Why I Meet With My Seniors Before The Senior Photography Session

When I take portraits of my seniors (or families), I feel like I am becoming part of the family for a short but important part of their life.  But I feel like I am being adopted and they have to approve of me and get to know me.  I also feel that I want to make sure this family is one that I like and that we share common ground about the images that they will be putting on their walls.

Another reason to meet is I want to find out about the senior and establish a rapport with them.  When we get on location, it can take ten minutes to get warmed up to each other even without the consult.  The more time I can spend with them beforehand, the smoother the session will go.  

This is also the time to design the session.  What clothes to wear, what kind of makeup, what locations, what props, what kind of looks, what insecurities there are, and to answer any questions you may have.  There is a lot of great conversation that happens at these meetings.  One, because we are just having some fun and because we are designing the session specifically for you.  There are no two seniors that are alike (even twins want different things in their sessions), and therefore, no two sessions are the same. 

Another added bonus (or not) is that you get to ask me all kinds of questions.  They can be personal or business questions.  These meetings usually last 30-60 minutes depending on how side tracked we get.  I also do these consults for family session when the Mom or Dad want to talk about some of the same things mentioned above.  Not everyone I meet with schedules a session.  The main reason is that our financial goals are not aligned,  but over 95% of the time, I get adopted and we book the session and have a great experience!  Call me if you have any questions or want to meet.