To be candid, compliments are rarely the reason. I think that teachers will tell you that seeing a former student become successful is a huge reward and it validates the passion they have for teaching.
For me - photography is my passion. I know that I shoot more looks than the seniors expect because I want to capture who they are and what they will become. - Confident, strong, flirty and funny.
Senior sessions capture a milestone in one's life. Too often Parents and their Seniors see it as just another portrait session - when in reality it is a celebration of the journeys they have been on and the one they are still living.
In the blink of an eye, these Seniors will have children of their own and their lives will be dedicated to guiding their journeys. They will look back at this time - [senior year, dating, school work, school activities, graduation, leaving for college, etc] - and try to remember.
It's a blur for them right now and the images from their senior session look just like "pictures" that were taken on that day - but one day, when things slow down a bit .... maybe they'll be on the train, commuting to work or watching their child sleep in their crib and the images will be like gold.
