I loved meeting each and every one of you at Click Away last week!
Here’s a quick recap of our class!
One! Your Online Presence Matters.
Remember that granny website I told y’all about? You’re on it! Let your Seniors get to know you through your website and don’t be afraid to let yourself come through in your blog posts! Whether you’re telling a funny story about your session, telling a heartfelt story about your relationship with your Senior, expressing enthusiasm about an idea that y’all ran with at your session, or just fan-girling over how awesome a past Senior is, every single story matters and every blog post, Instagram post, and Facebook post is an opportunity you have to let prospective clients know you before they’ve even had a chance to look up your contact form.
Two! Use Questionnaires to Get to Know Your Seniors.
Y’all already have access to my questionnaire. Questionnaires set such a friendly tone to the planning portion of your session because it gives you a project to work on and sets up an easy conversation between you and your Senior. And don’t forget! Every idea is awesome and, if someone sends you a slew of Pinterest photographs, they’re not insulting you. They’re trying to convey a feeling they can’t put into words instead.
Three! Be Yourself.
When working with a Senior (or any client), it is so important to be yourself through the entire process. If you open up to your client, they will (most likely!) open up to you. If you stayed closed off, your Senior will stay closed off. If you take a genuine interest in your Senior, your session will fly by and, at the end of it, your Senior will feel connected with you – and you’ll feel connected to them, too.
Four! Ask Questions and Find Any Connection Anywhere.
Remember that really awkward activity I had y’all do where you had to photograph a stranger you’d never met before? Did it feel ridiculously awkward to have someone take your photograph that you didn’t even know? Of course it did! But! Here’s what happened during that activity from my perspective: When y’all were first paired off, most of y’all looked terrified (which is okay! I would have been terrified, too!). But! By the end of five minutes, the room was buzzing with loud conversations, exclamations, and connections. Y’all became comfortable with each other in such a short time and, if you saw the person you were paired with during the conference after our class, I’m guessing y’all said hi. Find a connection with your Seniors! It could be something as simple as your favorite fast food restaurant – if you find one connection, you’re sure to find others, too.
Five! Make Your Senior Feel Like a Queen.
During your photo session, your Senior should feel like she is the most amazing Senior who has ever Senior-ed. As Senior Photographers, we have such a unique job to capture High School Seniors who are on the cusp of adulthood. Your Senior may be a Senior today but, over the next decade, they are going to become so many things. They are going to be doctors. They are going to be artists. They are going to be aunts. They are going to be writers. They are going to be entrepreneurs and mothers and wives and the whole world is going to open up for them. As photographers, it is our job to make our Seniors feel absolutely incredible. Don’t miss out by phoning it in! Even if it’s your sixth Senior Session at the same location in one week, it’s still your Senior’s first – and only! – Senior Session. Make it count.
Capturing Personality in High School Senior Photographs by Lissa Chandler | Sponsored by Color INC.