Senior Portraits Guide for Guys

Senior Portraits Guide for Guys

Classic, Confident, and Actually Enjoyable!

Senior year is big. And for families with boys, you want senior portraits that feel elevated, timeless, and true to who he is—without being stiff or overdone.

These photos aren’t just for announcements or yearbooks. They’re for you, for him, and for the future. A good senior portrait captures a turning point: the last year of high school, the edge of independence. It’s a moment worth remembering, and remembering well.

Make It Comfortable, Not Cringey

Senior guys don’t want a big production—and we don’t give them one. Sessions are laid-back, quick-moving, and focused on natural poses that feel confident, not forced. We talk, we walk, we shoot. No fake smiles. Just solid photos.

What to Wear: Keep It Sharp, Keep It Him

Wardrobe can make or break the shoot. Here’s how to nail it:

•Smart casual wins. Think tailored jeans or chinos, button-downs, quarter-zips, henleys. A sport coat or sweater adds polish without going full formal.

•Stick to solids and neutrals. Navy, charcoal, white, forest green—these always look clean on camera. Avoid neon, loud patterns, and big brand logos.

•Bring options. One dressier look, one more relaxed, one wild card! We’ll shoot them all.

•Layering works. Jackets, vests, or over-shirts create depth and variety without needing a full outfit change.

•Add personal details. A varsity jacket, watch, favorite boots, or something tied to his sport or interest makes it more “him.”

The Right Setting For Senior Guys

We shoot on or near campus, or choose scenic Litchfield and Fairfield County locations with personality:

•Kent Falls and Macedonia Brook – classic New England backdrops

•Downtown Kent, New Preston or Litchfield – picture book New England towns

•Fairfield Hills in Newtown – brick, iron, and architectural texture

•School grounds – especially for seniors who want a tie to their campus

•Private locations – if your family has a home in the area, we can come to you

Let’s Make It Happen

We work with families throughout Kent, Watertown, New Milford, Litchfield, and nearby towns throughout Litchfield and Fairfield County. Whether you’re local or visiting from out of state for a school weekend, we make scheduling simple and sessions seamless.

Limited slots for late spring and fall 2025—book early.

Let’s create portraits he’ll be proud of—and that you’ll treasure forever.

Tony is a volunteer firefighter so his wild card destination was the fire house!

Amazing Senior Photos For Class of 2023 Amity Grad

Senior photos Amity HS Senior Declan in Milford CT

Check out these amazing fall Senior Photos with Amity High School Class of 2023 graduate Declan in Orange Connecticut.

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Daisy Jones Themed Photo shoot

Daisy Jones and the Six styled photo shoot with the Planet Photo Tribe

Daisy Jones Themed photo Shoot

Daisy Jones and the Six Thrift store challenge

Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, Daisy Jones & the Six, follows the story of the iconic 1970s band, fronted by two feuding yet charismatic lead singers, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne.

Recreating a Laurel Canyon backdrop in Connecticut was a bit more of a challenge…… So we went with a “band on tour” vibe. One of our locations was a local motel, and another roadside pit stop. We added an acoustic guitar and a vintage camera and we had our theme. What do you think? Would you come and see our band on tour?

Daisy Jones and the Six has been an immediate success as a short series on Amazon Prime. With a combination of 70s music, 70s fashion, and new young stars what is there not to like? Free People has even created a capsule collection around the series!

We used the Daisy Jones and the Six themed photo shoot as our Earth Day 2023 thrift store challenge. We tried to recreate a 70s band look, by sourcing most of the outfits from Goodwill, Platos Closet, and thrift store purchases!

Thanks to Gabby, Reagan, Declan and Sebastian for running with our Daisy Jones and the Six theme!

The Planet Photo Tribe is a group of high school girls and guys who really love having fun and being creative. We take the time to plan and style group and themed photo shoots. I get to let my creativity go and they get some fun images for social media. If you would like to join us for our next group shoot then let me know, I would love for you to be part of the Planet Photo Tribe!

When planning your individual senior session we discuss styling and location during the consultation, you can draw inspiration from the Tribe themed photo shoots.

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Photo shoot at IKEA

Tribe Photo Shoot Ikea

Pantone Blue Challenge

INTRODUCING CLASSIC BLUE: INSTILLING CALM, CONFIDENCE, AND CONNECTION, THIS ENDURING BLUE HUE HIGHLIGHTS OUR DESIRE FOR A DEPENDABLE AND STABLE FOUNDATION ON WHICH TO BUILD AS WE CROSS THE THRESHOLD INTO A NEW ERA.

I love to challenge myself with new and fun places and themes to shoot. One Collective posted a pantone blue photo challenge and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take some bright, vivid portraits with a photo shoot at IKEA in New Haven. Classic Blue represents stability and dependability, I thought we could all use a little of that in 2020!

A group or concept photo shoot usually starts with a theme and then develops by choosing how to interpret that theme, finding a location, styling the participants and then finally picking up my camera. We were really lucky to have Fiona from Joe’s Salon and Spa to help us with some edgy hair styles to go with our fun outfits. This was the first group shoot for the 2k21 Tribe and I think they did an amazing job! I am so excited to create some amazing images and get to know the team.

Thanks to Susannah, Daniella, Erinn and Olivia for joining me in New Haven!

“Since 2000, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. The selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. including the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention.

Twice a year Pantone hosts, in a European capital, a secret meeting of representatives from various nations’ color standards groups. After two days of presentations and debate, they choose a color for the following year.” – Pantone.com

Featuring: @daniellamazzza⁠ @susannhah⁠ ⁠@erinnwilli24⁠ @oliviataub

Hair: @joessalonct⁠
Navy Dress: @freepeople⁠
Bag: @denisedcox⁠
Green Dress: @greylincollection⁠
⁠Yellow Dress: @susanamonaco⁠
⁠

The Planet Photo Tribe is an exciting opportunity for high school students in 10, 11 and 12th grade. We have fun planning creative shoots, collaborating with local businesses and being positive role models.

If you would like to talk about teen portraits or plan your high school senior’s portrait session then don’t hesitate! Give me a call. In Frame: @daniellamazzza⁠

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Back to School NMHS

Back to School

The Junior Tribe at NMHS

Jordana, Grace and Katie will be Freshman at New Milford High School this year so we met there for our Junior Tribe Back to School photo shoot. NMHS has a hybrid model this year so students will be learning in person for two days per week and online for three days. That means back to school shopping is a little different (I hear that Lululemon and Athleta are having their best years ever, and jeans companies are struggling, because who wants to wear jeans during quarantine?) but planning your first day of school outfit is still so much fun and we can knock those outfits out of the park for two days a week.

I grew up in the UK and I wore a school uniform until I was 16, but even getting a new uniform and shiny new shoes for the first day of school was exciting, so I LOVE to see all the photos on social media of kids heading off on their first day.

Good luck to all the students heading back to school soon and to all the parents getting ready to drop kids off at college.

We got this! It’s going to be hard to send those kids back but I am excited for them to see their friends and teachers.

Stay safe. Be smart. And wear your mask!

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Teen Studio Portraits

Passion Portraits - what do you love to do?

The teen years are when you start to get serious about training for a sport or practicing dance or playing in the band. I often hear that high school is somewhat defined or at least structured around the fall, winter or spring sport seasons, it is for my daughter for sure!

COVID has not cancelled our fall sports (fingers crossed) but they are going to look a little different. Conditioning is in full swing and the teams will be ready for whatever kind of season they can get!

Dance studios have been really creative about engaging dancers and holding online or outdoor practices to keep skills and abilities in top shape. Studio D even transformed their spring show into an amazing outdoor performance around New Milford.

I was thrilled to spend some time with Planet Photo Junior Tribe members Ella and Katie so that they could share their passions for dance and soccer with me. I had lots of fun creating teen studio portraits with them.

Two more group shoots remain in our summer modeling experience, I am going to miss the junior Tribe but we’ll have lots of portraits to look back on. Make sure you are on the Planet Photo mailing list if you are interested in future junior modeling experience teams.

Don’t forget The Tribe starts soon for 10, 11 and 12th graders!

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Flower Crown Portraits

Junior Tribe 2020

One of the very first teen group shoots I ever did was a flower crown shoot and I was excited to do it again with the 2020 Junior Tribe. We met at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford and enjoyed their beautiful gardens and surroundings. The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm is a popular stop for both locals and visitors to Litchfield County.

When we arrived the long horned cows were across the road to observe our group but of course they wandered into the back field when we were ready to shoot. There is something very magical about seeing them so drive by if you get a chance and see if you can spot them.

Jordana, Grace, Katie and Ella were all beautiful and graceful in their flower crowns but you know we had lots of fun too!

If you have a creative idea for a group shoot or a themed photo shoot for you and your friends then a BFF portrait session is a great way to celebrate a birthday or a great friendship. We’ll plan the location and styling around your group and you’ll have the portraits as a wonderful memory of your special day.

Now booking family, teens and high school seniors and personal branding for the most popular shooting time of the year – fall in New England!

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Portraits New Milford Junior Tribe

Portraits New Milford CT

Bubbles and Balloons with the Junior Tribe

Harrybrooke Park is a popular destination for portraits in New Milford, CT. The gardens are spectacular and I thought we might find a little relief from the sun in the shade of all the beautiful evergreen trees for our bubbles and balloons Junior Tribe shoot.

Ella, Kate and Caitlin were fantastic and we had so much fun because they are all starting to get to know each other. There is something incredibly joyful about seeing bubbles drifting in the air, maybe memories of childhood? I probably put them in the same category as seeing a rainbow or driving past a herd a field of cows…. I can’t resist the temptation to announce that I see them!

We had lots of laughs and maybe just a tiny little bit of competition to see who could blow the biggest bubble!

I am so happy to be spending time with this amazing group of girls this summer! We are three shoots into our summer Junior Tribe model experience and I can’t wait for the next one. We’ll be in the studio next week for something a little different but you’ll have to wait to see what our theme is…..

Every time I asked Ella if she could do something she just leaped into action. It’s so fun to photograph dancers and gymnasts!

Planet Photo is booking family, seniors and teens, portraits and personal branding shoots in New Milford and surrounding towns.

If you know someone who would be interested in joining the Planet Photo Tribe please let them know that enrollment is underway!

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Teen Portraits Bella Stratford CT

Bella at the Marina

Teen Portrait Shoot

I have known Bella since she was in elementary school and she was on my daughter’s pop warner cheer team. so it was such a treat to shoot her teen portraits.

Selecting a location and styling the shoot was easy for Bella. Her parents have a boat in Stratford, CT and she knew right away that she wanted to meet there. Choosing a place that holds so many good memories is always preferable, but having it be a stunning location made it even better! I met Bella and her mom and she showed me around and I honestly don’t think her styling could have been any more on point. The hydrangeas, the fence, the boat dock…… OMG it just got better and better.

Bella is going into her senior year at New Milford High School. It’s going to be a great year and hopefully you will see more of Bella in the 2K21 Planet Photo Tribe group shoots!

Good luck for Senior year Bella – you got this!

Choosing a location and styling the shoot is one of my favorite parts of the preparation. I love to match personalities with locations and styling with the colors of the location. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle that elevates your teen portraits to the next level. It’s my goal to deliver something unique, personal and memorable for all my clients.

If you would like to talk about teen portraits or plan your high school senior’s portrait session then don’t hesitate! Give me a call.

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Milk Bath Photo Shoot Junior Tribe

Milk Bath Photo Shoot

Planet Photo Junior Tribe

Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, was renowned throughout history for her radiant skin and her stunning beauty. She was said to bathe in milk to keep her skin soft and beautiful. However, Cleopatra didn’t bathe in cow’s milk. The milk for her legendary baths was instead provided by donkeys. Legend has it that she required 700 lactating donkeys in order to supply the milk for her daily bathing regime.

The Planet Photo Junior Tribe were excited to bathe in milk for our photo shoot, Unfortunately, we had a hard time locating 700 lactating donkeys so we had to make do with Trader Joe’s Organic milk, but judging by the images, the TJ’s milk had amazing results! If you would like to find out more about the advantages to bathing in milk, check out Herb and Hedgerow for some milk bath recipes.

Jordana, Grace, Ella and Kate looked stunning in the milk bath photo shoot and they were all so much fun to work with!

I CANNOT wait for our next Junior Tribe shoot! Next week and every week over the summer we have a different theme for the Junior Tribe.