By Stefanie Garcia

There is something very cool about sitting on the edge of the rest of your life. As seniors in high school there is this pull of trying to figure out who you are and who you wanted to be in this world and that slate being completely blank. Yes, it is scary, but it is also very exciting too.

What better way to express yourself then with your senior portraits. It can be an expression of who you are right now in your life and a glimpse of who you want to become. Over the past 10 plus years, we have worked with so many individuals as they get ready to embark on their new journey and the number one question we get is "What do I wear?"

I am gonna tell you the piece of advice I tell them all. It does not matter whether your clothes have strips or not, or what color they are. It matters more that your clothes match your personality and style. The person you are right now. So if you love hats, bring hats. If you love bright colors, make sure most of your clothes have bright colors. If you are a little bit funky, work with that. If you love prints, bring it. A photographer can always tell you what will look best on camera after they see what you have, but first you have to come as you are. They should work with that.

Now, that being said, how do you find your personality in your wardrobe? Well, here are two tips I have to give.

First, Identify your personal style-Take a look in your closet and take an inventory of what you have. What are your favorite items? Pull out those items and lay them out. Take a look at these items, do you see a pattern forming, do your favorite pieces look the same or similar. What you have laying before you is a glimpse into your personal style. The items should also make you feel confident, attractive, fit well, and feel good to wear. If they don't, pitch them. Any items that don't fit well or don't make you feel good won't bring out your best self in a photo. You should feel the most you in them and you should feel the most you in them comfortably. Meaning, you shouldn't have to adjust your self in your clothes or mess with straps that keep falling down. In any photo shoot it will take your focus away from what you are trying to do and will get annoying for you in the long run as well.

Second, Add some accent pieces- The clothes you pulled out, that reflect you the most, are the items you should consider for your photo shoot. Now it is time to add some things that take it over the top. Here is where you can add more pieces of your personality, or for this photo shoot, try something you wouldn't normally do. Some examples of things to bring are pieces of jewelery, a really cute scarf or even a hat.

I hope these two tips help you prepare for your photo shoot. If anything, I hope they help you to find your personal style. We love photographing people because no two people are alike. The possibilities are endless when it comes to where you can take a photo shoot. See your photos as more than just pictures. Because they are.

Stefanie Garcia is a photographer with her sister Carina. They have a photography studio called Ania Photo and you can visit their site at aniaphoto.com