Senior Portraits: Trendy or Timeless?

Senior portrait photography is undergoing some interesting shifts away from traditional portraiture in favor of the more trendy, fashion style photography. Some of the interest in the trendier fashion and glamour photography is geographically based (i.e. California, New York, etc.). Nevertheless, simply turn on any television set or pick up any fashion magazine, and it’s apparent that models, musicians and film stars are getting younger all the time. We seem to have gone from teenage pop stars to tweens almost overnight. It’s not difficult, then, to understand why teenagers, particularly girls, are increasingly more concerned about their self-image. They see these young stars looking glamorous and sexy and, of course, want to emulate them. This is certainly not breaking news. Parents, in particular, are keenly aware of and understandably concerned about this growing trend.

What is new, however, is the fact that the sexy, supermodel style of photography is now spilling over into high school senior photography. As a professional photographer, I’ve heard plenty of stories from concerned and upset parents that their child’s portraits are just too sexy for their comfort. In fact, one parent recently told me that they had a very difficult time choosing photographs created by one of the trendy studios in our area because they were all too sexy. They deeply regretted choosing that studio. Even more disturbing is the fact that trendy studios tend to avoid working with subjects who are less than perfect. Take a look at the websites of these studios and you will see that the featured subjects are nearly always thin, attractive girls who require very little effort to make them look glamorous. Few people fall into that category, so what are the rest of us supposed to do?

If the overly sexual photographs of teens are not enough to give you pause, consider that trends by nature are short lived. Driven by fluctuations in consumer taste, trends fade away almost as quickly as they surface. That’s fine if you are talking about a pair of jeans or shoes or even a sofa. You simply throw out the old and usher in the new. But, what if that old, trendy item is YOUR senior portrait? You cannot simply throw it out and replace it with something new. You are a high school senior only once (hopefully, anyway). You simply cannot go back and recapture the “you” that existed in your senior year of high school. Senior portraits are the last glimpse of a child before they dive headlong into the adult world. These expressions, moods and memories are very important because they not only help us to recall our youth, but they serve as a lasting timepiece for our friends. Seniors will always be remembered just as they are depicted in their portraits.

So, if you opted to have your senior portraits created by a trendy studio, you may later (in your 30’s and 40’s) regret that decision. What’s more, the trendy studios are statistically the first ones to go out of business when their trendy style is no longer appreciated. Although this isn’t likely to be of concern to teens, parents may worry that they won’t be able to get a consistent look for all of their children. For example, one of the more prominent studios in our area recently closed. Many of their clients are now our clients. We’ve had several parents bring in portraits of their older children and ask us to create similar portraits of their younger children. We are able to accommodate these parents because we create timeless portraits that are of similar style and quality.

By contrast to trendy studios, we chose to create only heirloom quality portraits in the modern classic style. Our portraits are timeless and will retain their beauty and appeal for many generations to follow. Classic styles never fade. In fact, they tend to become more and more popular with each generation. Of course, we will create some fashion or glamour shots upon request. However, our primary focus is on creating portraits that our clients will love now and always. And, we make sure that all of our subjects look their absolute best.

Senior portraits are, in essence, a right a passage. They mark the ending of childhood and the beginning of life as an adult. Such an important life event should be treated with respect and care. We encourage parents to keep this important fact in mind when selecting a photographer to create senior portraits for their children. For teens, we remind them that although the sexy glamour shots may seem cool now, they are more likely to become an embarrassing reminder of a bad decision later down the road. Even more important, we ask teens how they wish to be remembered – as they truly are or made up to look like something they aren’t.