Local photographers help senior students in need

MEDFORD, Ore. – High school seniors are already starting to prepare for graduation. For many of them, that means taking senior photos for the year book.

For families struggling to make ends meet, paying for those pictures can be nearly impossible. That’s why local photographers have started a new program.

Jenny Skinner is a professional photographer. She knows for seniors, these pictures aren’t just a pose caught on camera. They’re proof of an accomplishment.

“Our main focus is that we don’t want any students to feel that they are not doing the right of passage that other students are,” Jenny explained. “Some shoots range from people in the valley charge 100 to 300 dollars for a photo shoot.”

For the upwards of 1,200 homeless students in Medford, that’s a price they can’t pay.

If a student doesn’t get pictures done, the school takes their photo ID and uses that in the year book.

“They’re never usually good pictures,” Jenny said. “It’s like our pictures at the DMV. They are never great, so we don’t want kids to have to use those photos. This may be the first child in their family graduating so we want it to be special and to really celebrate the fact that they are graduating despite the fact they may be homeless.”

That’s where Jenny and Serendipity Photos come in. They’ve teamed up to offer students in need free senior photos. The program is called “Snaps for Grads.”

Now, they’re looking for donations to expand the project. “If you wanted to sponsor a student it would be about $50 to sponsor them,” Jenny said. “That would cover the printing cost and gas for the photographer. We just started a Facebook page and it’s ‘Snaps 4 Grads’ and that will show you how to donate. You can also go to Jenny Lane Photography.

Jenny is hoping spreading the word will help more students celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

The photographers hope at some point they can provide free pictures with Santa and family photos for military service members.