Beyond the Senior Portrait: Capturing Who They Are, Not Just What They Look Like
Why photography alone falls short—and how the right questions can reveal the true essence of a young athlete’s journey.
Welcome to another episode of UnRambling, where I record myself while biking, hiking, running, driving, walking, or swimming—well, maybe not swimming. I then transcribe and analyze my thoughts in an effort to maintain the rich ideas often left out on the road.
Today is Sunday, February 9, 2025, and I am walking with my three dogs in the forest behind my house.
The Evolution of Capturing Athlete Profiles
For the past 20-30 years, I have focused on capturing what young athletes look like. I’ve spent decades perfecting lighting configurations, experimenting with elaborate lights, smoke, and color gels, and staging photoshoots highlighting dynamic movement—smiling, frowning, laughing, jumping, spinning. I’ve refined my techniques every season, ensuring that each portrait is technically excellent.
Yet, after years of hearing fellow photographers and competitors talk about how a single image can tell a story, I’ve started questioning that belief. The more I think about it, the more laughable the idea that photography alone can genuinely capture who someone is.
The images I create say more about my skills as a photographer—my ability to pose, stage, and light a scene—than they do about who these young athletes really are.
The Limitations of Photography
Photography is an art, but it’s also inherently limited. While a photograph can freeze an expression, it can’t capture the person's deeper thoughts, fears, and aspirations in front of the lens. For example, I can create images that show a senior athlete grinning confidently, but those images don’t reveal what they’re thinking about their future, their anxieties about leaving home, or the hard work it took to get to this point.
This realization has only reinforced my belief that there’s more to a moment than what it looks like. There’s more to who we are than what we look like. And the only way to truly capture that is by asking the right questions at the right time.
The Power of the Right Questions
Senior year is a pivotal moment in a young person’s life. It’s a time when years of dedication—from parents, teachers, coaches, and students—culminate in a transition that will determine their next steps. Graduation represents when a young person leaves the safety of home and ventures into the world on their own.
As a parent who has watched two of my kids go through this transition, I’ve seen firsthand how monumental it is. And it feels irresponsible to leave the documentation of this moment to photos alone. A photograph cannot capture what a few well-placed questions can reveal.
This is where the intersection of photography and journalism becomes critical. When I interview athletes, I see something incredible happen. I ask them about their experiences, their struggles, and their dreams, and in just a few sentences, they reveal something far deeper than any staged portrait ever could.
Interviewing as a Tool for Authentic Storytelling
I often think about one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell—or maybe it wasn’t Gladwell, but someone in his league—who once said that some of the best profiles are written without ever interviewing the subject directly. Instead, they talk to the people who know them best. And when that profile is handed to the subject, they often respond with awe, saying, “Wow, this is really me. This reveals things about me that I hadn’t even realized myself.”
I’ve had moments like this in my own work. When I interview physicians, I sometimes connect two seemingly unrelated responses, revealing a deeper truth about their philosophy of care. The most powerful moments come when they pause, surprised, and say, “I hadn’t thought about it that way.” I’ve even had to stop interviews because a revelation was so emotionally powerful that it took a moment for the subject to regain composure.
Why Words Capture More Than Images
This is why I believe interviewing is just as important—if not more so—than the photography itself. I’ve spent two hours capturing stunning images of a senior running through fields, chasing golden light, and experimenting with different looks. But then, in a short 15-minute interview, I uncover insights about who they are that no camera could ever capture.
A well-placed question carries an inherent power. Unlike a photograph, which is limited to the surface, a question can dig deep. It can connect past experiences to present emotions, revealing layers of identity that even the person being interviewed may not have consciously realized.
The Role of the Professional Storyteller and Relationship Bias
Photography still has its place. Hiring a professional photographer isn’t just about capturing a senior's appearance—it’s about creating an environment that allows them to express themselves fully. A skilled photographer can capture the way they laugh, the way they roll their eyes, and the tiny, unconscious movements that make them who they are. These are moments that a parent with a smartphone often misses.
But what about the role of a professional storyteller? Just as hiring a skilled photographer results in better images, hiring someone who knows how to ask the right questions in the right setting results in more honest, unbiased answers. This is where relationship bias comes into play. When a friend or family member conducts the interview or even asks the same questions that I would, the responses are often influenced by that existing relationship. The subject may hold back, tailor their answers to what they think the interviewer wants to hear or downplay certain feelings.
This is why it is crucial to have a trained, neutral professional conduct the photoshoot or interview. While parents should absolutely document their child’s journey, they should also recognize the limitations of only taking senior photos. A senior profile—a combination of carefully captured words and images—creates a fuller, richer record of who these individuals are at this critical moment in their lives.
Moving Forward: A New Approach to Senior Profiles
As I close in on the last mile of my walk, I feel a sense of clarity about where my work is headed. I want to refine my process—not just for myself, but for others. I want to develop a framework that allows parents, photographers, and storytellers to document this pivotal moment in a young person’s life in a way that goes beyond appearances.
Imagine if, alongside a senior’s portraits, there was a transcript of their thoughts—a benchmark that captures not just what they looked like but who they were—their fears, excitement, and gratitude.
This is my vision: not just beautiful photographs but beautiful words, a complete story, a record that allows young people to look back years from now and see their face and their journey.
Sean Openshaw is a photographer, videographer, and lifelong storyteller who believes "there’s more to a moment than meets the eye®." He created the Personal Life Record® system—Life Indexing Method™ —to help people live, capture, and catalog meaningful moments, creating a foundation for preserving their life stories. Because to have good stories is to live forever.