you’re planning senior pictures in York PA, Lancaster PA, Hershey PA or elsewhere in Central Pennsylvania, we’ll create a session that actually feels like yours.
And you absolutely don’t need to have all the details figured out before you reach out.
That’s what I’m here for.
Ready to start planning yours?
Take a look at my Senior Photography Experience + session information or contact me here to start planning your senior session. I can’t wait to hear what you’re dreaming up.
August 30, 2026
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