It's senior and graduation photo season and while there are tons of fun ways to celebrate the end of your high school or college senior year, one of the most fun ones is confetti!
Confetti photos can be tons of fun, but they require a little bit of planning, a few tries and a love of floating, shiny bits! And while seniors and grads use confetti most often, family photos, couples sessions, weddings and parties are all great occasions to play with confetti!
So here are some tips on using confetti at your next photography session!
1. Buy medium sized to larger confetti that is light and floaty. You don't want to buy glitter or tiny confetti as it is harder to manager, will be harder to clean up and won't show up as well in your photos. Choose a medium sized, light confetti for blowing, and a medium or larger confetti for tossing. Either way, make sure it's light and doesn't just drop directly to the ground. A great options is a popper - this champagne bottle confetti popper one is fun and festive!
2. It will take a few tries. Bring enough confetti or confetti canons to try a couple of times. Sometimes you achieve the desired photo on the first try, but often times, you'll want to make sure you can try at least a few times, just in case. Wind and other unexpected things can affect how the confetti behaves, so have some patience and give it a couple of shots.
3. If you're blowing confetti, do a couple of different looks. Try looking up at the camera or down at your hands. If you're tossing confetti you can look at the camera or look up at the confetti as it flows down on you. Try a few different shots and pick your favorites.
4. If you're tossing confetti, sometimes it can be helpful to also have someone stand outside the frame and sprinkle more down on you. It really depends on the size of the confetti and how much it sticks to itself. But bringing a friend to help out can make it more fun and easier to achieve the look you want.
5. Bring a way to clean up. When you're done, there is a good chance that confetti will be everywhere. Bring a bag to collect it in, some tape to help gather it if you think getting it up with your hands will be difficult, or even a small, battery operated vacuum if you want to be really thorough. Another option? Consider buying biodegradable confetti option, so you don't have to worry about clean-up at all.
Other Ideas if Confetti isn't your thing!
Love the idea of something fun for your session, but don't love confetti? No problem, here are some other ideas to consider:
1. Bubbles: bring a bubble gun and celebrate with tons of bubbles.
2. Champagne or Sparkling Juice: Pop a bottle of champagne or sparkling juice and celebrate with a pop!
3. Sparklers: Light a sparkler and celebrate with fireworks!
4. Flower Petals: A more natural alternative to larger confetti, and they smell great too!
5. Balloons: Bring colorful balloons to pose with, they can even say your grad year, birthday, etc.
6. Smoke bombs: As long as they're allowed at your location these could be a colorful addition to your session!
What do you love about confetti photos? Do you prefer an alternative?