A COVID Sr portrait
NOTE: this was originally posted in July 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has ground on over the year it has ground many things to a halt. Being a father of three and a newspaper editor, I was very aware of the lack of social events going on in general as well with my kids.
While talking with my daughter and realizing how her senior year was rapidly deteriorating into a parade of “virtual events” and Zoom meetings, we (I’m not sure if it was her or I) had the idea to make a series of anti-senior portraits. A portrait that was a more somber book-end to the senior photo they had at the start of the year when things were more promising.
After making a call-out on Facebook and spreading the word around a bit I got a few interested seniors to agree to a portrait. Then, after posting those photos, people started to get what I was doing and I got several more takers for my project. Ultimately 25 seniors followed through and worked with me to get their photo taken during the month of May, 2020.
The responses were appreciative throughout. One mom described it as an event itself - something they could look forward to when everything else had been cancelled. I asked each student what they were missing most and tried to make the portrait reflect that some way. Maybe they were wearing the prom dress that wouldn’t go to any dance. Or a band instrument that was only being played solo. Or holding a photo of their friends. Many of these young people said they missed being together with their friends the most. All of the photo sessions were done outside in an attempt to remain socially distant.
I didn’t charge anything for making the portraits but it was rewarding for me in several ways. It was good portrait photography experience. I got to know some great people and make some friends, and I got the feeling I was able to give something back to a few kids and their families that had lost a lot dealing with this stupid virus.
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