Jake Weidinger Senior Story
I met Jake Weidinger almost ten years ago while photographing team photos for the Flagstaff Northstars and the Flagstaff Youth Hockey Association (FYHA).
I remember him clearly because when asked to “get crazy” during on-ice action photos, Jake delivered the most animated poses of any of his teammates.
Fast forward all these years, multiple basketball and hockey photo shoots and thousands of photos later: I’m left with the same feeling I get when I look through my hard drives at the athlete photos I’ve taken.
I know what these athletes look like, and I can call them out by name, but I don’t really know who they are. I don’t really know much about them at all.
What makes them different from the other athletes on the team? Who are they, really? What are they afraid of? What are they proud of? What makes them tick? How do they talk?
I can make them laugh, smile, pout and pose, but who are they? I can throw dramatic light at them and capture what they look like, but it’s often more of a reflection of the stage and my style than a reflection of them.
“If you went to my Instagram page, people would think I’m just like another dude from Flagstaff who just plays football and thinks he’s like a jock,” said Jake during his senior interview.“ I just like to play, and I just like to experience things. So, I think there’s more to people than just what you see in pictures or what they look like in general.”
For me personally, that’s why these senior stories feel so important.
Our phones and hard drives are full of images that clearly show what our friends and family look like.
But who is capturing who they are?
Who is capturing all the hard work and experiences that have helped shape these young athletes and aspiring adults?
Graduating high school is one of the most significant moments in their lives. They are preparing to leave home and set off into the world.
Are they ready?
Jake’s mom, Maggie, said something that struck a nerve with me, having dropped off my own kids at college recently.
“Ultimately, our job was to raise good people and then let them go into the world to be positive, contributing members of society. This is the part where we let him go. How exciting is that?”
I want to help capture these moments visually but also ask hard questions about what this moment means. I want to show all the hard work that has gone into making Jake, someone like Jake.
Jake is honest, hardworking, goofy, dedicated, brilliant, thoughtful, transparent, loyal and God-loving.
None of that is by accident.
None of that can be captured by a photograph.
Jake's Senior Story magazine
Below is a 110-page, magazine-style book of Jake's story. We combined images from his high school senior photo shoot and hundreds of images from his family. I also found years of photos on my hard drives from all the Flagstaff high school sports teams I've photographed with Jake. The magazine contains a 4,500-word story that combines interviews from Jake and those closest to him.
