A lot of senior photographers want to run prom sessions but have no idea where to start, so this blog is going to help you get some clarity on this!

Prom mini sessions can be a GREAT way to get lots of organic marketing for your senior business, so I do encourage you to consider doing them.

This is the way I MOSTLY run my prom sessions...

PROM DAY: 

• Back to back time slots all day on prom day - usually 20 minutes eah
• Usually shoot 20-30 couples
• Flat fee per couple and my rep team gets a discount
• 3 couples per time slot
• Makeup and hair is NOT included

INCLUDES DIGITALS:

• I include 5 digital images (sized for 4x6) for regular clients and non-clients; my Rep Team gets 10
• They can purchase more digital files if they like, along with prints
• Only keep the gallery online for a very limited time - and set it so that anyone who registers will get an email reminder when the gallery is about to expire

DELIVERY OF IMAGES:

I like to get Prom images done ASAP … I’ve even del...

I pressed “post” and wanted to puke.  It was a video of my cat though, so at least I wasn’t actually putting my own face on this weird platform that seemed to be all over the place in terms of content. There weren't even tools to make the video look good or to edit it, but I was really just posting to test the waters….

It was May of 2019 and my kids told me in no uncertain terms “Mom, do NOT get on TikTok.”

Well, if you know me, you also know that I ABSOLUTELY WAS GOING TO GET ON TIKTOK now that I knew that they were so opposed 😉

I told them that since they weren’t paying me upwards of 3k to shoot their senior pics, to get over it.  (side note: I have WAY more followers and engagement than they do now on TikTok, and does the fact that I want to gloat make me a bad mom? 🤣

Anyway, my point to this little ditty is that I tested those uncharted and scary AF waters so you don’t have to! I told my senior photog friends back then to get on TikTok but most did not listen. Heck, they still ...

Model Teams are Dying! 

That's probably not what you wanted to hear, right?  I promise I'm not trying to scare you - I'm just being direct; there's enough fluff in our senior photography industry.

We can't do what we've been doing because it just doesn't work for these younger Gen Z clients.

The truth is that you need to attract more of your target Gen Z clients with a rep program that is aligned with who they are - natural content creators.

As a senior photographer, you've been told that offering a model or rep team is the best way to ensure you have lots of year-round word-of-mouth clients. 

In fact, one of the most asked questions I hear in my Facebook group is "HOW do I run a successful senior rep program?"

                               But most of you are doing it all wrong.

You're spending tons of time on elaborate team photoshoots only to find that your Gen Z clients don't want to post their images & if they don't post, they aren't doing their part - getting you busine...

Are YOU ready to step into the role of CEO in your biz? 

I mean like seriously - are you ready to finally nail this strategy down once and for all and tackle all the blocks that come up as a result of doing this work?  

Oh yeah, there will be blocks - that's what happens any time you redirect, reframe or rewire underlying limiting beliefs. They'll rear their ugly heads up and try to stop you from moving forward.  

"Why would I self-sabotage like this, Renee?"  I know - I can hear you asking this, friend. 

Well, you're not doing it on purpose, of course.  You're over here actually trying to make some real changes in your biz - and you should pat yourself on the back for that! 

The truth is that the stronger the desire to change, and the more you take action on that - the louder and more intense that sabotaging voice can be!  

It's your unconscious mind trying to keep you safe - that's it.  All that "fear" people talk about (fear of stepping into their awesomeness, fear of raising ...

Real talk:

The business of senior photography has changed a LOT over the last five or so years. 

If you've been around for a minute in this industry, you probably know this.  Maybe you've noticed the subtle differences in how your senior clients use social media now ... how they consume more than they create most of the time.

Maybe you run a model team and have noticed that your team just doesn't share or post the way they did in the past - even if you "require" it.  (By the way, requiring them to post doesn't really work; I'll go into that in just a bit.)

If you haven't seen these changes yet, there is a really good chance they're coming; this just all depends on where you're located. I started noticing these changes back in 2017 because I'm in Los Angeles; we tend to see trends a little sooner in general.  But you can be sure that all high school senior photographers will see these changes because of the combination of the pandemic and how popular TikTok became. 

Yep - TikTok ushered in ...

WHY is social media marketing SO hard for photographers? 

Knowing what to post, when to post, how to post.  How to connect authentically with Gen Z audiences.  Knowing how often to post, how to make reels that are engaging, how to reach out to teens without seeming creepy. 🤷🏻 Figuring out a multitude of apps for editing and constantly feeling like your content just isn't as good as other photographers.  

It's enough to drive a person insane, am I right?  

WHY does it have to be so hard??? 

The truth is that it doesn't have to be.

You don't have to spend all your time stressing about it, creating content, and figuring out how to use multiple platforms.  

But you DO have to market.  Clients do not just show up automatically.  Yes, a good word of mouth client base is worth its weight in gold, but that will not get you a steady stream of clients - especially Gen Z clients. 

These clients are savvy.  They need a lot more than one or two people recommending you.  They need to see th...

We're movie fanatics in my family ...

we don't just watch movies, we critique them.  We discuss them.  We rip them apart 😂

It's part of being married to an actor/writer/director and all-around super creative person. My husband's brain NEVER stops, so when we watch movies, we go deep.  

Why am I telling you this and what does it have to do with photography marketing???

I'm getting there ... stay with me.  

Last night, we were watching the bootleg cut (director's cut) of Almost Famous.  You can only get it on Blu-ray as part of its 20th anniversary - released last year.  It's hands down one of my favorite movies of all time - it's truly a work of art.  And right in the middle of it, as I was losing my mind watching the scenes that were cut from this masterpiece, I had a revelation.

A director's cut is the entire vision of the director and in this case, also the writer.  It's the whole story - all the little nuances that add to the exposition.  

And very rarely do the movies that m...

I just purchased a reflector - now what?

People always ask me about my lighting so I wanted to share a little bit about my process ... it's pretty simple! 

I use a 40x60 reflector 90% of the time! It's always with me - here's one that like from Amazon: 

Neewer 5 in 1 Portable Multi 40"x 60"/100 x 150CM Camera Lighting Reflector/Diffuser Kit with Carrying Case for Photography

I don't buy expensive ones because I like the ease of folding one as opposed to using something like a CA Sunbounce (those are awesome but I don't need all that and if you don't need it, don't buy it!)

My philosophy - in general - is keep it simple.  I don't like carrying around lighting; even when I DO use OCF, it's the small Profoto A1X.  It's not cheap but it's small and super powerful.

But in general, I will use a giant reflector for 90% of my sessions - only the silver side because I like to retain facial features and not "flat light".  We saw a LOT of that in the early 2000's - that super soft flat ...

       Where's the lie?  😜

It's all fun and games until you have to figure out how to make a living at it, am I right?

Trust me, I have made my fair share of business mistakes…. 

• giving away all the digitals or charging VERY little for them
• shooting for free
• starting a model team with NON-ideal clients
• spending HOURS editing ONE session
• asking other amateur photographers how to shoot, post and edit

I got to the point where I wanted to burn it ALL DOWN.

I mean, I was making like $2/hour when averaged out!

I started with NO money,  NO training,  NO clarity.   100% bootstrapped 

And now I make over 200k/year 

The truth is that most photographers do NOT know how to run a business.

Heck, MOST photographers feel sick to their stomach just thinking about charging actual money for their work. 

Can you relate?

I want you to hear me when I say that you deserve to have a thriving business and a balanced life.

Nobody other than YOU should be calling the sh...