Senior Rep Programs are something of a mystery to me.  I have tried it, failed miserably and basically don’t know how to start again!  So, as the editor of Seniorologie, I am on a never-ending journey to learn as much as possible and share it with the readers.  And this most definitely includes learning about senior rep programs!  I don’t think I am alone in this quest and I hope to share several posts with you in the future about rep programs that work!

The first brave soul to share her rep program with us is Amber Fox.  Amber is a photography teacher so she has a special bond with the age group which is high school seniors.  She is creative, well-traveled and interesting.  And she is an amazing photographer!

Below, Amber shares two beautiful sessions of one of her reps and the behind the scenes info on the session.  She also shares a little about her rep program and what makes it work!  To check out more of Amber’s work, click here!  Thanks for sharing this with us Amber!!

How long have you been photographing seniors?

I have been photographing seniors for approximately three years now. As a high school teacher, I had been photographing some of my students, if they asked. Marketing was easy. My students loved me, I took great photos of them and their friends and I had lots of great sessions. I was set. Until, I was told that I wasn’t allowed to photograph any student in my entire district, because of worries over conflict of interest, so I had to totally reinvent my marketing strategy. Essentially, I was now in the same boat as any other photographer who wanted to break into a new market.

How has your senior marketing campaign changed over the years?

My senior marketing campaign has lots of room for growth. I have made lots of mistakes along the way, but I have been able to work with some amazing young ladies that I will be forever thankful to. For my next group of 2013 seniors, my target is to have only two senior models at five of the target schools in my area. I know other photographers who specialize in seniors suggest having a crop of 6 or more from each school, but I want to be a low volume studio who can treat my clients like family. I also don’t want to overwhelm myself with tons of work, that will ultimately make me stressed and not the best wife or full time photography teacher. I want to invest in these young ladies, beyond just taking pretty pictures of them.

How many senior reps will you have and what will you do differently?

So this year, I want to focus on five local schools in my immediate area. I hope to have a total of 10 senior rep models. These young ladies must be all around fabulous, have great social skills, be super involved in school, can spread the word about my biz, have lots of friends on Facebook and whom really believe that senior portraits from the yearbook people are far from acceptable. In the past, some of my girls didn’t even have a Facebook page, which makes viral marketing nearly next to impossible. I want to make sure my reps have ample opportunity to spread the word! And I see how often my kids are on their phones checking Facebook, so know it’s a mandatory requirement.

How is their rep shoot different than a regular senior portrait session?

The first shoot I have with them will be no cost for them, however they have to pay for their hair and makeup at the salon I work with who styles all my clients. In my area, senior portrait photography is not something most teens know about, so essentially, this session is to show them how cool and fun a Senior Portrait session really should be like. Their shoot will be about 45 minutes long, which is much shorter than a typical shoot with me, but still gives them a taste of what it feels like to be a model.

What happens after the shoot?

A week later, I will schedule the senior reps to come over to my home based studio, on an individual basis, where I will shower them with cookies and their favorite drink to enjoy while watching their epic slideshow. During this reveal session, their parents have the opportunity to buy products with a 10% discount, but unlike my normal clients, they are not contracted to buy. During this time, they will also get a cute little stack of awesome rep cards, with one of my favorite pics from their shoot on the front and my info and a $50 coupon or 12 free wallet offer on the back of the card. And the parents will get two accordion albums, so they can bring them to work and show them off to their friends & collogues. I believe this is the best marketing tool you can offer for your senior reps! And on top of all this, they get 5 images to use on Facebook and I create a timeline collage for them that has my logo on it as well.

What does the Senior get as an incentive to spread the word?

Depending on the preference of the student, for every student they refer, they will get an ITunes gift card, a gift card to Forever 21 or a print credit towards fabulous products. During the reveal session, we discuss what the student would most want and I take it from there.

What was your inspiration for this photo shoot?

I love this senior! Darcy was a junior rep from last year, so this is the second time I got to have the wonderful opportunity to photograph her. I was familiar with her style and knew that she loved a high fashion sort of look. I had her look thru a bunch of Ruche look books and from there she communicated to me what her favorite sort of location and style was. I was then able to dream up the perfect location, ripe with cool vintage finds and great backdrops.

Where did this photo shoot take place?

This photo shoot took place on a private property in La Mirada, where a lot of locals ranch their horses. From the friend who took me there, it was explained to me, that it was a vintage barn. Once arriving on location, there was an old dilapidated tractor, an old rusted out Chevy truck, a broken down chicken coop and a red vintage barn with horses! And there was even enough room for her dad to drive up his 1969 Thunderbird convertible. It was kind of an epic location.

Did you collaborate with this senior on the wardrobe for the session?

Darcy and I went back and forth over Facebook discussing outfits and what sort of stuff to wear. I have worked with her in the past, so I knew her style would totally work with this location. I gave her a bunch of suggestions as to what to bring, things like cowboy boots and textured fabrics. She arrived with a laundry basket of clothes and from there we simply picked our favorites.

What camera, lens and equipment was used in this photo shoot?

I was using my Canon 7D and mostly my 50 f/1.4 and my 17-40 f/4. Since that shoot, I have upgraded to a 5D Mark II and I wish I would have been able to use my new 16-35 f/2.8 to get some of those wide angle shots.

What time of day was this shoot?

I always do my photo shoots in the late afternoon, when the light is a golden amber color. In the beginning of the shoot, we did more of the shoot in the darker locations of the property when we needed more available light and when the light got to that buttery golden hour, we moved on over the barn to finish up the shoot with some pretty flare photos.

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing these photos?

I took a lot of pictures!!! The main tip I can give you all about my workflow is to invest in Photo Mechanic. It made the whole culling process extremely easy and efficient. Otherwise, I use the Totally Rad Presets in Lightroom and finishing touches with TRA actions for all my editing work.

What is your favorite thing about these photos?

The light, cool textures, posing, the styling, but most of all, my favorite thing about these photos is how well Darcy and I work together. Since we have shot together before and since I have really nurtured the relationship between her and her family, we just click with each other. There is a trust there and Darcy knew I could deliver her stellar images.

What do you want these photos to convey about this senior and about your photography business?

I really wanted these photos to covey how stunningly beautiful Darcy is. One of my ultimate objectives when photographing my seniors is to reveal to them how beautiful they are. So often young teens carry low self-esteems and crave to look like the models in magazines, but they don’t realize how they too are beautiful. I want to make my girls feel like fashion models and give them a rock star experience. Darcy is a gorgeous young woman, inside and out, and I really think these photos capture her raw beauty.

What is one tip about senior portrait photography that you can share with other photographers?

Engage in a friendship with your teens. The best photos that I have taken are from the families I have really invested in. Take your time to really get to know your seniors and their families…they and their parents will have that much more confidence in you when it comes to shoot and then the sale. Additionally, you might be one of the few positive influences in their life, so take your role of being a role model with the utmost importance. You are most likely someone who is living thier dream, doing something you love, and this can be inspirational to a young person.