Each time I leave the Seniorologie Semester Retreat, my heart is so full!! There really is nothing like being around other photographers sharing their hopes and dreams for their businesses, supporting one another, cheering each other on and laughing along the way! This was my second Seniorologie Semester Retreat and I loved every single minute of it. Today, I wanted to share a recap of what our retreat was like and give you a little view inside our time together.
What is the Seniorologie Semester Retreat?
If you aren’t familiar with the Seniorologie Semester and the retreat, let me share a little about what it is. I created this program to help other women in their senior photography businesses. I have to be honest it helps me too! You see, I used to run workshops and conferences and as the host everything fell on me. Because of that, I didn’t truly get to know my students. Instead, I spent all the time focused on the details. I wanted to create a program that would allow me to walk beside my students and get to know them as we took their business to the next level. That’s how the Seniorologie Semester was born.
The Seniorologie Semester is a six month educational program exclusively for senior photographers. We meet once a month via zoom for a group coaching call where I present a workshop style seminar on a specific topic relating to senior photography. Topics range from model teams, branding, website, SEO, blogging, pricing, in-person sales, and so much more for six months. I have the chance to get to know each student and their specific business needs. We’ll chat on two 1:1 calls, unlimited voxer access, a Facebook group for the students in the semester for support and the in person retreat. I love that at the end of it all, we get to be together to laugh and learn in person. The retreat takes place in Charleston, SC each year and includes a completely styled senior photoshoot as well as a branding photoshoot for the attendees. We also cram a bit more education into those days and some downtime together, too. I am so proud of all the amazing students who have been in the semester so far!
Our 2022 Seniorologie Semester Retreat
This retreat allows the group to come together to relax, refresh and have fun together as well as learn additional content and have one on one coaching time with me. The relationships formed in this group are so special to see. It might be my favorite part!! And I love knowing that the support we share won’t end after the retreat.
We kicked off the reatreat with a welcome toast and a yummy charcuterie board. Then we headed out to our styled senior shoot! It’s a great learning opportunity for all of us to be able to photograph our models together. Everyone poses and works a little differently, so it’s really fun to watch. This year we had four amazing models. One of them was a former LKP model who now attends college in Charleston. The other three girls were from a local high school, one of them being my former college roommate’s daughter! We styled them in a loose fairytale type theme. Being on Rainbow Row for these portraits was just a dream come true!
While we were shooting, the most amazing lady stopped us and asked what we were doing. After I explained, she literally offered up the keys to her mansion facing the water and said have fun!! As if the original location for the shoot wasn’t beautiful enough, we were able to shoot inside the garden of this lady’s amazing home! The ivy covered stairs, the circular hedge garden, the carriage house and more made the best ending location for our shoot!! I’m still in awe that this even happened!!!
After the shoot, we headed back to the house for dinner and conversation where we shared stories, our hopes for the retreat as well as our hopes for our businesses and so much more!
Retreat Day 2
The next morning it was time for breakfast and coffee! Afterwards, we started the learning portion of the retreat with a presentation all about social media! We took a break and walked to a cute restaurant for lunch and a few margaritas. I told you – it’s a balance of fun and work! Then we headed back to get ready for branding portraits. Afterwards, we headed to Felix for dinner and then back to the house for more learning all about social media!!
Last Day….
The last farewell was coffee and breakfast at one of my favorite spots, The Daily, before our goodbyes! After hugging all of our new sisters and friends everyone headed home with a new sense of excitement for their businesses and a list of things to implement!
I can’t wait to continue to support and watch these ladies grow their businesses! To Alissa, DeAndra, Aileen, Whitney, Kate, Gayla, Julie, Kamryn, Leslie, Kelly, Annie, and Holly: thank you from the bottom of my heart for entrusting me with your education! Thank you for giving me the honor and privilege of being a part of your journey and thank you for sharing with me your hopes and fears, dreams and passions for your business. I am so very proud of each of you!! Working with each of you over the last six months has truly been amazing and I am so grateful!!
Join the Seniorologie Semester, Round 3!
If you’re looking for an educational program that will take your senior photogrpahy business to the next level, please check out the Semester HERE! This program is not only changing my life and giving me so much joy, but the students are doing amazing things!! I would love for you to have that same experience for your business! The next round of The Semester will open for enrollment in May and the program will start in June! Click here to get on the waitlist.