Making a statement without saying a word

Senior girl,
How do you decide on a photographer for portraits that will be cherished for a lifetime? A lot has changed in the last dozen years. Most for the better, but it has gotten more complicated and far more difficult to be an informed consumer of photography. Client expectations vary widely. Using a restaurant analogy, yearly school pictures are like fast food, quick and good enough for what they cost. In a few short hours a team of photographers will photograph the entire school. For senior portraits most people expect at least a little more. It is the picture that will be shared with family and on your wall for years. Again, using the restaurant analogy, this can be a family style sit down restaurant experience, with more variety and better quality than fast food, but geared toward affordability for most. I offer sit down type pricing and products if that is what you are looking for. Others look for a Murry’s Steakhouse type experience, the kind of place most of us go only for very special occasions, like a 25th wedding anniversary. For this client, the senior year is the culmination of 17 years of blood, sweat, and tears. This portrait commemorates the activities that have become such an important part of your life, and it honors the personality that has evolved in your senior. For these parents this portrait is an attempt to preserve this moment in time for future enjoyment. It is a recognition that one year from now, things are going to change radically. For most of us parents, we look forward to and dread this change all at the same time.
I believe senior portraits are important and that is why I take my calling so seriously. My kids are all grown and married. I now have seven grandchildren. I would not turn the clock back even if I could, but I do miss those days; all the hockey games and tennis matches for our oldest son, the dance recitals and gymnastics for our daughter, the soccer and marching band events for our youngest son. I miss Dan’s friends hanging around fixing and modifying snowmobiles, Naomi’s friends planning church youth activities and the miles of Ethernet cable when John would have his gamer friends over for the weekend.
David Hyttsten, Master Photographer – Photographic Craftsman
Sartell Senior

For more examples, check out the gallery pages.