Newsweek had
a short blurb about the enormous money people are paying for high school yearbook photos nowadays. I know something about this because my cousin Kelsey just spent A LOT of money on shots for her yearbook. But one line in the Newsweek article (the part about the fake sweat) caught my attention:
Cindy Glover, 41, remembers her high-school yearbook photos: "All the girls wore wool blazers." But for her son, Austin, 17, a senior from Spencer, Iowa—and many of his peers nationwide—it's another story. Photographer Rick Krebsbach spent four hours shooting Austin indoors, outdoors, in his wrestling gear and shirtless while holding his football helmet. For the athletic shots, Krebsbach even "put water on him to make him look like he was dripping [sweat]," says Glover. She expects to spend about $700 on the photos and "image collection" book.
I also couldn't help but notice how odd it is that
Austin's photo shoot looks more like a soft-porn spread for some beefcake magazine than what you would put in a high school yearbook. I think I preferred the days of grainy black-and-white head shots.
Comments
Anyway, as a high school student who just got his senior photos, I feel obliged to comment. I'm sure that some photographers offer this sort of thing, but I just wore button down/plain colored shirts and khakis for my senior photos.
Then again, I'm not a sports fanatic either, so I wouldn't dream of taking pics in my basketball jersey. Nonetheless, this is still over the top. Or it would be, in my school.
I think you meant GAY soft porn.
SENIOR PICTURES I think are a total waste. I know some people that went all out and had pics taken of them from this angle, that angle, etc...with different clothes on in each shot, different hairstyles and makeup....
And other people that just sat down in their hat and gown and smiled nicely.
My mom is upset that I never did senior photos...but I don't see the big deal.
jeeze, all I remember from High School yearbook photo's is being herded into the gym, waiting in line and then having a black and white head shot snapped.
BTW, Austin, athlete or not, would have been beaten senseless (or at the very least publicly ridiculed) in my school for doing something so unexcusedly lame.
I personally think that much $ is ridiculous to spend on photos of yourself. I think my senior portraits cost about $150 5 years ago. But that "image college" of that dude is not going in his yearbook. Its going to sit around in his parents house and he may show it off until a few years go by and he grows up and realizes how dumb it is. Then he will only be faced with it for the rest of his life when he comes home to his parents!