What to Wear for Senior Pictures in Indianapolis, and How to Actually Feel Like Yourself!

You booked your senior session. Now you’re staring at your closet wondering where to even start. Here’s what I tell every senior before their session:

I want you to show up feeling like yourself, not the version of what you think you should be.

Years from now, I want you to look back at these pictures and think, “That was really me, right there, at that point in my life.” Not a stiff, posed version of you. You. So before we get into outfits, shoes, and colors, let’s start from the beginning!

Start With the Vibe, Not the Clothes

Think about your favorite outfits. The ones you reach for over and over because you feel good in them. Do you want to wear one of those? Find something similar? That’s usually a better starting point than trying to build a “senior picture outfit” from scratch.

But here’s something even more important: your outfit and your location need to make sense together.

If you get dressed up in your cutest, fanciest dress, would you enjoy sitting in a pile of leaves? Probably not. If you showed up at the Indiana Statehouse on the top floor, with its beautiful architecture, gold accents, and fancy light fixtures, in your favorite hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, would that fit with what was around you? Again, probably not, and you might feel a bit underdressed.

This is why I want you to think about the vibe first. If you already have a location you love and can’t wait to take pictures there, think about what you’d feel comfortable wearing in that space. If you already know what you want to wear, think about where that outfit belongs. Is there a place around Indy that you love to visit?

I’ve photographed baseball players on their old Little League field and on their current high school field. I’ve photographed a girl who grew up riding horses at the farm where she learned. Those sessions weren’t complicated to plan because the location told us what to wear, or the outfit told us where to go. It just made sense, and I want it to make sense for you too when you start thinking about and planning your session.

A Few Real Sessions, and the Vibe Behind Each One

I could tell you “pick a look that feels like you” a hundred different ways, but it’s easier to just show you what that’s looked like for other seniors.

Clean and Simple, No Distractions

One of my favorite ways to keep it simple is a studio session. A few neutral tops and a couple of different pairs of pants, photographed in the studio with its plain white walls and minimal props. No busy backdrop, no location to plan around. If you’re someone who doesn’t want the location or the outfit to compete with your face and your personality, a studio session like this keeps it simple and is also a great way to add variety to your session. We can always start at the studio and head somewhere outside for the rest of your session.

Comfortable, Low Key, Doesn’t Try Too Hard

Not every guy wants a dressed-up, styled-out session, and that’s completely fine. It’s actually okay for you to wear something comfortable like a hoodie and jeans, or flannel over a graphic tee or sweatshirt! This is something he felt comfortable in and it fit with his surrounding perfectly! We photographed part of his session at Southeastway Park and part in the alleys around Fountain Square, so he got a mix of natural green space and some urban feel without ever feeling like he was performing a look that didn’t fit his style.

Color and Personality, Right Downtown

If you want your pictures to feel bright and a little bold, dress up or dress down! This session was photographed in downtown Noblesville with storefronts and murals. Between the Indiana-shaped mural, the flower mural, and the color of the buildings themselves, you get a backdrop with as much personality as your outfit.

Outdoorsy, But Still Put Together

She grew up riding horses, so we did her session on the farm where she learned. She wore a soft brown sweater over a blue dress with boots, comfortable enough to walk through a field and stand next to a horse she clearly trusted, but still polished enough to feel like senior pictures and not just a casual snapshot. This is a great example of what I mean about picking a meaningful location. It made the whole session feel personal instead of basic.

Bring Your Actual Self, Not a Toned-Down Version

One of my favorite examples of showing up being yourself is this senior who gave me some mid-air jumping shots on a bridge. 🤩 We photographed this session at a nature park with wooden bridges and open trails. You can find a similar look and feel to this at places like Ritchey Woods Nature Reserve in Fishers, Friendship Gardens in Plainfield, and McCloud Nature Park in North Salem. If you play an instrument, love a certain style, or have a look that’s specifically you, please feel comfortable being yourself!

Now Let’s Talk Practical Stuff

Once you’ve got a general vibe and maybe a location in mind, here’s what actually matters when you’re picking pieces off the hanger.

Bring a mix of dressy and casual. Mix it up to give your gallery variety! Try a couple different colors; bring one outfit that has more color or pattern, and one more relaxed, to give your session more range.

Comfort and fit matter more than people think. If you’re constantly adjusting something, tugging at a hem, or worried about a strap, that will show up in your face in the photos. Try everything on ahead of time and make sure you can actually walk, sit, and move in it. And yes, this includes the right bra for the outfit. It sounds small, but a strapless dress with regular bra straps, or a white top with the wrong color bra underneath, are genuinely hard things to fix after the fact.

Wear shoes you can actually walk in. We’ll be moving around, especially if we’re at a park or downtown. Save the brand new, not-broken-in heels for another day.

Muted colors and simple fabrics photograph the best. You don’t have to avoid color completely, but big busy patterns and very shiny fabrics tend to be distracting on camera. Solid colors, soft textures, and colors that feel true to you will hold up better than trends that photograph oddly.

Think about Indiana weather. If we’re shooting in the summer, bring layers you can take off between locations. In the fall, bring something warm for when the sun starts going down, since it cools off fast here once it dips below the trees.

Matching Your Vibe to an Indy Location

If you’re still not sure where to start, here’s roughly how I think about location and outfits together for sessions:

• Want something elevated and classic? Newfields gives you that garden, architecture, put-together feel, whether that’s a flowy dress in the flowers or something simple against a clean white wall. I also love how they are always updating their landscaping to the season.
• Want soft and romantic? The flower farms around town in late summer and early fall are hard to beat for that dreamy, golden look. My personal favorites are Reedy Family Farm on the southeast side of town, and Sweet Peas on the north side.
• Want color, personality, and a little edge? Downtown Noblesville, Fountain Square, or mural and graffiti spots just south of downtown all bring built-in energy and color without needing much from your outfit.
• Want natural, relaxed, outdoorsy? Parks like Southeastway, Flowing Well in Carmel, Cool Creek Nature Park, or the nature trails around McCloud and Ritchey Woods are my favorites!
• Want it simple, with zero distractions? A studio session puts all the attention on you, which is perfect if you’d rather not compete with a backdrop at all.

None of these are rules. They’re just a starting point if you’re staring at your closet with no idea where to begin.

Most of All, Just Be You

I know that’s a lot to think about. But really, the goal is just this: I want you to love what you’re wearing, love where we go, and I want the whole thing to feel like an easy, relaxed couple of hours instead of something you’re stressed about.

Years from now, when you look back at these pictures, I want you to see yourself. Not a trend, not what everyone else was doing that year. You.

If you’re ready to talk through outfits, locations, or just want some help figuring out where to start, check out my senior page here or reach out, and let’s plan your session.