Senior Pictures

9/20   

What is up with senior pictures? This seems to be THE trend right now.  My daughter is a photographer and she has limited her work to senior pictures. She has four young children which means she has restrictions on her schedule but there is still enough call for work in that genre that she can stay as busy as she chooses. I don't have anything against this trend but just find it... odd? Conceited? Amusing? Off centered? ... I don't know quite what to think of it.

First of all it is not inexpensive. The sitting fees and then the packages can get very costly. But, it is HIGH SCHOOL for heaven's sake. I remember my son thought life ended after high school. After 18 all meaning and coolness drains from your being. I tried to tell him that high school is a small blip on the radar, that some day he would shake his head with disbelief to know what weight he had placed on those four, shallow, angst driven years. If high school IS the highlight of your life then you've had a pathetic, empty life. So, why do parents encourage these pictures and happily shell out the big bucks for this particular moment in a child's life? I don't see this happening after college graduation - of course after college loans who can afford it?

I'm not against this trend. I just find it strange to some degree. It seems like just one more "Look At Me" in a society that loves to be the center of attention. It lacks substance, meaning, and depth. But, that's just how it struck me this morning after seeing more pictures posted. This too shall pass - wonder what's next?