By talking to your clients in a pre-session consultation (whether by phone or in person), you can discovering unique things about your client to incorporate in their senior session.  Melissa Hunt, of Melissa Lynn Hunt Photography in North Carolina, did just that!  And what she discovered, created a unique and inspiring concept shoot!!

Melissa said that this senior mentioned her dream of traveling the world one day.  She used to travel all over with her father being in the Airforce, but she wanted to do it again, on her own terms.  Melissa says that this senior even had a list of top ten places to visit!  By using props such as maps, suitcases, passport, journal and even a vintage World War II plane, this concept took off!!  This session takes the Road Trip Concept Shoot from Seniorologie’s Pinterest board (see post here) to a whole new level!!

Check out what else Melissa had to say about this session and read more on how she put it all together!  Thanks for sharing Melissa!!

What was the inspiration, theme or concept for this photo session?
Bethany would like to travel the world one day.  It’s something she is most passionate about and where we drew inspiration for her photo session.  

Did you collaborate with this senior on the wardrobe for this photo shoot?
Bethany chose outfits that she loved and thought would be best. From there I worked with her to narrow down the best for the session.

How and where did you find the amazing props for this session?  Especially the Plane??:)
I first started with pinterest.  I created a board and pinned all the ideas I thought would be perfect for her session.  From the pin board I got realistic and started to collect items from friends or from my own home. The vintage suitcases are from friends.  The items you see in the suitcase are pictures from when Bethany traveled the world as a child, her favorite pair of sneakers, and the bunny she won’t leave home without.  I found the journal at Anthropologie. As for the plane,  I know a pilot who flies privately.  I contacted her to see if she had a connection with anyone who has a small plane! Lucky for me it was very easy. I got connected with an international pilot who has a Piper J Cub plane. He uses it for recreation and was more than willing to let us use it for our photo session.  He even took the clients mom and my intern up for a flight! Without his generosity and time this photo shoot would not have been as successful.  

Where did this photo shoot take place?
We shot on the grounds of the private airport.

What time of day did this take place?
We shot from 5:00-8:00pm (in between some rain showers!)

What equipment, camera and lenses were used for this photo shoot?
I use Canon 5D Mark II.  I shot the entire session with a 50 mm 1.8.  I also used the Mark II to capture short video clips throughout the session. I used a white reflector to help fill light.  It was very overcast. 

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session?
I do my absolute best to get it right SOOC.  If that’s the case I will do basic skin touch ups and most likely increase the curves a bit. I try to keep it simple. 

What is your favorite thing about this session?
My favorite part was working with Bethany (The Senior).  She was having a blast the entire time!!  When she saw the final product she was beyond happy.  This may have even turned her on to a career in modeling. (She could definitely do it!)

What do you feel this session conveys about your photography style?
That I can capture the true person.  I want the session to represent who my client is while at the same time reflecting beautiful photography.

What is one piece of advice you can share with fellow photographers when it comes to planning a concept session for clients?
Get to know your client! When I met with Bethany to get to know her I took a ton of notes.  I learned so much about her in just an hour.  Because I listened to her and asked the right questions, I was able to take my vision and creativity and mesh it together with what I knew about her.  When I show a Senior + her parents the images from the session I want to hear.. “That’s her smile!” “That’s definitely the look she gives!” “That is so her!”