They’re tuned into trends, they’re savvy social media players and they’ve got their parents’ pocketbooks! Ok, so there’s more to this unique market than those traits, but nobody can dispute this fact: Senior Portraits continue to grow in popularity. The Senior market is expanding as teenagers continue to connect with photographers who can create unique portraits of them and their friends. Since Spring is officially Senior Portrait Season, we’re sharing a series of posts from photographers who specialize in Seniors. Get to know these talented photographers and learn their tips and tricks! This week’s featured Senior Portrait photographer is a self-proclaimed troublemaker. Tracy Moore is a Montana-based photographer who loves photographing senior girls because she has fun with them, befriends them and helps them create images full of personality!
Q. How do you approach (and book!) senior clients?
A. I approach seniors as if I’m their awesome big sister! I’m just my normal, goofy-self right away and ask about them and their life. We have a fun chat and I send their parents an email telling them how excited I am, what to expect on the shoot, how to prep etc. They also get an invoice within 24 hours, which must be paid within 24 hours. Sometimes, I talk to the senior first, sometimes I speak with the parents first. That totally depends on the specific client.
About eighty percent of my senior clients come straight from hearing about me from friends and classmates. Word-of-mouth is HUGE for me. In the beginning, it was mostly finding someone (ok anyone!) I knew who had connections with high school juniors. After identifying those key people, I got in contact with them and said I was looking for some “Senior Reps” for that year. I encourage them to collaborate with me by saying that I thought they would be great fit!
Then I do a free shoot for my “Senior Rep,” and they pass out tons of cards to all their friends with my info…and my business starts growing!
Q. Do their parents come to sales meetings? To shoots?
A. I only meet a few parents before shoots. We’ll have a sit-down meeting to talk about their expectations (and my expectations) for the senior shoot. It’s a fun “get to know each other” meeting. Most of the time, however, I don’t meet the parents until after the shoot when they come in to order prints or when I deliver packages to them.
Q. Which social media tools are effective in reaching your senior clients?
A. Facebook is our biggest social media tool for sure! We always tag every client, we link that to our blog for more traffic, and we encourage them to use our images as their profile picture so our logo is spread around as much as possible. We are always active on Facebook, and it’s helped our business grow tremendously because we’re meeting seniors where they hang out!
Q. What kind of relationship do you have with your senior clients? What’s the vibe on your shoots?
A. My relationship with my senior girls is fun, casual, and crazy! We have a total blast on our shoots. My goal is to get them into just a little bit of trouble so that they will have a fun story to tell later. Having a story to tell gives them a legit reason to talk about themselves and their shoot. Everyone loves telling stories about the crazy things they’ve done. And I want to be the cause of that story! So, I encourage them to do crazy (but safe) things. I recently changed my business to focus mostly on high-school senior girls. We just click. I love them and I think they love me back. 😉 Part of me is still a high-school girl deep down, so senior shoots give me an awesome excuse to act like one! We run around, do silly things, talk about boys, jump fences, jump in water, get dirty, and all kinds of other craziness. Then, we each have great stories to tell. And hopefully I’ve helped them feel brave, mischievous, beautiful and fun… all while making them some awesome senior pics to share!
Written by Tracy Moore
Tracy is a self-proclaimed trouble-maker who loves adventures, dancing, and consuming massive amounts of caffeine. She’s based in Montana, but is a California girl at heart.Tracy Moore Photographers