In honor of high school graduations and ThrowBackThursday #tbt I thought I'd share about my experience with my high school senior portraits! Hmmmm....let me think...still thinking. What experience? Oh, there wasn't an experience and there certainly weren't any choices. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time just to have my portraits done as they are done today...the way I wanted them to be, with a say about what I wanted and where I'd like to have them done. But, I can't and that was a long time ago. But, you the soon-to-be senior can - you have choices!
When it was time for my senior portrait (dare I say 37 years ago) I did wonder what to wear. You could only have 1 outfit - really you just needed to have a decent top - because there were no full lengths or 3/4 length just a plain head and shoulders. There wasn't an opportunity to be unique, creative, thoughtful...everyone was the pretty much the same. You didn't go outside, you went to the auditorium, sat on a stool and posed 6 different ways, then you were done. I don't remember but I bet it was 15 minutes and you were back in the parking lot driving home. A few weeks later your "proofs" came in the mail - pick one and that's it.
Zoom forward to today and you juniors, soon-to-be seniors have choices for your senior portraits! You don't have to settle for the auditorium! You can have a better experience than I did.
Now you can choose your location whether it be the beach, a field of wildflowers, a park. You can have more than one outfit. You can have more than 15 minutes. Do you like fashion? (I sure do!) Then, let's see your style!
Accessorize with scarfs & cute hats. Do you love cowboy boots? Me too! In fact, I might even let you borrow mine if you have the right size foot! Give some thought about what you want your senior portraits to say about you. You have a choice now, remember?
That's what Kendra did! In fact, a big Texas shout-out to Kendra who graduated last weekend from St. Andrews School in Austin, TX. She had a great portrait session. We split it up during the day so we could take advantage of the light in a few different places. She got up early, real early and yep, 7 a.m. we were at the beach (one of my favorite beaches with beautiful morning light) because the light was just right and it wasn't too hot. (I know it's tough to get up early when your seventeen but it'll be so worth it - it's just one morning!) She brought hats, scarfs, a couple of dresses and since she was from Texas she needed cowboy boots and I just happened to have the perfect pair. :-)
Then, we met again in the early evening as the light in the field of flowers was perfect. I didn't get that opportunity when I had my senior portraits taken. No clothing changes, no outdoors and remember only 15 minutes!
Kendra decided what she wanted to wear (with a little help from her Mom and me) and we chatted about where she wanted to go. I knew I wanted to use the beach with the beautiful early morning light and she was a willing trooper to be there on time. We had alot of fun together and she was so excited to see her images! Congratulations, Kendra, on your graduation! And, a big thank you for a great session.
So, when you look back 37 years from now, what do you think you'll remember about your senior portrait experience? Well, I hope you won't think like I did, "What experience? I didn't even really like my senior portraits!" It is my hope that you'll remember how beautiful you felt, how excited you were to be photographed and how much fun you had as you enjoyed the experience of starting your senior year off with portraits just the way you want them.
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