Aviation Senior Pictures | Senior Picture Ideas for Guys | Dean
High school, check! Next stop: becoming a pilot. Dean’s aviation senior pictures were the perfect set up for this Southern California high school senior.
Not only did I get to work with a family I already knew and loved, but this session included Laguna Beach and access to the John Wayne Airport tarmac with airplanes taking off right next to us. Truly one of the most unique senior sessions I’ve photographed to date.
I first met Dean’s family two years ago when I photographed his older sister Charlize’s senior portraits before she headed off to Indiana University (where she’s now about to be an upperclassman!). I had such a great experience working with Charlize and their mom, Jodi, so I was thrilled to see Dean’s senior application come through.
We started in Laguna Beach, which was a must for this born-and-raised Southern California kid. We got the classic beach senior pictures his gallery needed, and he killed it in front of the camera.
And then came location number two: John Wayne Airport.
More specifically, access onto the airport tarmac through Pacific Flight Aviation, the flight school that helped make this happen.
We went through airport security and everything, and the second we drove through the gates and onto the tarmac, Dean was completely WOWed.
“Mom, I knew you set up a flight lesson but I didn’t know you set up THIS?!”
Immediately, he was pulling out his phone filming planes, taking photos, and fully soaking in the experience. It was so awesome to see him enjoy the experience and get so excited about something he's clearly so passionate about. Dean is heading to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, so it’s more than just a hobby — it’s also his future!
One of my favorite things about Dean’s aviation senior pictures was how cohesive everything felt without us even trying that hard.
Dean wore a blue t-shirt, a blue patterned button-down, and a blue suit, which just so happened to pair perfectly with the blue airplane we were photographing alongside. Add in the blue skies and giant puffy clouds that morning and the whole gallery immediately had this clean, crisp color palette that made everything pop — especially Dean’s eyes.
Being on the tarmac was fascinating! I never realized how constant airport operations are until this session. Planes were landing and taking off nonstop. Dean and I both kept finding ourselves pausing mid-shoot to just gawk at them before jumping back in.
One thing I think people underestimate about senior picture ideas for guys is how much the experience itself matters.
Guys sometimes come into sessions unsure about what to expect, especially in public places like the beach. But Dean had modeling experience as a kid, and you could tell immediately that he understood the process.
He knew how to hold poses just long enough, relax into movement naturally, and even pointed out little tendencies in his smile that he wanted me to watch for. Not his first rodeo! That level of awareness makes such a difference.
As a photographer, while I never expect a client to come in with any sort of experience in front of a camera, the best results happen when the client lets themselves fully lean into the experience — trusting the photographer, understanding that the best results come when you’re relaxed, etc — instead of overthinking every photo while it’s happening.
One of my favorite poses from Dean’s aviation senior pictures was what I typically refer to as “the bodyguard pose.”
Because without fail, one of the first questions I get from guy seniors is: “What do I do with my hands?”
For this setup, I had Dean lean against the airplane with one leg crossed over the other and a slight bend in the knee. We intentionally had him look off to the side while timing the shot with a plane taking off in the background — it lined up perfectly.
A few seconds later, I shifted my angle and had him rotate so his shoulder rested against the plane with his face parallel to it. That way, I could get more of a close-up shot. I love how the shadows came through in this photo — dramatic lighting makes for striking headshots!
What made Dean’s session stand out wasn’t just the airplanes or the access to the airport (although obviously very cool). It was how personal everything felt.
The beach location nodding to where he grew up. The aviation setting pointing toward where he’s headed next. The excitement he had the entire time we were there.
That’s always the sweet spot for senior photos. Not just taking nice pictures, but creating a gallery that genuinely feels connected to this exact chapter of someone’s life.
