When it comes to high school senior portraits, posing senior boys can be a little more challenging than posing senior girls because, unlike the girls, there’s typically no hair to flip, no dresses to twirl and no jewelry to touch. It can be tricker to vary the poses and make sure the gallery feels full and complete. That doesn’t mean we still can’t have a lot of variety in the way we pose senior guys! Below you’ll find a list of our top ten go-to poses for senior boys that will hopefully help make your feel more confident and comfortable posing at your next senior portrait session!

1. Sitting Courtside

Using a chair, bench or stairs, pose your senior boy so that he’s sitting with his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands together. He will automatically lean forward when his elbows touch his legs, like he’s sitting courtside at a basketball game and it creates a really cool, comfortable look.

2. Both Hands in Pockets

With his legs about shoulder width apart, have your senior boy place both of his hands in his front pockets.

3. One Hand in Front Pocket, One in Back

With his weight in the leg farther away from the camera, have him place the hand closer to the camera in his front pocket and the other hand in his back pocket.

4. Elbow Lean

Placing one hand in his pocket, have your senior boy lean back on a wall or fence at the elbow. Have him cross one foot in front of the other for a cool, casual look.

5. Sitting on Ground, Leaning Back Against Wall

With one knee up and the other relaxed, have your senior boy pose with his back leaned against the wall.

6. Sitting on Stairs, Legs Staggered on Two Different Steps

Using a staircase, have your senior boy sit with one leg on the step below his seat, and the second leg one step further down than that, so that his legs are staggered, with his elbows resting on his legs.

7. One Hand Grabbing Jacket

If your senior boy is wearing a jacket, hoodie, suit or sport coat, have him grab onto that layer around the same heigh as his chest, where a lapel on a suit would be.

8. One Leg Kicked Up on Wall or Fence

In this cool, casual pose, have your senior guy kick up on leg so his foot is resting against a wall or fence, and lean slightly back.

9. Arms Crossed

Whether he’s standing upright with his legs shoulder-width apart, or he’s leaning on a wall, have your senior guy cross both arms across his chest.

10. Thumbs in Back Pockets

With his legs about shoulder width apart, have your senior guy place his thumbs in his back pockets.

Need More Help With Senior Guys?!

Join us On Location for Karter’s senior session! Go behind the scenes, watch us photograph a real session guy (and girl) and get our insider play-by-plays. This is your backstage pass to get in our heads, watch us troubleshoot and learn our strategies, so you can be a better, more strategic photographer at your very next session!

The thing we hear over and over from photographers is the type of session that causes you the most anxiety is photographing a teenage boy alone. Why? They’re usually not very excited to be getting their picture taken, they’re harder to pose, and they’re usually only doing a senior session because their mom wants them to! We’re going to show you all our tricks for winning over a senior guy, creating images that he AND his mom will love, and an experience that will leave him saying “It’s over already?! That wasn’t that bad! It was actually fun!” We’ll show you how to deliver a gallery full of variety and give you the tools to no longer stress about senior boy sessions, and instead feel confident you’ll rock it!