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This week we meet Ed Mercer; photographer and photoshop guru! He has some great information for photographers so check it out!

Ed has also put together a great video tutorial on making collages/blends/composites. He normally sells his instructional videos for $27 but is giving Senior Solutions readers a special discount! Only $11 for 5 tutorials. See his links below.

Also this week from Saturday to Saturday I am going to do a giveaway for a Senior Solutions Guide complete with templates, contracts, etc. All you have to do is read about Ed and comment on his thread to enter! The winner will be randomly chosen next Saturday.

You can check out the link here :

http://www.photographytipsandsecrets.com/montagedownload.html

http://www.mercerphotography.com
http://www.photoshopsolutions.com
http://www.photographywizards.com
http://www.thzn.com
http://www.makemoneywithyourcamera.com

1. How did you start out photographing seniors? Did you transition from weddings, children etc?

We did start out photographing weddings back in 1977 and were doing over 100 weddings per year before we started

to photograph seniors. We were going to PPA seminars and conventions and were hearing speakers talk about high

school senior photography and decided to try some of the techniques they were teaching us, and before too long we

were getting a steady stream of non contract seniors. We eventually got a couple of contracts along with those non

contract seniors and have been doing it ever since.

2. What is your favorite thing about shooting seniors?

Senior photography is my favorite part of the photography business, and my favorite thing is meeting and talking

with the seniors and the fact that they really appreciate the time we are taking to get great photos for them. This

is a portrait that they want to have taken, so they are very cooperative. Unlike children who can be great or a nightmare,

almost every senior is great and they give you an opportunity to show your creativity because they will do what you

ask of them because they know you also want great photographs for them.

3. What advice can you offer to a photographer looking to break into the senior market?

 The high school senior market is a tough market to break into and it always has been. Because it has the potential to

be so lucrative everyone wants to have a part of it. Most schools already have a contract photographer who has been

with them for a long time, so unless they really mess up it is hard to take the contract away from them. The best way

is to take the information that you learn at seminars and conventions and market to schools that use high volume

photography studios, (the same ones that do the underclass photos). You will be able to take market share away from

these studios because they will not be able to offer the quality or customer service that you will be able to. One other

way to break into the senior market is to photograph sports teams or specialized groups. The booster organizations

are always looking for photographs or gifts to give the students at the end of their seasons. We photograph these

groups on speculation and sell the photos online or we get hired by the boosters to make montage posters for the

students to be presented to them at the banquet. So you can make extra income doing this type of photography, but

more importantly you are making the connections with parents and coaches that can help you get names of upcoming

seniors who will get used to seeing you around and give you the opportunity to get a working relationship with them.

4. What kind of prep do you do with your seniors as far as make-up, clothing?

Most of the seniors that we photograph have been sent an information card explaining not to wear excessive makeup,

not get too tanned at the beach too close to their sitting date, what type of clothing looks and photographs the best, bring

props related to their hobbies or sports that they might be involved with, and we recommend three changes of clothing.

5. How do you stay current with trends?

We go to seminars at PPA on the national, regional and local level, as well as being members of SPI where the top

photographers in the world teach us all the new and great things in our business. We also go to the regional schools,

like NEIPP or other regional schools for a week at a time, and again study with the top photographers in our field.

6. What’s your best selling product?

Our best selling product would be our folios that are offered at a discount when a certain minimum purchase is reached

followed closely by our DVDs that are used to view their previews and are sold as an add on at the time of sale.

7. How do you balance appealing to the senior and the parents?

I usually have one of the parents in the studio with me when we photograph the senior. We always ask the senior if they

mind whether the parent comes in just in case it could be an uncomfortable situation for them. But 90% of the time it is

not a problem for them, and the parents get to see just how much work is involved in photographing high school seniors

and leave the studio very impressed.

8 What’s one thing you thought would never go over well that has been a huge hit?

When we changed showing previews to our seniors and replaced them with DVDs to music, I wasn’t sure how it

would be received. But it turned out being a great way for them to view their previews and a viral marketing tool

that they shared with all their classmates. And it was a great add-on to sell also.

9. What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made and what were the best remedies to those mistakes?

When we first attempted to get involved in the senior market we were overly aggressive and thought we could just go in

and take the yearbook contract away from the established contract photographer, which we eventually did. But we went

through a lot of stress that we could have avoided had we just slowly marketed the seniors away from that particular

contract photographer and grabbed a few seniors here and there from other schools.

10. What would you do differently if you knew then what you do now?

Again, I did not have the marketing skills back then that we do now, thanks to lots of conventions and seminars that we have

attended over the years. I think that quality and customer service can open the doors to getting more high school senior

business as well as any kind of business that you are pursuing

11. What do you personally like best about this business?

I like the positive feedback and appreciation that we receive from our clients for a job done well that most people in their

careers do not receive. If you’re good at what you do in this business, it is recognized and people want to tell you so. So doing

something that you love, getting paid for it, and then getting a pat on the back for doing so is a pretty good thing.

Like all you other photographers out there, every now and then I check my statcounter to see where people are coming from. It is interesting and exciting to see new hits everyday. Well today I check and saw an AMAZING ( I mean huge but not going to say how huge) amount of new hits. So I was wondering where are all these people coming from?

I linked to this incredible informational blog by David Ziser called  Digital Pro Talk. Well scroll down a little ways and I find that he has mentioned my blog and senior solutions!! I was so floored!

Thanks so much David, you have a wonderful resource for professional photographers to read daily. If you have not checked out his blog you must go now…. RUN@!! there is soo much information about tips, techniques, and news for digital photography, photoshop and lightroom!!

Forgot to mention that Erin Duke Designs is doing a giveaway this week on the blog!! All you have to do is check out the cool interview with Chris from Joles Photography ( see below) and comment. Then you are entered into the random drawing!!

What you could win… Your choice either her 11×14 Collage Set or 12×12 Collage set. These are great for any kind of photography!! Here are a few examples, to se more check out her website!

Today meet Chris from Jolesphotography! Chris and his wife work out of their home and have some cutting edge senior work! You have to check out his blog and website!! Thanks Chris!

http://www.jolesphotography.com
http://jolesphotography.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/jolesphotography

2. What is your favorite thing about shooting seniors?
Out of all the different types of sessions we do, I absolutely LOVE photographing seniors. For some reason, I never get board of working with them. They have all of this attitude bottled up inside, and I can get them to do things that their parents can’t get them to do (pose, dress up, comb their hair etc etc). Then best of all, I get them to really show me who they are, bring out their attitude, and then, they go home.

3. What advice can you offer to a photographer looking to break into the senior market?
Take your time. It’s a funny market. You need first be a smart business person and believe in yourself. Don’t set your prices low, no one will take you seriously. Join an online forum (i.e. my personal favorite www.pro4um.com ). Some cost $$ to join, but take the pro4um, if you are smart, you should be able to make your money back the first sales session you do. Find out what the seniors use in your area, is it facebook or myspace. Whatever one it is, use it, it’s a free marketing tool.

4. Tell us about some of your more popular items that seniors buy.
Seniors in our area seem to be very traditional. One item that we offer that no one else in our area seems to be offering is a press printed senior album. We use White House Custom Color as our lab and they offer these wonderful press printed books. We offer these books in our largest package and as long as they purchase a package, the books are discounted.

We also offer a 10×20 collage print that we call the Senior Expression that the kids absolutely love!

5. What kind of prep do you do with your seniors as far as make-up, clothing?
After they call and book with us, we send them an FYI guide that contains every bit of information they would ever need to know about their senior photo session. We also call them to confirm their appointment and go over any last minute questions they may have prior to them coming in. We make sure to tell them to bring in clothes for all situations.

6. How do you stay current with trends?
I pay strict attention to senior photographers all over of the country. Participation on the pro4um has helped me stay current. I also plan on joining SPA (Senior Portrait Artists http://www.spartists.com) . SPA has the best of the best with regards to senior photographers.

7. What’s your best selling product?
We don’t have one product that out sells any other. I would however say that our “Experience” is our best selling product. The best compliment that we have been given was to compare coming in for a 2 hour session to spending time at a day spa. I meet every one of our clients when they drive in, I help them bring in their clothes, and my wife works with the senior and helps them do the final clothing picks. I meet with the parent and go over our policies and our price guide. My wife and I do this as a team, just like everything else we do. First and foremost we are friends, so working together is pretty easy. I take the photos, she helps the kids pick out their clothes and pose. Since I also work a day job, she works the images in Photoshop and then I do the sales sessions in the evening. It really is a true partnership, I could not do it without her!

It’s a complete experience.

8. How do you balance appealing to the senior and the parents?
We always make sure that our marketing has great images in it that appeal to the senior. However, the text is aimed at the parent. From the first time they read one of our sales letters or see our senior catalog, we are building a relationship. We need to get the seniors to trust us and to have them think we are “the cool studio”. Once we do that, the parents tend to go where the senior wants to go. We have really noticed that this year, as we have made a huge in road into one of the local schools.

9. What’s one thing you thought would never go over well that has been a huge hit?
We don’t do our packages like most studios. We use gift portraits (any combination of 1 8×10, 2 5×7’s of the same image or 4 4×6’s of the same image). Our packages have a specific number of gift prints and each gift print can be a different pose. I have been told by the best of them that I would be leaving money on the table by doing this. However, more people are coming to us because of the variety that they can get. In the end, they are spending the same amount of money they would be spending at the larger studios, but they are leaving with more prints and more poses.

10. what are some of the biggest mistakes you have made and what were the best remedies to those mistakes?

I think the biggest mistake that we made early on was pricing ourselves too cheap. I don’t think anyone took us seriously at first. However, once we raised the prices the phone started ringing. We attended a seminar put on by Tim Babin and one of the subjects he spoke about was product pricing and knowing your COGS (cost of goods sold). We learned a lot from Tim and when we came back, we took a long hard look and made some adjustments. I am very pleased to say, Tim was right!

11. what would you do differently if you knew then what you do now?
I would have purchased the right equipment the first time around. I have learned that just because you can get it cheaper, does not mean it is the same. All softboxes are not created the same. Spend your money on high quality products and they will make you money over and over again.

12. what do you personally like best about this business?
I love the opportunity to meet new people and the look they have when they see their images for the first time. Its easy to make a cute person look great, but it can take a bit of work to make an average person look great. In the end, I would bet that you will make more money from the average person that you made look great.

13. how do you keep it fresh. Of all photography markets it seems like this one is the most trend based, how do you keep up with that. And well not shoot your self after 20+ girls want the exact same pose and location because “becky” got it.
This year we hired a landscaper to come in and create an outdoor shooting park in our back yard. We run our studio out of our home and wanted to enhance the experience that our clients have when they visit us. While it was a huge expense, it is paying for itself many times over. Our average has gone up this year and our schedule is filling up faster too. Having the new areas to shoot in has helped us keep the creative juices flowing. Another thing that helps is that my wife has a huge artistic side, and has started painting backgrounds for use with our seniors. They are going over big and since they are one of a kind, I can guarantee that no one else with have that same image.If you could spend a day with any photographer and ask them anything who would it be and what would you want to know?

 
I would love the opportunity to follow Gary Box around for a day. He is not only an incredibly talented photographer; he is a very smart business man as well. His always pushes the envelope in his market and creates stunning images. I don’t have just one question for him, I would just love to watch and absorb everything that he has to offer.

Some of Chris’s amazing senior work!

Thank you Danielle for your interview this week!! The winners of her giveaway are;

angela smith~ Paper Pack #17

Erica- Asuka template #3