What to Wear for Girls Senior Photos in Harrisburg, PA

06.20.25

For a lot of girls, planning outfits is one of the most fun parts of getting ready for their senior photos. Whether you’re going shopping for something new or pulling out the best of what your closet has to offer, I meet with each of my clients in advance to plan your wardrobe and all the other exciting details of your one-of-a-kind photo shoot. But if you want to start exploring some ideas, here are some tips for what to wear for girls senior photos in Harrisburg, PA.

A Central Dauphin high school senior sits in a beautiful field of tulips at her Harrisburg PA senior photo session with Karissa Zimmer Photography.

Have Casual and Formal Outfits

You’ll use your senior photos for a lot of different purposes, from social media to your senior yearbook, so you want to have enough looks to suit all those purposes. That starts with having a casual outfit or two and a more formal outfit too. Some popular favorites for casual outfits are:

A flowy boho dress
Jeans with a simple yet stylish top
A cute romper

On the flip side, your more formal outfit could include:

A sophisticated dress
Dress slacks with a classy top

Of course, it all needs to match the venues where your photos are taken, so don’t worry, we’ll talk through all of the styling in your consultation.

High school senior flower field photo shoot near Harrisburg PA

Dress for the Season in Your Girls Senior Photos in Harrisburg, PA

Senior photos are usually taken in the spring or summer before senior year or in the early fall, and the season you choose should match your outfit choices. For spring or summer, choose light and airy looks and colors, such as:

A sundress
Light warm-weather colors like white, blush pink, mint green, or vibrant yellow
Light fabrics

For fall, you can go with a more rustic or cozy look with deeper colors. For example:

Jeans and a sweater
Earth tones like shades of brown, army green, or rust orange
A sweater dress

Keep It Simple

These are your senior photos and we don’t want your clothes to take all the attention! Opt for solid colors, or patterns that are very simple and not too busy or attention-grabbing. When in doubt, it’s better to err on the side of simpler clothes because you can add accessories if you want more detail - it’s a lot harder to make a busy top look quieter than to dress up a simple top.

Poses for High school senior girl flower field photography.

Remember: Choose Outfits That Fit Your Style and Personality

All of my advice above is generalized for a broad audience, and while it can be helpful, take it as suggestions rather than rules. Ultimately, your senior photo shoot is all about highlighting and memorializing who you are at this special crossroads in your life, so your outfits should be authentic to you.

Best High School senior photographer near Harrisburg PA photographs senior girl flower field session.

Planning Your Girls Senior Photos in Harrisburg, PA

Now that the ideas are flowing, let’s start planning your photo shoot! Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography and we’ll get started.

Central Dauphin High School Senior photos with Karissa Zimmer Photography

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When Should You Book a Harrisburg PA Senior Photographer?

06.05.25

It’s officially the season for senior photos! As not only a senior portrait photographer but also a mom of an incoming senior, I know how incredibly special these photo shoots are for teenagers as well as their families. After all, your child is about to become an adult, and this is one of the last milestones before they go into the world to start building their career, pursuing a degree, or whatever life has in store for them. But when should you start the process by booking your Harrisburg PA senior photographer?

Best High School senior photographer near Harrisburg PA

When to Book Your Harrisburg PA Senior Photographer

The ultimate rule of thumb is that booking earlier is better. Most senior portraits are taken either in the summer before senior year or in the early fall of senior year. For any type of photo shoot, you want to aim for booking two or three months in advance. So if you want a September photo shoot, you want to choose your photographer and book them in June or July. For senior portraits, though, booking even a bit earlier can be helpful.

Harrisburg PA High School senior poses for her senior photos near Harrisburg PA High School senior girl photos with Karissa Zimmer Photography

Why Booking Early is Especially Important for Senior Portraits

Planning ahead is smart for any photo session, but the senior portraits featured in this blog show one of the reasons it’s especially helpful to book early for senior photos. I actually met this lovely young lady last August, and she mentioned that her dream photo shoot was in a field of tulips. Tulips look phenomenal in the spring, and because we started planning her session early, we were able to find an amazing tulip field and get her booked when the tulips would be at their best.

Planning for a specialized senior photo idea is just one example of how booking early allows you to have more options and flexibility. This is especially the case with senior photos, since most seniors book their photo shoots within the same few months of the year (as opposed to, say, family photo shoots which happen all year round). Photographers might have busy schedules during those months, so when you book early, it allows you to lock in a perfect date that works around your vacations, sports schedules, and so on.

It’s not too early to get your senior photo shoot on the books! Reach out and let’s start planning.

Senior girl poses by a flowering tree for her outdoor photos Best senior pictures by Karissa Zimmer Photography

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Harrisburg Senior Photos: What to Wear

11.06.23

Senior photos are a rite of passage that so many emerging young adults look forward to, and you want your photos to be as beautiful as you are! One important factor to plan for is your wardrobe. What should you wear for your Harrisburg senior photos? I’ll chat with you about specifics during your pre-consultation, but in the meantime, check out these tips.

Best Harrisburg Senior Photographer — Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Photos

Bring Variety

All my senior photo sessions include multiple outfit changes, and you want your outfits to be different enough to capture all the looks you want. Consider bringing one casual outfit, one outfit that’s more formal, and one that reflects your personality or hobbies like your jersey for a sport you play, an outfit with a rocker aesthetic, or your culture’s traditional dress. It’s a good idea to have a few extra outfits too in case you change your mind or have a last-minute stain or broken zipper.

Boxing Senior Pictures in Harrisburg — Boxing Senior Pictures

Boxing Senior Photos near Harrisburg PA — Senior Boy Boxing Photos

Don’t Forget the Details

When planning your outfits, the clothes are just the starting point. Plan which accessories, shoes, and jewelry you plan to wear with each outfit too and try it all on together. This way, you can make sure it looks the way you want and that you have everything you need.

Senior Boy Photos by Karissa Zimmer Photography — Harrisburg Pa High School Senior Photography

Have Layering Options for Your Harrisburg Senior Photos

Layers are magic in a photo session! They give you more visual variety without a full outfit change and they add some depth and texture to your photos. Bring a denim jacket to go over your dress or a flannel shirt to layer onto a t-shirt and jeans.

Senior Pictures in Downtown Harrisburg PA by Karissa Zimmer

Avoid Going Overboard with Patterns

A good rule of thumb for photo shoots is to choose solid colors rather than complex patterns. Avoid anything with words or with a prominent logo too. The exceptions may be outfits that signify a particular hobby or interest you have.

Senior Boy Photo Session on City Island Walking Bridge — City Island Walking Bridge Senior Portraits

City Island Senior Boy Photos — City Island Walking Bridge Senior Portraits

Planning Your Harrisburg Senior Photos

Ready to start planning your once-in-a-lifetime senior photo session? Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography today!

Parking Garage Black and White Senior Photo Session

Best high school senior photographer in Central PA

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Preparing for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits: Top Tips

03.31.23

So many of the photo sessions I perform are centered on a specific moment in my clients’ lives, and creating lasting mementos of this moment that they can cherish in the decades to come. That’s certainly the case with downtown Harrisburg high school senior portraits. Your child (or young adult) is about to launch a new life for themselves, and I’m here to make sure these portraits are the exciting milestone celebration they should be.

Want to make sure your teen’s senior portraits go as well as possible? Follow these tips as you’re planning and preparing.

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Be Strategic with Outfits for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits

Clearly, the outfits your teen chooses will make a great difference in the final look of their portraits, so it’s important to choose outfits wisely. It can be difficult to know what will and won’t photograph well. While planning your session, I’ll chat with you about my recommendations based on your teen and the look we’re aiming for, but here are a few other tips to keep in mind:

Choose solid colors or simple patterns over busy distracting patterns - we don’t want a shirt to steal the spotlight from your teen! The same goes for your jewelry: simpler is better.
Select outfits that are comfortable so your teen feels confident for their photo shoot.
Make sure the wardrobe feels authentic to your teen and their style.

When in doubt about an outfit, bring it! I can check out the outfits you’ve brought and give you my expertise on which ones will photograph best.

Leave Some Safety Time for New Looks

You don’t want to do anything *too* new on the photo shoot day. A fresh haircut is great, but make sure you schedule it for at least a week before your teen’s photo session. That gives it time to even out a bit if necessary and time for them to get used to styling it (or to fix it if they don’t like it). If your teen wants to try a new hairstyle or makeup look for their portraits, practice a few times at home first.

Work with Your Photographer on Props for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits

During your teen’s high school senior portraits, props are a fantastic way to highlight who they are at this fun stage in their life. I’m always up for incorporating props like their sports jerseys, musical instruments they play, and props that align with their other hobbies and interests. We may even be able to take portraits with your teen’s beloved car or bike!

With props, though, you don’t want to bring any surprises to the photo shoot. Chat with me in advance about what props you want to bring so I can strategize the best ways to incorporate them.

Make Skincare a Priority

It’s so easy to fall out of your skincare routine, but your teen should make it a priority to maintain theirs in the weeks before their senior portraits. If your teen wants a facial, talk to your aesthetician in advance about when to schedule it based on their photo session, because some facials can cause irritation for a day or two.

With that said, don’t worry if your teen has some pimples during their photo shoot. Editing software is our friend!

The Ultimate Advice for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits: Use Your Photographer’s Expertise

All the tips above are helpful but here’s the end-all-be-all: take advantage of your photographer’s expertise. I’ve been taking senior photos for many years and have first-hand experience with what works well and what doesn’t. When you hire me, you’re not just paying for my camera and my photography skills, you’re paying for my expertise. So, if you have a question, just ask!

Ready to start planning the outstanding downtown Harrisburg high school senior portraits your teen deserves? Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography today.

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High School Senior Pictures near Hummelstown Pa | Emma’s Senior Photo Session

03.06.20

High School Senior Pictures near Hummelstown Pa | Emma’s Senior Photo Session – Part TWO

High School Senior Pictures near Hummelstown Pa | Emma’s Senior Photo Session – Part TWO. Emma’s senior pictures were EPIC. Emma has one very ambitious dad. Because, how many parents do you know that would haul their child’s piano to a field for a photo session? He was determined to have his daughter’s number one passion captured exactly how she envisioned it. Together, we came up with a plan to carry out this vision to showcase Emma as the musician she is! AND yes, this took some very careful planning. Summer evening thunder stroms were our biggest obstacle and enemy during this part of Emma’s session. And it sure did involve some scheduling, re-scheduling and sitting in our cars to wait out the storms. BUT determination and persistence won and Emma has some of the most gorgeous senior picture memories – I must say so myself!

high senior girl photographed in field with piano in hummelstown pa

high school girl plays the piano in her harrisburg pa senior photos

Not only is Emma a pianist, but she also sings! Again, we were total obstacle dodgers and improvisors. We had a plan to capture her love for singing in her church choir, but our plan didn’t go as planned. And I couldn’t be happier because we ended up with some of my favorite shots from my backup plan! How awesome are these shots?

high senior girl photographed with sheet music in hummelstown pa

It’s my passion to capture your passions. It’s makes my heart so full and happy to be able to connect with my senior portrait clients and to showcase their individual personalities. I believe you should feel beautiful inside and out and your senior pictures should reflect that.

senior photos of girl in a field near harrisburg pa

senior girl photographed in flowers near harrisburg pa

2021 Seniors – Start planning your session now.

Are you going to be a 2021 senior next year? Now is the time to start thinking about your senior pictures! I’d love to connect with you. I want to learn all about you and your passions so that I can capture images that will mean something to you forever. We’ll carefully plan to capture your vision and i’ll share my own thought and ideas with you! Let’s chat about making some magic with your senior photos and reserve a date just for you. To get started, send me a quick message HERE.

Connect with me on INSTAGRAM to catch more senior picture peeks and other fun images!

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Senior Photos near Harrisburg PA | Emma’s Senior Pictures

02.07.20

Senior Photos near Harrisburg PA | Emma’s Senior Pictures – Part One

Senior Photos near Harrisburg PA | Emma’s Senior Pictures – Part One! Hey high school juniors! It’s that time of year to start thinking about booking your senior pictures! I believe your senior photos should make YOU FEEL beautiful inside and out. And that is my goal and I am confident that we can achieve that together. Just take a look at this beautiful 2020 high school senior, Emma!

This girl is absolutely gorgeous on the inside and out. And she’s talented, incredibly smart and so sweet. I felt like Emma and I connected right away. Instantly I knew her session was going to be one of a kind and her senior pictures were going to be seriously AWESOME.

high school senior girl photographed in field of flowers near hershey pa

I’m pretty sure Emma, her parents and I got to know each other pretty well through her senior portrait process. We very carefully planned out her session together, so that Emma’s personality would shine through her images. We dodged a lot of summer thunder stroms, had to postpone a few times because of unpredictable weather, but we finally made magic happen!

lower dauphin high school senior pictures in Hummelstown square

Emma and I spent an afternoon and evening together. We had lots of laughs and picked all the greatest spots we could find for her senior pictures in Harrisburg, Hershey and Hummelstown. But this is only part ONE! Just wait till you see Emma’s senior pictures part TWO! This girl has got some musical talents and passions and there was no way we could leave that out. That is who she is! I genuinely believe your senior pictures should illustrate exactly who you are at this time in your life. Life offers so much growth and change, but the memories of who you are right now are something you will want to remember forever.

lower dauphin high school senior photos in downtown hummelstown

high school senior photographed by karissa zimmer photography near harrisburg pa

Let’s plan your 2021 high school senior session!

Emm’a senior pictures are beautiful in all the ways. Yours should be too! I will help you with that, I promise! It may seem early to start planning, but it’s not! I want to get to know you, all about your passions and interests. What makes you light up and get excited. And that’s what we’ll plan your senior session around! I am starting to book summer senior sessions for 2021 high school seniors now! Let’s chat. Send me a quick message HERE to talk about planning and reserve a date for your senior portraits!

Want to see more senior images and other fun sessions? – connect with me on INSTAGRAM

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Olivia {Central PA High School Senior Photography}

09.01.16

I love spending summer evenings with high school seniors! This beautiful girl is a high school senior at Cumberland Valley High School this year. She's totally on top of things and already has her college plans all set and in place. It was a pleasure to work with you, Olivia! :)

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Taylor is a SENIOR! :) {Mechanicsburg PA High School Senior Photographer}

06.21.16

This beautiful (senior!) girl is Taylor. I first met Taylor when I photographed her for the cover of Central Penn Parent magazine when she was in middle school. I've been blessed to work with her and her super fun family every year since her cover shoot! It's hard for me to believe she's going to be a senior already. Taylor is truly a one-of-a-kind girl who is beautiful on the inside and out! She's one of the sweetest teens I've ever met and had the pleasure of working with!