Freeze Frame: Creativity is key for senior portraits

Inside Garrett Huck's wallet are dozens of his Jackson classmates' senior photographs -- some even of the same person, just different poses. Collecting the photos has become something of a pastime, like trading cards. After all, these particular pictures have a life after the last year of high school. They are kept as a reminder of the good times and friends gone by and as a timeless mirror for how the students once looked.

Besides handing them out to friends and family, seniors use their pictures for college applications and resumes. Soon the mail will be filled with high school graduation invitations, and when the recipients open the envelopes, pictures of the seniors are likely to be found inside as well.

Senior portraits are a tradition that has evolved over the decades beyond the basic black-and-white head shot. Students have the option of having their yearbook photo taken through the school, like every other year, but most opt for the professional photo shoot with numerous wardrobe changes, backgrounds and props.

"You go all the way through high school as an underclassman and finally it's time to be special. You can say 'Hey, I'm a senior,'" said Faie Morgan, a senior at Scott City High School.

It was important for Morgan's personality to come through in pictures, and she said the outdoors provided that because more color could be incorporated. Her favorite picture was of her lounging in a hammock.

The portraits are typically shot during the summer when the weather is ideal for an outside setting, which is a favorite among seniors because they can relax without the bright flashes of the camera. This allows photographers to capture natural and candid shots, the trend for this year.

A new favorite among seniors is a mix of black-and-white photographs with color in parts of the picture to accentuate features. The practice of bringing in personal props remains consistent even as fan-back chairs and draped backgrounds fall out of favor.

"Senior year is a rite of passage. It's usually a time of year when a student goes from high school to college -- also a time of year when a student goes from adolescence to adult," said Pat Patterson, owner of Pat Patterson Photography in Cape Girardeau. "There are a lot of changes in this period, and kids like to express themselves through their portraits."

Showing off a 1972 Chevrolet truck, baseball, football and basketball jerseys and awards were important for Jason Schenimann, a senior at Scott City. Sports consumed a major part of his four years at the school, and he wanted to remember that and show others his dedication and success.

In Noland Cook's photos, he shared the spotlight with the family's convertible car and the trombone he plays in Cape Girardeau's Central High School band. And taking full advantage of the several wardrobe changes, Cook even put on a tie and jacket.

"It's senior year, and you want to do something that makes that year special. It's a starting point -- the first thing you do senior year," said Cook.

As Tiffany Smith, another senior at Central, sat on a swing with trees behind her and a camera in front taking snapshots, she remembers thinking, "I can't believe this day is here."

For Smith, the photos marked a mature transition in her life.

While the photo sessions are fun for some, others just go through the motions grinning and bearing the tradition for their parents, for whom the photos signify the last moments of high school before their children head off to college and away from home.

"My mom made me," Scott City senior Seth Miller said of his extravagant photo session. "She even told me it wasn't for me. It was for her."

Miller had no idea how he wanted to pose for the photos. He said his mother did most of the planning and the rest was up to the photographer. The fall season provided a perfect background for shots by a local park and railroad tracks.

The choice of settings for the photos is endless. Studios provide various cloth backgrounds to match the students' outfits for indoor shots, and garden pathways, vine-covered arbors and parking lots for unique poses outside. It's all to produce an individual senior portrait set apart from the rest in the deck of trading cards.

"It's important that they all are different and all are individual," said Jackson senior Ashley Meyer, who has a senior memory book for all of her friends' photos. "They are the last picture everybody sees."

cpierce@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127