Clickin Moms is a great online source for photographers.  They have an abundance of resources, online classes and forums for photographers and I highly recommend it!

One of their mentors, Jodi Arego, is a senior portrait photographer out of Houston, Texas.  Jodi shared her tips below on Connecting with your senior client.  Thanks for sharing Jodi!

SIX SIMPLE STEPS TO CONNECT WITH YOUR SENIOR CLIENT

1.      Meet with your senior before the session for an in-person consultation.

I love to meet up at Starbucks with my clients a couple of weeks before the session.  This gives us a chance to see each other face to face and engage in a little conversation to get to know each other better.  Most of the time, it’s both the senior and her mom who meet up with me so that all three of us are on the same page for the direction of the session.  I come with a very loose agenda of details for us to discuss which helps break the ice and also gives us something to fall back on, especially if the girl is rather shy.  These quick and casual meetings are a really important first step in the relationship I build with my clients.

2.      Email, text or facebook with your client to continue your session planning conversations.

After the initial meeting, I have a pretty good idea of the vision for our shoot.  Over the next days and weeks, I keep up the enthusiasm for the session by texting the client an idea or a detail that I’m excited to share.  I also often have her send me pictures of the outfits she’s planning to wear.  Short messages passed back and forth like this make the day of our session feel like we’re friends getting together who have known each other for a lot longer than just a few weeks.

3.     Acquaint yourself with their interests with the intent of genuinely entering into their world.

One of the things I love most about photographing others is connecting with them and gaining a bit of an understanding about who they are.  Seniors are certainly no exception here.  Asking open-ended questions about the things they are involved with, discovering their passions, and even learning about their post graduation dreams are key to getting a deeper glimpse into the subject of your photos.  This true connection will reward you with beautiful, authentic images that genuinely reflect the essence of your client.

4.      Be fully present at the session.

I may have rushed out of the house in a whirlwind and still have loads and loads of work to do when I get home… but really, my senior doesn’t care.   What matters to my clients during those two hours is whether or not they “look good” for their pictures and if they are “doing this right” to get the images they are hoping for.  On the way to each session, I spend lots of time reviewing my plan and just visualizing the shoot in general.  I want to be fully engaged and present in order to be respectful to the client commissioning me to capture them.

5.      During the session, keep a light conversation going and affirm the client as you notice things that are working.

Admittedly, even after all my pre-session attempts to make the session as comfortable and relaxed as possible, the first 20 minutes is still full of client jitters as she gets in her groove, so I am especially intentional to keep things light and chatty as we begin.  Letting the client know what’s working is also incredibly helpful to making them feel relaxed.  Compliments (genuine of course… they will read through anything else!) on their smile, the way they’ve positioned themselves, even on how the light is shining on them validates the client, helps them relax,  and creates a beautiful confidence in front of the camera.

6.      Let them see you having fun at the session.

I want my seniors to have fun at their sessions, and that first starts with me.  I really do love everything about the working with seniors… from our first introductions, getting to know them, planning the clothes, their eagerness to cooperate, showing them their galleries and seeing both their face and their moms’ face light up when they look through their final images…. I love it all!  I don’t hold it in, and I let them see me getting a little carried away in excitement.  It’s part of the genuine experience.

Jodi Arego is a mentor at Clickin Moms and owner of Jodi Arego Seniors out of Houston, TX