This week, Senior Artistry is featuring a male senior portrait session for the first time! This week’s Photographer of the Week award and blog feature has been awarded to Kim of Kim Elise Photography. She’s based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and she captures senior, family, baby, birth, and event photography.

To see more of her work, you can connect with her here:

Website: https://www.kimelisephoto.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimelisephotography/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelisephoto/

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means the blog owner will earn a small commission, and these commissions help keep this blog running. Using the links will NOT make the item cost more.

What inspired this session and how was it planned?

During our planning meeting, I asked Josh to describe his interests and his ideal session. He mentioned how much he liked jazz, and stated he would love to do a vintage photoshoot with a car – similar to the once seen in the movie Temptations. He left with an assignment to find a blue or black suit, and my task was to track down a vintage car. I reached out to my cousin, who restores old cars, and he was able to connect with one of his clients who owns a gorgeous 1975 blue Pontiac Bonneville convertible! I sent Josh a picture of the car (from the internet) & Josh simply combined the outfit colors (navy & black) for the shoot!

Since the owner (and my cousin) live 45 minutes away in the next city over, the location was decided when we all met up. The look on Josh face when we saw the car in person was priceless! We decided to drive to Lake Michigan near the marina, looking for a place where the lake would be in the background. We blasted old school jazz in the background while he posed in and out of the car.

What was your favorite thing about this session/senior?

My favorite thing about this senior was how incredibly creative he is. His goal was to stand out by being himself, and he did just that. He’s an old soul, extremely laid back, and simply a natural in front of the camera. He’s the one who also had the courage to ask the car’s owner if he could sit on the trunk! To which he replied, “Sure! If there’s a dent, I’ve got my car restorer right here! LOL.”

What lenses and other equipment did you use?

I used a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 lens with off camera flash using a Neewer 47” soft box.

Check out the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 & Neewer 47” soft box:

Nikon lens: https://amzn.to/2pCFp8d
Canon lens: https://amzn.to/2y4I5Af
Soft Box (stand sold separately): https://amzn.to/2BZFcmY
Soft Box stand: https://amzn.to/2y4M4g2

What is your #1 tip for marketing to seniors that you’d like other photographers to know?

Being new to senior photography, what has worked for me is so far is the cool mobile app via Pixiset that includes my contact information. I’ve also added a coupon as the last image for their referrals to receive $25 towards a senior session. I create it using the senior’s picture, so I know who gets the credit (see next image). The “call to action” button links them directly to my Senior Experience page on my site, where they can see samples, review what to expect, and a senior survey button.

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