The Seniorologie Semester Reunion Retreat

Last week I hosted a Seniorologie Semester Alumni Reunion Retreat in Palm Springs, California with 12 of the most amazing women. If you aren’t familiar with the Seniorologie Semester, let’s start there: it is my signature coaching program specifically designed to help photographers build a successful and profitable senior portrait business. These ladies were all students of the Semester and I have seen them make great strides in their businesses! The Reunion Retreat was another chance for us to come together to create amazing memories, capture epic photos and spend a few days together in sunny California.

We all traveled to Palm Springs on Saturday and checked in to our Airbnb! We reunited, some met for the first time and we loved catching up! Our models stayed with us so it was their first time meeting all these wonderful photographers. After catching up, we head to The Parker for dinner. It is a Palm Springs must-see for all it’s quirky decor and the perfect spot for our first dinner. We won’t talk about how long dinner took (ha!) but it definitely gave us plenty of time to catch up!

Styled Shoot #1 – Joshua Tree

The next day, we woke up early to get everything ready for the first of two epic photoshoots. We had the best hair and makeup artist, Brittany, who made the girls look perfectly boho which was the look for our first shoot! After a yummy lunch at The Sandwich Spot, we loaded up the van and started the drive to Joshua Tree. We drove through a sand storm but luckily it did not follow us to Joshua Tree.

Our first stop was a small western town set up right by the Joshua Tree Welcome Center. I have been here a few times and knew that it would be a great place to take some photos before we headed into the park. The western looking buildings gave us the perfect backdrop to our boho theme.

After grabbing some shots there, we loaded up the van again to drive into the park! I picked out two gorgeous spots for the shoot and we spend a few hours at each. One had rocks and trees to give us a very cool look while the second was all trees and a beautiful sunset!

My models, Ellie and Maggie, and one of the attendees daughter, Averie, were amazing! Seriously pro models and they were up for anything. The great thing about doing shoots at a retreat is that you get to play, push yourself and be more creative. We tried unique poses, had fun with the clothing which provided a dramatic look and more! Each attendee had the opportunity to photograph each model in every location!

After such an epic shoot, we went to dinner and talked all about how amazing the day was! For most of the attendees, it was their first time in Joshua Tree so it was a check off the bucket list for them! If you haven’t been to Joshua Tree, it is definitely a spot to put on your list and if you can do a photoshoot there even better.

It was a long day and everyone was tired, but that didn’t stop us from getting back to the Airbnb to look at the photos, edit some of them and make reels! We had to share!! 🙂

Styled Shoot #2 – Palm Springs

The next day we woke up again to get ready for shoot number two with Brittany getting the models ready for a completely different look. I wasn’t sure we could top shoot one but we did! Both shoots were equally epic and for completely different reasons!

The second shoot was all about that Palm Springs color and retro vibe! I rented a house that allows photoshoots specifically for the shoot and it did not disappoint. The Dazey Desert House was full of personality, color and lots of places to shoot! The models again modeled their hearts out and we again left going, “that was amazing!”

After dinner together and relaxing at the house editing and posting reels, our last night was complete. The next morning everyone headed back to the airport and back to reality! But we will never forget our amazing time in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.

I’ve said it soooo many times, but it is so important to get away from you day to day business and give yourself time to recharge. It is a must to do shoots that inspire you and give you a knew sense of creativity and that is exactly what this retreat did for all of us. I absolutely love my Semester groups and I am so grateful to be able to continue to work with them even after they have graduated The Semester. It is such an honor to help other photographers grow their businesses, specialize in seniors, and become more profitable. Every single one of these students mean so much to me and I am so honored to call them friends!

To DeAndra, Amanda, Rebecca, Aileen, Gayla, Sarah, Kamryn, Whitney, and Julie, THANK YOU! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be a small part in your photography business journey and thank you for trusting me with putting together photoshoots that were on your bucket list. It has been such a privilege to get to know you through the Semester, become friends and continue to watch you grow! I am so proud to call you each friends!

To my amazing models, Maggie, Ellie and Averie, thank you for coming along on this amazing trip! I know you missed classes, boyfriends, families and more to come with us to California and I am beyond grateful!! You are all beautiful inside and out and I am lucky to call you friends!!

Now for the photos….They are truly some of the best I’ve seen and these photographers amaze me with their talents!!

If you are interested in The Seniorologie Semester, you can learn more about this signature coaching program for senior photographers or those who want to specialize in seniors HERE! Applications are on a rolling basis, so you can apply anytime year-round! Don’t wait to join so you can become the go-to senior photographer in your area and have the opportunity to participate in an epic retreat to fuel your creativity!