Andrae Michaels Portrait Studio Blog: Who’s That Senior Portrait Really For?

It’s that time of year: time to consider what will be done for senior portraits. But the question that gets asked, year after year, is, “What’s the big deal about senior portraits?” This question can be asked by parent or student, but the answer is still the same: a senior portrait will preserve and immortalize one of the most significant transitions in a young person’s life. Marking this occasion with a stylish and personal portrait will hold incredible significance and sentimentality for all involved, whether you know it at that time or not.

Senior portraits by Andrae Michaels.

Importance for the Student

It might go without saying, but the senior portrait is an essential part of the high school experience. Many students spend months, or even years, planning the shots they want. In their eyes, the senior portrait is more than just another picture to put in the yearbook. It’s more than something to add to the Christmas cards and graduation announcements. It’s their chance be in the spotlight. Even if it’s only in their heads, they get fame and notoriety thanks to that stylish full-color photo.

This is their chance to shine. They get to use props and wardrobe changes to highlight their personality. This picture is all about them. For the rest of their lives they will look back with fondness at the memories encapsulated within that one little picture. They will see the ambition and potential in their eyes. Their minds will be drawn back to everything they loved and hoped to achieve in the following years. In a way, a senior portrait is like a time capsule, holding the hopes and dreams of an ambitious student. In years to come, your child can look back at that picture and be reminded of a time when the world held nothing but amazing possibilities.

Importance for the Parent

As parents, we tend to minimize the things that our kids deem important. After all, with all of the pressures and commitments we have in life, it’s understandable how we can look at something like senior portraits and see only another expense. But, whether you know it or not, that little picture is something that you will cherish for many years to come.

A senior portrait symbolizes an important time in your child’s life. It’s a time when your little baby will be getting ready to leave home, to venture out into the world, alone. But it’s also a pivotal moment for you as a parent. This is the time when you have to come to grips with the fact that your child no longer needs you. Although this is a good thing, it can be difficult. You’ve spent eighteen years nurturing and growing this child into a responsible and capable adult. The senior portrait will symbolize the final moments of your child’s reliance on you.

Take the time to invest in your child’s senior portrait. It will inspire your child to press on and work towards the goals they’ve set for themselves. And it will allow you to hold on and keep your little one little, immortalizing their youth in a beautiful, one-of-a-kind photo.

If you're in need of senior pictures for your 2013 class, please contact us today.