How many shoots do you plan for your senior models?  One is the minimum you should do!  But if you really want your models to be involved, love their job as a rep and really spread the word about your business, having them involved in shoots throughout the year is a great way to reward them for their hard work!

Michelle Ivy of Michelle Ivy Photography says she does three model shoots throughout the summer and the shoot below is one example of one of her shoots.

“I sometimes build elaborate sets or we will travel to unique locations.  There is always a theme involved,”  said Michelle.  “We named this one Urban Oasis because this location was truly spectacular!”

Check out this cool photo shoot below and read what Michelle had to say about it!  Thanks for sharing your work with Seniorologie Michelle!

Website:  www.michelleivyphotography.com

Blog:  www.michelleivyphotograph.com/blog

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/michelleivyphotography

What was your inspiration for this photo shoot?
My inspiration for this model shoot was the location itself.  I typically shoot more rustic and rural sessions, so I had been wanting to do an urban session with my models.  When I found this location I knew it would be perfect.  It is essentially the back of 3 strip centers that form a U.  Every inch has graffiti even the dumpsters, fences, furniture, etc.

Where did this photo shoot take place?
This shoot was taken in the south side of Houston.  There is an organization that celebrates culture, heritage, history and family through the art of graffiti.  They invite the best artist in the world to come here and paint.  Anyone can go and watch or take graffiti lessons.  They hold music events and photo shoots here.  They work closely with Autism Awareness and donate a portion of their proceeds to this charity.

Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot?
I reveal my photo shoot ideas to my models by creating short videos.  Normally in the video I will send a clip of the location, the props, etc, and I normally include mood boards and pins from Pinterest as well as their guidelines. 
From there, I want the models to use their own creativity and stand out from the other models by being uniquely themselves.

What camera, lens or other equipment was used for this shoot?
70-200 2.8 and 85 1.4

What time of day were these taken?
4pm – 7pm

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session?
My work is a clean edit with bold color.  I like to use a multiply blend mode and a soft light blend mode layer on top for that 1,2 color punch.

What is your favorite thing about this session?
The COLOR.  I had each girl pick out a graffiti wall that either matched their outfit or spoke to them.  It was fun seeing what they came up with.  It also made everyone’s pictures look completely different.

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style?
I believe that a photographer’s style is constantly evolving.  I try to shoot a lot and push myself creatively and learn as much as I can from others.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors?
I think the best tip that I can give other photographers is running a Model program is difficult.  There were so many times that I just wanted to do away with the program all together.  Models do NOT bring you referrals (directly).  They are there for one thing…to have fun!  So create fun shoots that get the models talking.  Post their pictures, make videos, bloopers, anything that can show how much fun they are having. Only then will referrals come.