The Price of Memories

By: Annie Sablosky

As graduation approaches, one of the biggest traditions for seniors is getting their iconic senior portraits taken. The different backgrounds, outfit changes, and seamless retouching seem like a fun ordeal for many seniors when trying to capture the perfect snapshot. These photos represent their time in Washington and can be shared with classmates, teachers, and families. However, the high cost of these portraits has made this important rite of passage out of reach or a burden for many.

These photos are taken from now until January at Washington or at one of the Lifetouch photography offices and are not just personal keepsakes—they’re also featured in the yearbook.After this year, seniors will be moving on to other things. Senior portraits are a window to the past and allow seniors to remember what they used to look like and reminisce on the memories of their past. 

The Cost of a Portrait

With appointment fees starting at $25 and total package prices soaring into the hundreds, getting these portraits can be a financial burden to students. 

When signing up for the portraits, it seemed to many that there would only be a minimal cost after the initial one for booking the important. It was a shock to some students upon opening the “Claim Now” link from Lifetouch and seeing the actual price, including Lucy Martin, a senior, who said, “I feel like it wasn’t clear before that it was going to be that expensive.”

In reality, prices for purchasing the photos range from anywhere between $149 and $489. Even just purchasing the digital version of the photos that can be shared online on social media or to family members via text or email has a starting price of $199 for a single photo. This sort of pricing makes these photos unavailable to a ton of families in Washington.

Impact on Washington Community

In a couple decades, seniors will go back into an old shoe box or storage container that contains memories from the past. When flipping through memorabilia, one will look for things that represent one of the most quintessential parts of their childhood—high school. A senior portrait encapsulates the era of that time and is something that can be passed on from generation to generation.

“I think it is important, like I’ve seen my parents' senior portraits, so I want to be able to have them too to show my own kids," stated Ella Lally-Stephens, another senior.

At the end of the school year, seniors share their portraits with peers and teachers, with sweet little notes on the back of them. Teachers can be seen keeping past students' portraits alongside their desks, so that a little piece of the students remains at Washington, even when they move on to other things. When unable to participate in this exchange of photographs, seniors can be left feeling upset or excluded. In a school that preaches equality, it is unfair to leave students out of such an important tradition.

Proposed Solutions

Some argue that the costs reflect the quality of service, as there are two photographers and one worker dealing with the photos and outfit changes of hundreds of students. Moreover, the retouching takes time, and printing, packaging, and shipping the plethora of photos to students can be a lot. The majority argue that there needs to be more accessible options that cater to different family budgets. 

At a public school, the economic status of the students varies quite a lot. Lally-Stephens even remarked, with her friends nodding in agreement, that “we go to public school, so it should be free.” A less radical solution was shared by Harper Acox, another senior, who said that Washington should offer “fee waivers just like AP tests,” which would allow the pictures to be available for everyone in the Washington community.

For the Advanced Placement tests, everyone has the opportunity to fill out a fee waiver that evaluates a student's family financial situation and can substantially cut down the price for AP tests. The senior portraits are even more expensive than those tests, yet there are no other options for families that can’t afford them.

A student's senior year is a time full of celebration for the school they have gone to, alongside their classmates, teachers, and families. Although senior portraits are just photographs, they encapsulate a time that seniors can be thrown back to upon looking at them. This experience should be an equal opportunity for all. 

The price of memories should not be so great that not everyone in the school community can participate.