Katie! (Senior Portrait)

Well, I'm excited to say that today I shot my second senior portrait! Unfortunately I made the mistake of letting the mother come along though... she was a pain to say the least. One of those "Why are you doing that?" and "Oh! Wouldn't that make a great photo?!?!" types... very distracting.

I wasn't able to make a connection with the model, and I struggled to find shots that were creative. Actually, I don't think I found any at all. I did my best though, and I think they'll be more than happy with the results. I now have a NO MOM'S ALLOWED policy. I think from now on, I'll request it be just me and the model, it just doesn't work out any other way...

Here's a pic that I edited in both color and B&W. I usually shoot only black and white, and that's actually what they requested, but I'm drawn to the color version of this one... so I'll leave it up to them.

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definitly like the color one better the b&wher eyes look evil...lol

I understand your frustration. I've done a few myself this year and the parents are along as well. Here's a couple ways to think of it..

Point 1 - These are seniors (not adults) and most parents will want/insist on being there. If you have a "No Parents" policy, you are likely to lose potential customers.

Point 2 - These seniors are not models... more like subjects. Models get paid.... I know this comment will strike some controversy, but that's how I look at it.

Now... on to what I hope will be helpful advice.... As soon as your clients arrive at the location, establish a rapport with the senior/subject. Ask him/her what they have in mind. Tell the parent you want to make this as comfortable for their son/daughter as possible and want to get a feel for what they want. Show them samples from the web, books, etc.. and include the parents in on the conversation prior to beginning the shoot. This may take an extra 15 minutes or so, but it will let everyone voice their expectations and then on to business.

If the parent keeps suggesting things during the shoot, don't dismiss them, just tell them you want finish a couple things and then you'll get to that shot. Service is the key, treat them right and you'll get more business, even if the shots are mediocre. Dismiss them, even with great shots, and the referral rate will suffer.

By way. Nice shots. They seem a bit soft of my monitor, but her eyes are amazing.

cinci-photo wrote in post #2000425
, treat them right and you'll get more business, even if the shots are mediocre. Dismiss them, even with great shots, and the referral rate will suffer.

it really sucks that this is true, but we all know that it is *sigh*

Beautiful eyes

I like them both. Its a very nice portrait.
I've only done 1 senior portrait so far, got another one for this coming spring, but so far the parents haven't been a problem, I did my shots first and asked if there was anything they wanted aside from the ones I took. They were happy with what I had so we ended the session. We communicated ahead of time what type shots they were looking for so I was prepared and seeing I took shots they wanted the mother stayed back and let me do my thing. =o)
Maybe you can work up a form for the seniors/parents to fill out at the time of booking so you know what they want from a session, and maybe that way they'll stay behind and let you do your thing when the photographing actually starts. Or do what another poster suggested, tell them that you want to do this shot first and then you'll do hers. After all they're the paying customers.
You did good tho, love to see more if you have them.

Maybe I over exaggerated with the no moms policy statement, but seriously this mom made things difficult. Even made her own daughter especially unseasy by being so intense. Like seriously, the woman was all over me, and her daughter. She's the "I know everything there is to know about this" types who can't help but state her mind before, during, and after the shot has been taken...

I obviously wont exclude parents 100%. If one of my subjects says they'd feel more comfortable with their rent around, then I'd be fine with that, but would advise against it non-the-less. Or I could request respectfully that I shoot 1 on 1 for at least the first half hour, and then the parent could come on over. Something like that.

The first senior portrait that I shot, it was just me and the girl, and it was fantastic. Went off without a hitch, I felt very comfortable, she felt very comfortable, and the end result was more than both of us had hoped for.

Honestly, I just want to have fun, I'm not doing this to make money. I'm doing it to gain experience, and most importantly, have a good time. Because I love photography, and don't want for it to feel like a chore. Shooting with that mom yacking at me in the background, made shooting feel like a chore... she was quite rude.

Anyway, enough about the whole mom thing, glad yall like em. I sent the pics to the girl as a sort of teaser, and she loves them both! She's fond of the color version though, just as I suspected. Yet another advantage of digital!!