What I've Figured Out

Senior portraits can be way more than a tux and a velvet drape. Over the last few years I've figured out how to get high school seniors to let their guard down and show me who they really are.

There is usually a point during the photo session where it happens, about 20 minutes in, that they stop worrying about what to do or how they look, and just start showing themselves to me. Their true self. Their inner self.

They completely trust that they won't look foolish and realize that the session is going to be fun. At that point everything starts flowing easily. There is much laughter and the session flies by. It doesn't matter if it's a senior girl or a boy, because deep down they are all the same. At that age (and any age, really) they all want to fit in. They want to be accepted. They want to be heard and seen.

Everyone is unique and that should be celebrated. That should be documented. The seniors realize that however they look that day and whatever they are wearing, is the right thing because it's them and there is no wrong. The most important thing is that they feel confident and secure, even if it's just for an afternoon. Everyone deserves that.