Perfect Outfit Ideas for Guys

As a senior portrait photographer who serves the Kansas City-metro area, there is one question that I get asked more than any other: "What should my son wear for his senior session?"

Well, the simple answer is that I'd like them to wear clothing that allows them to move freely, be comfortable, and reflect who they are as an individual.

But if your guy truly wants to maximize his outfit selections, there are a number of other things to consider.

The Outfit Should Work with the Location

I work primarily throughout the Kansas City-metro area, and I'm blessed with access to all types of locations. Except mountains. Or oceans. But other than that, we have a lot going on. Kansas City's downtown has a definite vibe, and we have an easy commute to swaths of greenery and grasslands. In fact, we're able to shoot at both locations in one shoot, if desired.

Each locale has its own atmosphere, colors and textures, as we need to make sure your senior's style of clothes work with -- and not against -- the scene.

Color is a Priority

Deciding on color is a huge decision. Not only should it work with the location of your senior photoshoot (i.e. a neon green color scheme would look pretty gnarly in a field) but guys should also consider their skin tone.

A person's skin tone is made up of overtones and undertones. The overtone of the skin is pretty obvious as that's the skin color we see in the mirror everyday, but the undertone of our skin can be a bit more difficult to determine. Our skin's undertone can be found on a sliding scale of cool to warm, neutral being in the middle.

To determine the color of the skin's undertone, look at the veins in the skin. Cool skin tones have blue and purple veins, neutrals have blue-green veins, and warms have green veins. Sometimes the vein color is a bit hard to determine, but there are several easy ways to determine your skin's undertone.

When considering colors and outfit ideas for a senior portrait session, cool tones should wear cooler colors and warm tones should wear warmers ones. Neutrals are lucky and can play in either sandbox. Please check out my blog on how to style yourself with color in mind.

Bring Three to Four Outfit Options

Ideally a senior photographer (hopefully it's me) will hold a consultation few weeks in advance of the portrait session to go over outfit ideas and narrow down the selections. I typically recommend bringing along several combinations of shirts, jeans, and shoes so we can really customize it to the location. In general, I'll tell a senior guy to:

Have a Casual Outfit Option

• He can't go wrong with a simple jeans and T-shirt. I prefer solid colors and no athletic logos.

• Throw on some khaki shorts, a simple and soft three-button shirt, and a pair of sandals or TOMS.

Do Formal if it's His Thing (or Mom's)

• Wear dark denim jeans and pair it either a crew neck sweater or a classic overcoat.

• Sport a navy or black pair of pants with a button up shirt. The tie is always optional.

But super formal is good too!

Make His Personality Stand Out

• Is your senior an athlete? In band? Or on the cheer squad? His extracurricular uniform is a super simple way to incorporate his interests into part of the senior photo session.

• I'm a huge sucker for a band T-shirt and cool jacket. Bonus points if it's The White Stripes ;)

Don't Forget About the Accessories

Accessories are for guys too! If he loves wearing a baseball cap, cool fedora, or a cowboy hat, bring it to his senior photoshoot. Hats infuse the photo session with your senior's personality, and that's what the portrait session is all about.

Shoes are mega important. Every outfit has a shoe type that works best with it (i.e. the formal outfit looks best with polished dress shoes like oxfords or chukka boots and the casual outfit looks best with boots, sandals, or tennis shoes), but I do love it when a senior can mix and match styles with ease. For example, a nice suit with a cool pair of Jordans would be a great way to showcase his personality. But make the shoes part of the plan -- not an afterthought.

He also can wear jewelry, such as earrings, eyebrow rings, necklaces, rings, or bracelets.

And if your senior chooses to have a portion of their session to include shots in their school uniform or extracurricular activity, bring the corresponding accessories (i.e. a football, a basketball, their instrument, etc).

Ready the Hair and Nails

At a lot of schools in the Kansas City-metro, high school senior portraits can be submitted as a yearbook photo so we need to make sure hair is cut and styled, beards are lined and neat, and nails have been cleaned and trimmed. I'm actually a huge fan of the scruffy look in day-to-day life, but senior pictures are kind of a big deal, so let's try and look a bit more polished than our everyday.

I'm Here to Help

If you have senior portraits booked with me, I do offer all my clients styling assistance through my digital stylist.

Liz Davenport of Sunshine and Shadows Photography is a high school senior photographer based in Kansas City, MO. She offers senior portrait sessions throughout the Kansas City-metro, including Leawood, Overland Park, Shawnee, Lenexa, Mission, Belton, and Raymore. Her sessions are fun and relaxed, using primarily natural light and a lot of movement. She loves to work in both rural and urban environments and definitely looks to her seniors for location inspiration, which means that she wants to hear your crazy ideas.