Senior Model | A Teen's Perspective

I love it when our teen audience contacts me to share their experiences.  Hearing directly from our target market is the best way to grow and learn.  So I was thrilled when Reilly Eick contacted me with an article pitch discussing her experience with Amanda Wiggins Photography!Here is what it is like being a senior model from Reilly's perspective...The 10 Things No One Told Me About Being A Senior ModelSenioritis hit me like a truck. I wanted to get through all the senior requirements ASAP so I could move on with my life so I logged in to the website of a photographer I heard my friends talking about for their senior pictures. While cruising her website I ran across her senior model application and, with a little motivation from reading my parent’s favorite word (discount), I applied. Senior model positions are opening up all over the place. Photographers are looking to us to help them expand their businesses and in return they give us (in addition to some cheap senior pictures) a life experience that can help shape us into fantastic young adults.A New Group of Unexpected FriendsEvery time we see each other it’s like old friends getting together again. Without becoming a senior model I would have never met the girls that have become another set of friends to me. We borrow prom dresses from each other, we do each other’s makeup, and we run away from 100º photoshoots to find the best slurpees. These girls have become a group I can go to for anything.Pictures and Photoshoot GALORE! This has added the little bit of spicing up my Instagram needed. Instead of my followers getting the daily snapshot of my Yorkie doing her thing, they get to see me doing mine. Photoshoots will become a regular in your schedule. With new ideas popping into photographer’s heads all the time, it is almost guaranteed they will be calling for a model every once in a while, and since I usually have no other plans than hanging out with my Yorkie, I take these opportunities as soon as they’re presented.Your School Friends Think You’re A Serious Model When you grow up from being the “brace-faced nerd”, being the “model” isn’t half bad. It’s even better when you can credit your photographer for your beauty. Receiving compliments is always awkward to me but when responding with “Thanks! It’s really the photographer. You should check her out!” it makes the lime-light all that much better.Odd Resume BoosterMy boss was actually intrigued by the term. “Senior spokesmodel”. With a little bit of fluff, it can really make an impact. Knowing that you were chosen to help represent and build a business is pretty impressive and colleges love things like this! Any 17 year old that can say that they are helping grow a business is impressive, even if your job is to just smile pretty for a camera and give a shout out on twitter.You Might Just Find A New Passion Now this very well might just be me but a few months into my senior-modeling I started applying to modeling agencies. I found a love for being in front of the camera that I never knew I had before. I’m a confidence junkie (or maybe just attention junkie) and I can definitely see myself using this love to earn a few extra bucks for college. Having those very legitimate-looking headshot-like pictures are very appealing to modeling agencies, making it almost impossible to get turned down.You Think Like A PhotographerYou notice perfect lighting. You notice architecture. You notice the cutest little sunflower field that you would otherwise just look right past. You see the beauty in things you usually don’t. You think like a photographer, just lacking the ability to take pictures. You do, however, know exactly where to hold a reflector during your friend’s photoshoot.You Want To Be A Better Person I want to see my photographer succeed and in order to do that, we need to advertise. When I put my picture out there for people to see, or she publishes my pictures in a blog, I don’t want people to look at it and know me for something bad. I want to get out, talk to people, volunteer and make a difference. There’s always a little girl out there watching who wants to be just like you and being a senior model has no exceptions. With my picture being put out there, I don’t want it to bring any negativity on myself or my photographer.Major Confidence Boost And I’ll say it again: When you grow up from being the “brace-faced nerd”, being the “model” isn’t half bad. When I see a picture my photographer has taken of me, I feel amazing. If you know you look good you’ll feel good which everyone could use in their life. Confidence if especially important at this point in our lives. Colleges and jobs are always looking for the most confident, charismatic person and finding a teenage girl that actually knows she’s great is a rarity. Senior photographers help that small number grow, which is an amazing thingNew Array of Selfie Faces and Poses Another reason your Instagram will be at the top of its game. We did the lip-part before the celebs. Group pic? No problem, I’ve got the perfect pose.  And why does my leg hurt? Oh yeah cause the photographer had me in that crazy half leg split pose thing that makes everyone look crazy cool. My Instagram follower number has doubled since becoming a senior model and with the pictures I’ve been posting- I’m not surprised.You Find Yourself When you’re put behind a camera, there is so much you learn about yourself. Everyone wants pictures that reflect their personality but in order to find that, you need to know your personality. When the photographer asks you what you want to wear, you start find your style. When they ask what location, you know where you want to be. Senior year is such a big time for change, knowing who you are is important and that is why senior pictures are vital. Being a senior model is helping me find my purpose. I’m helping my photographer find her way with her business, while I’m finding myself which is more than I could ever ask for out of this experience.Reilly and Amanda thank you for contributing!  Reilly, I love hearing about your experience!  Teens if you have an article that you believe would be of interest to our readers, send it our way we want to hear from you!xoxo,Vickie