Senior portraits

When I was in my senior year of high school, they didn't do a standard 'picture day', where a studio showed up and acted like they were the only ones in town that owned a camera.

Seriously, why do they charge so much for this?

But my senior year, we had to submit our own photos. Everyone else still got the standard lineup, but we had to do it on our own. This was back in the 90's, so it was all still film cameras. There was no way of knowing how good a shot ended up until you got it back.

I don't miss those days.

So being the broke, chronically unempowered teenager of limited means, I struggled to figure out what to do. I had long since abandoned the idea of asking my parents for anything, so I was running out of ideas. Then during a free period at school, my brother found me and led me to the art wing. I had no idea what was happening until I found myself sitting in a makeshift photo studio getting a picture taken. Then the girl behind the camera said she'd submit it for me.

I was ambushed. I wished I had some warning. I was wearing an ill-fitting flannel shirt (again, it was the 90's), and I badly needed a haircut. I suppose I should be grateful, otherwise I wouldn't have been in the yearbook at all. But my super serious senior portrait was just as bad as a candid shot. 

My oldest is entering his senior year, and my wife made an appointment at an actual portrait studio. Why she didn't ask any of our actual photographer friends, I don't know, I suppose she doesn't really know how long it takes me to earn that money.

But I digress.

I begged him to just do a solid job of washing his hair. The once-over he gives it in the morning is... fine. But for this, honestly, he needed to visit a salon. Or at the very least someone help him with it, because it's long and needs more maintenance than he gives it.

It was during the day, long after I departed the house while everyone else was still asleep, and before I would ever leave work. Nothing happened. The proofs came in my email, and what was an ambush to me was not with him. I suppose instead of disappointment I should just resign myself to it.