Seasonal sessions can be tricky. One reason being the seasons can come earlier or later than predicted. They can also last shorter than anticipated. In a perfect world we would all know exactly when the first and last day of spring would be. We would also have access to colorful locations filled with beautiful flowers and “spring perfect” settings. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case for many photographers. Here are some ways to get the most out of your spring sessions.
Marketing for Spring
Marketing is essential for your business, regardless of the season. Spring is a very popular time of year for booking photo sessions. The colors are beautiful, the weather is generally nice, and Easter mini sessions are in full bloom. You need to prepare and start booking these in enough advance that the other local photographers don’t beat you to the punch. Clients needs to have time to prepare for their sessions. They may need to schedule time off from work, rearrange their calendars to make time for the session, get haircuts and new outfits, etc. Allowing your clients enough time to prepare for their sessions will make things go much smoother for both you and them.
Mini Session Templates are a great way to get the word out via both social media and e-mail newsletters. You can put an example photo, the price, and your contact information all into one image in a professional and eye-catchy way. It can be a huge time saver because it only takes a second to share the template on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and what ever other social media outlets you may use.
Another tip for marketing for your spring sessions is to offer your clients something beyond prints. This could be a canvas included in the package, or even holiday cards which would be perfect for your Easter clients.
Editing to Help Those Spring Settings Pop Even More
Typically, when we think of spring images, we think of a soft dreamy feel with pretty little pops of color. If you haven’t taken the time to learn a few hand editing tricks, this may just be the perfect season for it. After all, you want your images to stand out against the competition. Taking the time to watch videos that can teach you a few simple tools that can help bring your images from bland to grand can really help you step up your game. Taking the time to master basic edits shows that you take pride in your work and want to give your clients the best results possible.
Whether you just want to fill in some spaces with more flowers that may be missing, add an extra touch of light, or completely transform those settings/locations that don’t look quite “spring like” yet, take the time to learn from the best when it comes to editing. Videos allow you to follow along, pause as you go, take notes if you want, and edit along with the instructor. They are great visuals to help you help you truly grasp the key Photoshop tips and tricks you need to know to help make your spring images really shine!
Safely Add Spring Animals to Your Images
Colors aren’t the only thing we think of when we think of spring. We think of birds and butterflies for typical spring photos. Birds chirping and butterflies dancing around the fields and flowers are always a true sign that spring has sprung. It isn’t ideal to catch butterflies to release during your sessions, obviously they wouldn’t the best at following directions when it comes to posing. And trying to capture birds could be treading on dangerous territory. While they are beautiful to watch in nature, they deserve their space. And the odds are, the perfect bird isn’t going to just show up and birch itself right by your client. You can take advantage of overlays for things such as these that you can add in post processing to give those images the perfect little extra touch of spring beauty without having to be anywhere near them. They are very easy to use once you get the hang of it.
Many photographers use live bunnies and chicks in their Easter photo sessions. There are two downfalls to using these around small children.
The first issue is safety. Safety should ALWAYS be top priority when it comes to all of your clients, especially children. While live bunnies and baby ducklings are cute to look at, they can be unpredictable. Small children can also be unpredictable. This can be a bad combination that could set you up for trouble as the photographer. The last thing you want is to have your clients leaving with scratches or bite marks. Animal overlays allow you to add those extra cute spring touches without the risk of your clients getting harmed in the process. Not to mention, they aren’t the best at posing just where you want them. With overlays, you can place as many as you want wherever you want in your images!
The second issue is the animals care and safety. Chances are most people purchase these types of animals just for Easter photo sessions. It really isn’t fair to the animals to be bought just to be used as props. They deserve to remain where they will be taken care of beyond the photo sessions. Many photographers end up giving them to someone else or are simply incapable of taking care of them as a true pet after the sessions come and go. They deserve to live in stable environments where they aren’t just passed around and treated as props. The only way this would be acceptable is if you actually raise these animals and are 100% confident that they work with children. Odds are, this just isn’t the reality for most of us. Using animal overlays allow you to safely add them to your images in a fairly simple and safe way for everyone involved.
A Whole New Background
Many of us live in areas that simply do not have “spring worthy” locations in their area. Large high-rise cities are a great example of this. The odds of you finding a pretty field of flowers in the heart of a big city are slim to none. If you do not have access to those perfect spring settings that we dream of as photographers, you can use spring digital backgrounds to take your clients to a whole new setting! You can take your subjects images on a busy city street or even your own backyard, and then with the magic of digital backgrounds, bring them to a completely new beautiful spring setting. This allows you to really wow your clients and offer them creative options they may not otherwise have access to.
The digital backgrounds could also come in handy for those with spring allergies who simply are not capable of being in settings with all of those gorgeous flowers. Many people have severe pollen allergies and spring is prime time for pollen. Simply take your photos of your subjects that deal with this in a healthy environment that they can actually tolerate and then place them in those settings they would love to be in. If you don’t want to go through the more in-depth process of creating a full blown composite in a new setting, you can always use overlays to add things such as flower peek-throughs for that simple extra touch of spring.
To Sum It All Up
Seasons can be unpredictable as far as timing goes. Spring worthy locations may not always be accessible depending on the area you live in. When timing is just off or you need some extra special touches in your backgrounds, or even a whole new background altogether, you should take advantage of the resources available to you to make your spring sessions successful.
Whether you just need to make basic adjustments or you want to completely transform your images, these resources can help you all the way from early marketing to boost your sales, to editing those images to get the perfect spring like results that you are aiming for.
The videos are great for learning to do basic edits that can help you get the perfect pastel spring tones. Birds, butterflies, and bunnies (for Easter sessions) can safely be added using the wonderful overlays. And the spring digital backgrounds can give you the ability to place your subjects in a whole new setting that will leave your clients very pleased! Start marketing for those spring sessions in advance and take advantage of all the amazing resources that Summerana has to offer so that you can create impressive images that will keep clients coming back season after season.