Why Senior Photography?

I think people are surprised when I tell them I am going to focus my photography business on seniors.  I have gotten some strange looks.  After I clarify that it is high school seniors I will photograph, I still find myself explaining my choice.  

I have a confession.  When I was pregnant with our first child, my husband and I lived in New York City.  We would walk and pass all kinds of families with kids.  When I saw a family with an infant, a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, or a grade schooler, I could easily imagine being a parent to one of them.  When we saw a teenager, however, I got an uneasy feeling.   It is not that I was a terrible teenager although I knew some tough ones, it just seemed complicated.  My husband used to laugh when I would tell him this because it seemed ages away.  The funny thing is I have discovered that I really like teenagers!    Two of our four kids are now teenagers and I can honestly say I love seeing the individuals each one is becoming.  

When a close friend asked me to take senior portraits of her daughter, I was quick to say yes.  I had known this girl since she was a preschooler.  It was during our session that a lightbulb went off in my head.   We talked the whole time.  I enjoyed every minute of learning about her upcoming senior year, college applications, dreams and goals.   Unlike the small kids I had worked with in the past, she was happy to cooperate and we got incredibly beautiful images that captured the special person she is.  I arrived home and announced I had found my photography calling. 

It makes sense that I immediately connected with the senior session.  I remember being a high school senior and having my portraits taken.  It was an experience that stayed with me.  I recall how I felt during my senior year - like the whole world was open to me.  I did not know what I would study or what job I would have or where I would end up living or whom I would marry.  It was all a blank slate – scary in many ways but also exhilirating.  When the photographer arrived at our home, I felt special.  My parents had hired a professional photographer in the past for family portraits.  It was a completely different experience to have the photographer focus solely on me.   When I see that portrait in my parents’ living room, I remember how I felt at that moment and it is important to me.  

Now as a parent, I also know a different perspective.   Senior year brings bittersweet feelings to parents.  How proud we are of our children who are now on the brink of their own adventures but how our hearts ache.  Having a portrait to keep of your child at this special moment is important.  I think my parents enjoy seeing the senior portraits of me and my siblings every day.  

For all the reasons above, I feel certain that senior photography is where I would like to focus my efforts.  I cannot wait to meet more seniors and capture each one is a special and customized way to best reflect his or her unique personality and interests.