Senior Portrait Locations and Clothing: How Olive Juice Studios Makes Every Session Uniquely Yours
NOTE: This is a companion post to our Senior Portrait Guide.
People always want to know: Where should we go for senior portraits? At Olive Juice Studios, we don’t have a list of locations we cycle through. We have a process for finding the right location for the right person, and it starts long before the shoot. The same is true for clothing. There’s no dress code. There’s just a conversation, a few photos texted from a bedroom floor, and 25 years of knowing how to put the two together.
This post walks you through exactly how we approach locations and wardrobe at Olive Juice Studios and what that looks like in practice, through the real stories of seniors we’ve photographed.
How Does Olive Juice Studios Choose Senior Portrait Locations in Rochester MN?
The location of a senior portrait session should come from the senior, not from a photographer’s shortlist. At Olive Juice Studios, we choose locations based on four things: where your teen spends their free time, what they want to remember about this chapter of their life, what makes them genuinely happy, and — once we know the outfits — what’s going to look great with the colors and styles they’ve chosen. That last part surprises most families. The location and the wardrobe inform each other. Sometimes we don’t finalize a location until we see what your teen is planning to wear. That’s not backwards. That’s how you get portraits that look like they belong in a magazine.
What If My Senior Loves a Place That’s Hours Away?
If your teen has a place that matters — a trail they run, a farm they grew up visiting, a neighborhood they’ve claimed as their own — tell us. We’ll find a way to photograph it, or find something nearby that captures the same spirit.
Sam worked as a camp counselor every summer and loved it. His happy place was the camp, but it was five hours away. So, Scott found camp-like settings in and around Rochester. Sam chose outfits to match the theme (plaid flannel, blue denim). The front of his graduation card shows him sitting in front of a wood, cabin-like building. The back shows him rowing a boat on a quiet creek. The camp was never in the photos. The feeling of the camp was in every single one.
What If My Senior Wants Something Unexpected?
The best locations aren’t always the obvious ones.
Natalie was a competitive swimmer and wanted to document that in her portraits. A pool felt too obvious, so we took her to Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester and photographed her floating on an inflatable pineapple in its shallow reflection pond.
What If My Senior Just Wants a Nice Backyard Session?
We’ve done some of our best work in a backyard. If home is where your teenager is most relaxed and most themselves, that’s a completely legitimate location. In fact, it often produces portraits with more genuine expression than a curated public spot. A backyard gives us full control over timing and crowds. It’s also a space your family loves.
What If My Senior Doesn’t Have a Location in Mind At All?
Some seniors don’t have hobbies they want photographed or places they feel attached to. They just want to look great. That’s a completely valid starting point. When your teen doesn’t have a location preference, we work backwards from the wardrobe. Send us photos of the outfits first, and we’ll find the locations that make them sing.
Ellie bought a red ruffle top and Scott found an outdoor mural in Rochester that matched it perfectly. To get her to exactly the right spot on the mural, Scott had Ellie sit on a stool on the roof of our car. She giggled, tossed her hair, and that was the shot. You’d never know she was eight feet off the ground.
What Should My Senior Wear for Their Portrait Session?
Clothing can be as formal or as casual as your teen wants. There is no dress code. What we care about is variety, color, and that the outfits actually reflect who they are right now. We’re not worried about photos looking dated or following rules of tradition. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry. We’ll brainstorm ideas during your consultation and tell you where other seniors have found great options. We’ll even send you links to specific outfits we’ve spotted online. This is part of the process, not an imposition.
Shortly before the portrait session, we’ll ask you or your senior to text us photos of outfit options (laid flat on a bed or sofa, no need to model them). Once we see the colors, textures, and style, we’ll give more specific feedback and confirm that the locations we’ve identified are the right match.
When we give clothing feedback, it is usually related to color repetition across outfits. If two outfits share the same dominant color (ex: white or black), we’ll ask your teen to swap one for something different. The goal is for each outfit to create a distinct look, not a variation on the same palette.
Do You Have Any Rules About Colors or Patterns?
We love bold colors, and we love mixing and matching patterns. Unlike the conventional advice to keep everything neutral and coordinated, we actively encourage seniors to bring outfits that pop with energy and joy. When choosing colors, think about three things. First: What colors complement your senior’s eyes and skin tone? Second: What colors do you decorate with at home? If you’re planning to hang a portrait on your wall — and you should be — choose colors that work in your space. Third: What colors does your senior want in his/her graduation cards? When we design graduation announcements and invitations, we use the colors in your teen’s clothing to choose font and envelope colors. If your teen has a specific color they love and want to carry through (ex: high school colors, college colors), make sure those colors are represented in their clothing choices.
How Many Outfits Should My Senior Bring?
Plan for three outfits in a two-hour session. That’s the sweet spot — enough variety to give you genuinely different looks without rushing any single setup. Here’s a typical mix:
Girls: one dress, one pant or shorts outfit, and one “fun” outfit that represents a sport, hobby, or collection
Boys: one suit or button-down shirt with pants, one pullover top and shorts, and one “fun” outfit that represents a sport, hobby, or collection
We limit the number of dresses because we want your senior to have a variety of poses and silhouettes (standing, seated, movement, sport) to choose from.
If you can’t decide between a rounded neckline or collared shirt, choose the collared shirt. Collars frame the face in a way that crew-neck t-shirts and athletic shirts don’t. The difference in the photos is significant.
The “fun” outfit is optional, but it’s often where the most memorable shots come from. If your teenager has a jersey, letterman’s jacket, gi, dance costume, or any gear that represents something they’ve worked hard at, bring it.
Once the outfits are locked, think about other finishing details like hairstyle, jewelry, hats, and props (ex: skis, balls, rackets, floaties). These things add even more texture and personality to a photo.
What About Shoes?
Shoes don’t matter unless footwear is part of your teen’s signature look (ex: sneaker collection, cowboy boots, dance shoes). If a senior shows up with dirty, sloppy slides, we’ll crop their feet out of the photo.
How Do We Get Started?
The process starts with a conversation — a free consultation where we talk through who your senior is, what matters to them, and what you both want to walk away with. From there, we handle the location scouting, wardrobe feedback, and all the logistics.
Call Scott to book your consultation. Summer sessions fill early, and the best dates go first.