There's so much more to creating the portrait of a high school senior than traditional senior pictures. Friends, jobs and activities play such an important role of shaping who students are at this age and who they will become in the future. I was fortunate enough this spring to document two lacrosse games for Alex, a senior at Farmington High School. The games were late in the season and illustrate how special (and fleeting) the moments are leading up to graduation. Within a few short weeks of making these photos commencement was underway and many of the boys were headed their separate ways. Being on hand to see some of the last huddles, introductions on the field and celebrations among friends was quite special.

The first game went into double overtime (with Farmington coming out victorious), and, as I think these pictures show, as much of the story is told off the field as in the heart of the action.

High school senior Justin shows off his personality with his pictures

As I gear up for the 2014 high school senior portrait season (scary, I know) I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my favorite photo sessions from last fall.

Justin's session sticks out in my mind for many reasons, but mainly because his pictures turned out so well. I won't be the first or the last to say that for young men entering their last year of high school the idea of posing in front of the camera isn't high on their priority list. Guys would rather be hanging with their friends as much as possible, so often being with a parent chaperone and trying different outfits pretty much ranks up there with getting your wisdom teeth removed.

And since our photo sessions tend to be a bit on the long side (most are 2 to 3 hours), I can always imagine the guys' eyes rolling into the back of their heads when we discuss locations for portraits in our email communications. That extra time, however, allows one to get comfortable and relax more in front of the camera. It also means having the time to try just about anything during the session. In Justin's case that meant finding a spot with a track, a basketball court and a more city-looking environment. We figured downtown Northfield, MN perfectly fit the bill.

Since Justin is infatuated with basketball (to put it lightly), we were able to arrange some time on the court during the session as well as on the track since he's runs varsity for the Proctor High School track and field team. And with the added time, we still had time for the more formal portraits sure to please Justin's mom.

It's hard to believe looking at the finished photos that Justin is only in high school, right? He seriously looks like he could be a model. What do you all think? Please comment or share using the links below.

Farmington Sports Photographer | Lacrosse Senior Night

Northfield, MN High School Senior Portraits | Justin

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