The first year I decided I was going to dive into the senior pictures market was presented with the first question, how was I to get some samples to put up on my website to show moms what I can bring to the game as a viable photographer to go to.  After much thinking I came up with a plan.  I figured that the best way was to get in touch of some juniors at surrounding schools before the spring time hit.  Being in the west Michigan area most of my life I associated with many people that had daughters that were in their high school days.  I started contacting them, preferably one from each school district in my surrounding area, and asking them if their daughter or son would be interested in being one of my senior representatives for the coming school year.  I explained to them what the program consisted of which includes the following:

1. The session would be free of charge, it would be a shoot for me to photograph their son or daughter in locations that I wanted to shoot in.  More or less trying out ideas that I wanted to try that I thought would promote my business.

2. I would pick out my favorite images, and show them my picks to make sure they liked the picks, and retouch them.

3. I would then get a bunch of wallets made from the final proofs, get them printed with my business website name at the bottom. 

4. The next step would be to get the final wallets to them before the end of their junior year so they could hand them out to their friends.  Get them to sell you as their senior picture photographer!

5. This next part is important.  For every person they refer to you to do their senior pictures, they would receive 20%, or 10% off their senior pictures package, if they decided to come back to you for their pictures.  This is a major incentive for them and their parents, because senior pictures can get expensive for the average income family.  I also told the parents that they had no obligation to use me for their senior pictures photographer, but 95% of them came back to pay for a session with me in the summer or fall.  You are essentially already booking your first clients!

6. The next incentive, if they come back to you for their senior pictures session, is to include the final retouched proofs from the senior pictures representatives session as images to choose from to make enlargements.  This may seem confusing, but the way my senior pictures packages work is, depending on the package, I email a gallery to the parents after the shoot with subtle adjustments made.  They get to pick out which proofs they like, I retouch only those, and these become their final proofs.  These images are what they will make their enlargements from.  If they want more proofs, It's an extra $20 to have another image retouched in order to make enlargements or wallets from.  By including the proofs you already retouched from their representative session, they could end up with double the amount of proofs to choose from to make enlargements.  The images are already retouched and it's another great incentive to offer.

7. If this works for you the first year, do it again the next!  You already have an in with the rep you just photographed, contact them and ask them if he or she has a junior friend that they think would love to be a rep for you for the next year.  Someone fun and outgoing, that everyone likes, and see if you can get their number to contact them about being your next rep from that school.  Ask them to explain the benefits and fun you had, people are always looking for a deal, and will feel special that you picked them!

This is a win, win business plan for senior pictures and it got me up and running the first year and doubled my business the next.  Websites can be great, but having your images in front of their face is even better!  They may not find your website the first couple of years depending on your google ranking and the competition in your area, but they will have a beautiful picture of their friend, which they will show their mother and plant the seed.  So get out there, contact some friends, get your reps lined up and get your senior pictures business rolling!

Below is one of my first representatives, she brought me clients from her school, about $2,500 worth of business.