Last year, I photographed a LOT of senior guys.

And somewhere between the sports gear, college sweatshirts, moms trying to get “just one real smile,” and boys who arrived looking like they’d rather be almost anywhere else, I learned a few things.

The biggest one?

Senior guys actually care about their senior pictures.

They just might not care about them in quite the same way their moms do.

They don't necessarily hate pictures. They hate making pictures a whole THING

I think this is one of the biggest misconceptions about senior boys.

When Mom starts talking about outfits, locations, poses, haircuts and what everyone else is doing for senior pictures, you can practically watch some of them mentally check out.

But give them a session that feels relaxed, moves along, and doesn't require them to perform for the camera for three hours?

They're usually completely fine.

And - dare I say it? - sometimes they actually have fun.

They need a say in the session.

One thing I learned very quickly is that a senior guy's session gets infinitely better when there's something in it that feels like him.

Maybe that's his football uniform.

His truck.

His guitar.

A favorite pair of sneakers.

The place he spends most of his time.

Or the college sweatshirt he's been waiting forever to finally wear.

Not every senior needs an elaborate theme or a Pinterest-worthy concept. Sometimes one small thing that matters to him is enough to make the whole session feel more personal.

Mom's pictures and his pictures might be different.

And that's okay.

Mom may want the beautiful, classic portrait where he's looking at the camera and giving her the smile she's known since he was five.

He may want the shot leaning against his truck where he's not smiling at all.

We can do both.

In fact, that's one of my favorite parts of senior sessions — creating the images Mom is going to treasure and the ones the senior himself thinks are cool enough to actually use as his profile picture.

Everybody wins.

They usually don't need as much as you think.

Senior guys don't necessarily need five outfits and four locations to get a gallery with plenty of variety.

A couple of outfits, a location or two, and a few meaningful details can give us a ton to work with.

More isn't always better.

Especially when your senior's tolerance for being photographed has a very definite expiration time.

(Trust me. I can usually tell when we're approaching it.)

The awkwardness disappears faster than they expect

Almost everyone feels a little weird when a camera is pointed at them.

Senior guys are no exception.

That's why I don't expect anyone to walk into a session magically knowing what to do with their hands, where to look, how to stand, or how to produce a natural smile on command.

That's my job.

I give plenty of direction, keep things moving, and try very hard to avoid anything that feels overly posed or cheesy.

Usually, within the first few minutes, the nerves start to disappear.

And yes, the pictures matter.

Maybe your son hasn't been planning his senior portraits since freshman year.

Maybe he doesn't have a Pinterest board.

Maybe his response to every question about senior pictures is some variation of, “I don't care.”

Do them anyway.

Because this year is full of lasts.

Last first day of high school. Last season with the team. Last homecoming. Last prom. Last time his bedroom is really his bedroom before college, work, the military, or whatever comes next starts pulling him into adulthood.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, he's changing.

Senior portraits aren't just about documenting what he looks like at 17 or 18.

They're about documenting who he is right now — right on that weird little line between the kid you've known forever and the adult he's becoming.

And after photographing so many senior guys last year, here's one more thing I learned:

The boys who showed up saying they didn't really care?

They always wanted to see the back of my camera.

Every. Single. One.

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Lessons I Learned from Photographing so many High School Guys Last Year

They don't necessarily hate pictures. They hate making pictures a whole THING

They need a say in the session.

Mom's pictures and his pictures might be different.

They usually don't need as much as you think.

The awkwardness disappears faster than they expect

And yes, the pictures matter.

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