A Senior Project

Hitting the Books

At the beginning of the school year a few years ago in Japan, one of my seniors asked me to take a senior portrait of her.  She said her mom would pay me, but I simply told her I would think about it.  I knew I could never take money for photographing a student, but an idea occurred to me.

The next day I proposed a far more encompassing plan to her.  My thought was to create a broad project that would cover her entire senior year.  Whenever there was a school activity, a dance, a game, an assembly, I would make a point photograph her.  The aim was that by the end of the year, we would have a visual documentation of her last year in high school.  She talked it over with her mom, and we all decided to give it a try.  I knew it would be a major challenge and commitment, but I think that is why it appealed to me.

The following is what we put together. I should note that my senior has almost completed her nursing degree program in the states.