Senior Photos Don't Need To Be Cheesy
Why stick with traditional Senior portraits?
Senior photos. I remember the days when everyone passed around their wallet-sized prints and wrote a note on the back for each of their classmates.
I also remember at least half of the images were taken by a "quantity over quality" type studio, where they put the Senior in the same sitting position that they have for the last 340/340 Seniors. Each portrait is the same type of shot, the same tilt of the head, and about 20 variations of the same pose.
Now stop. If you're a photographer reading this, you're already frustrated, and if you're a Senior or the parent of a Senior, please pause and answer this question... Why in the world would you like to remember your/your child's last year of high school- this huge milestone of your/their lives- by these cheesy portraits that look like everyone else?
As an artist, I get bored of the same old work, whether I am the one creating the work or watching others create the same old work, I just get plain tired. And so I'm tired of Senior Portraits for what the majority of people find them to be, just another checkmark on their list before graduation; I'm tired of the redundancy and the traditional posing, lighting, the godforsaken same backgrounds that just are not natural in any world (please search "cheesy photo backdrops" for plenty of examples), and for the lack of better words- I'm tired of the lameness and the artificial, insincere personalities that Seniors are offered in these "quantity over quality" studios. Senior portraits are about YOU, the Senior, and should be personalized to your style and your interests.
Senior photos don't need to be cheesy. Senior photos should be a memorable experience and a fun way to show and record for your children, your children's children, and even for you to remember who you are here and now.
And for the record, I believe in the "QUALITY over quantity" argument of photography.
Behind the scenes
Live by faith & share through fotos.
West Holmes Lady Knights Tennis Team
Promotional poster and portraits shot for the West Holmes Lady Knights Tennis Team for their Fall 2015 season.
I remember the sports team posters hanging up all over the small towns around my high school, years ago. In pizza shops, in grocery stores, around the classrooms as soon as school started up again in the fall. As small of a town that I come from, it was neat to see such intense portraits of the team members, it was almost like you were looking at a celebrity, even though chances were that you knew them and their entire family. Oddly enough, it's been a secret dream of mine to make one of these posters for a sports team. Maybe it's my love for Nike catalogs or dramatic lighting, but I'm a sucker for the emotion that goes along with it. I was lucky enough to have been approached by the West Holmes High School Lady Knights Tennis Team to put together such a poster. The only 'restrictions' were to use the title "You've Met Your Match" and that I had one day to plan the shoot. Little to no time at all to get everything together, I love the look of these portraits, both individual and team shot. The awesome (and very sweet) ladies a part of the Varsity tennis team and this shoot include Sabryn Cutlip, Maty Macaulay (senior), Erin Stitzlein, Cassidy Mohler (senior), Kate Rodhe, Samara Gallion, Elise Knebusch (senior), and Natalie Molnar (senior). Thank you all for letting me be a part of this shoot!
Below is the final poster I put together for the West Holmes Tennis Team that includes their season schedule and sponsors.
Live by faith & share through fotos.
My Sister the Senior
Lydia is graduating!?
Have you ever had a photo assignment that you thought “piece of cake!” when the talk about it came up? And when you least expected it, it became the most challenging shoot to date?
I never thought I would be the emotional type when it came to my siblings growing up. But several months ago, my ‘little’ sister asked if I could do her senior photos. Lydia and I have gotten closer since I’ve moved away from home for school (which is ironic to me, because we’ve shared a bedroom for almost 18 years). But I think photographing the things and people you are closest to can typically become your toughest challenges. To ‘remove’ yourself from the moment, while being a part of that moment is, in my opinion, is a challenge of every photographer.
Every day is a learning experience, whether you're a photographer, cashier, unemployed, college student, or a 99 year old grandma. But for Miss West Holmes Senior, Lydia Marie Schonauer, it’s just beginning.
Live by faith & share through fotos.