...but I feel fine. Those of us old enough to remember the song find different meanings for it as we go through life, but there is one time in our lives when one world does end and another begins - the end of high school. At it's peak, it is one of the most intense periods in our entire lives. The end of the world as it has always been, and we were (weren’t we?) they are (aren’t they?) so ready for it.
It is a period remarkable for its friendships, hard work, not to mention it's faith in the future. Remarkable too for how many ways it has to express itself, finding form in music and fashion, tests and exams, sport and competititivness, service to others, art and creativity, evolving family relationships. And it’s all connected digitally - no wonder it is a time of such emotional upheaval.
This journal entry is different for me in that it is blatant advertising for high school senior photo sessions. There you go - I’m just going to say it: “Hire me now!!” I'm here asking, "do you know anyone who could use a super fun, creative shoot immortalizing this epic moment in their lives?" I’m hoping you might - it’s one of the most rewarding types of photography I know.
How quickly the world changes, how far away they seem when they are in college. What, or who, they are when they emerge on the other side is unknowable, like the radio silence from the dark side of the moon - you have to trust they’ll come round again without you there.
To someone who has been witness to this end of this epoch for such a long time as an educator, being a photographer seems like the best job in the world. Although it's easy for me to say to parents things like “do you have a graduating high schooler about to settle into university life on a different continent?” or “want to capture them before they fly the nest?” it is more important than that. Much more.
It's important for them as well, years from now when they have kids of their own. I should be saying to their future selves, "Hey, come here, this is the best of times, preserve it forever. You'll be so glad you did when you're my age and can't remember it properly."
Can you remember your own high school experiences, some of the people, the detail? When I went looking for photos recently to use in this post, I found so few it startled me. It's different now in the cell phone era when we photograph our lives daily. But those photos are all so fast, just snaps really, easily lost on a stolen or corrupted phone. This time in our lives can be astonishing in it’s achievements and energy and I think its a privilege to be part of that. As a photographer, making a record of it seems vital. Let’s capture it properly.
Actually, it’s the end of the world as you know it. Do you feel fine ;-)
