welcome tO THE SHINE TEAM!

I am SO EXCITED to have you on the 2022 Shine Team!!

The Shine Team is a group of girls from schools all over the Baton Rouge area that come together during senior year to represent True Light Portraits. You can think of it as a club - kind of like rep team meets a sorority! My heart behind the Shine Team is to give you an UNFORGETTABLE senior year. 

Starting in the Spring of your junior year, we will spend the next 18 months doing fun photoshoots, building friendships, having monthly team hangouts and always lifting each other up. And food. There is LOTS of food! Ha!

The Shine Team isn't about meeting a referral quota or constantly promoting True Light Portraits. You DO get the opportunity to earn cash rewards, but these things are NOT required. I just want to cultivate an amazing experience that will be the cherry on top of your senior year!

My goal is to serve you and create an experience that's all about YOU. You can think of the Shine Team as an exclusive club focused on spoiling you and creating senior year memories that will last a lifetime! Are you ready?

- Julie

PERKS + REWARDS

PERKS FOR PARENTS

Set up a payment plan for your senior portraits before July 1, 2021 and receive a FREE Family Mini Session in the Fall.

(Minimum payment of $100 / month)

what we do

There are so many ways to bond with your new Shine Team friends!

Styled Group Photo Shoots - This is what you came for! Photo shoots are your chance to get creative, hang out with your new friends and hone your hype woman skills! These are purely for fun and to give you content to post! If you need to miss one, don't sweat it! A few notes about photo shoots

Hair, makeup, and wardrobe are not provided for group photo shoots. You can piece together your look based on the themes. You are welcome to get your hair and makeup done professionally, or you can always get together before each shoot and do each other's hair and makeup! As the dates for each shoot get closer, I will post inspiration photos in our Facebook Group.

Locations for each shoot and hangout will be posted in the Facebook Group as the date draws closer. For most shoots, I will post a time frame that I will be at the location (ex: 2:00 - 4:00) and you can come anytime within that window for your pictures. No need to sign up!

 Please allow about 2 weeks for me to process pictures taken at our shoots. I will always send a sneak peek!

COVID GUIDELINES: For now, the plan is to mask up if we are indoors, removing them when it is time for photos and you are distanced from the rest of the team. You may take mask-less photos with other team members that you interact with on a regular basis. If we are outdoors, we will not be required to wear masks, but we will socially distance. As state guidelines for Covid safety change, we will make adjustments to our hangouts and photoshoots.

Hangouts ( in person monthly + video chats bi-weekly ) - Hangouts are a chance for us to connect as a group and just have FUN. Examples of monthly hangouts include bowling, thrift shopping, crafting, or just having a Netflix night together! We will also have bi- weekly video chats via Zoom. This is a time for us to check in with each other and catch up while seeing each other’s faces!

Facebook Group - The Facebook Group is a place for you, myself and your parents to all connect and communicate. I will post announcements, event reminders, and sneak peeks there. This will be my primary form of communication with the entire group, so be sure to join. For major announcements, I will also send out email reminders and group texts. You can request to join the group HERE.

We have also established a GroupMe chat for the girls. Parents are more than welcome to join as a fly on the wall, but are not required.

Shine Team Retreat - The Shine Team Retreat is my favorite event of the year. In early May of your senior year, we will go to my family farmhouse in Norwood, Louisiana to hang out, hike and zipline! It’s such a fun time to bond as a team and really soak in our newly formed friendships. Parents are always invited but not required.

IMPORTANT DATES

Open Recruitment Closes - December 27th

Parent Meetings (via Zoom) - January 9th and 10th

Agreement Due - January 15th

Membership Fee Due - February 1st

Senior Portrait Date Signup - March 31st.

Payment for your senior portrait session is not due until the day you take your senior portraits.

You will sign up for this date on March 31st.

LET’S TALK MONEY

Shine Team members are required to make two payments:

Your Shine Team Membership Fee ($300)

The purchase of your senior portrait session ($700 - $1800). Payment plans are available for senior portraits. What is included in each senior session is detailed below! You can find more info and FAQ about senior portraits HERE.

PAYMENT PLANS

Payment plans are available to Shine Team Members. You have from the time you join the team (January 2021) until your senior portrait date to pay for your session. You will choose your senior portrait date in March of your junior year - if you want more time to make payments, you can schedule later in the year!

Minimum monthly payments of $100 / month.

Set up a payment plan for your senior portraits before July 1, 2021 and receive a FREE Family Mini Session in the Fall.

Full session

This session is for seniors who want the FULL experience.

It includes a two hour session with 5 outfits, 50+ fully retouched digital images, professional hair + makeup, wardrobe from a Partner Boutique, a Pre Session Consultation, an optional Ordering Session and a complimentary Cap + Gown Mini Session in May of your senior year.

$1200 | Deposit of $200 due upon booking. Balance of $1000 due on session day. 

TEAM CULTURE

The culture of the Shine Team is very important to me. This team is meant to be a safe, uplifting place for you girls. On the Shine Team, we lift each other up, give each other grace, and help each other grow in our character.

As I said on the application, I will not tolerate team members making it an unsafe space for others. This includes continually and purposefully making someone uncomfortable, insults, put-downs, snide comments or overall rudeness and unkindness. This behavior is not tolerated on the Shine Team and is cause for dismissal with no refund of your membership fee. This also applies to parents / guardians.

What should I do if someone is continually and purposefully making me feel uncomfortable?

The number one thing you should do is communicate with them. Let them know how they are making you feel - there are SO many personalities in this group. It’s possible that the person simply has an abrasive personality and doesn't realize the way they are coming off. It’s also possible that they are unfit for the Shine Team and behaving that way on purpose. Either way, communicate how you are feeling in a mature, calm manner and do your best to work it out between you.

If it becomes obvious that a resolution cannot be reached on your own, let me AND your parents know. Gather screenshots and any proof that you can and submit it to me. I cannot remove someone from the Shine Team without proof, so this step is important.

I want to be clear, this is NOT to become a witch hunt. Removing someone from the team is very serious and puts me in an extremely awkward position. The goal of this team is for you all to make friends and have a fun, uplifting group of girls to turn to during your senior year. While it would be wonderful for everyone to get along 100% of the time, odds are that there will be friction at some point. It is an adult life skill to work and interact with people who may rub you the wrong way.

Moral of the story: Don’t be the person that makes this a negative experience for other girls on the team.

WHAT NOW?

Shine Team Agreement - The Shine Team Agreement helps ensure that we are all on the same page. Once this is signed by you, a parent and myself, and the Shine Team Fee fee is paid, you will be an OFFICIAL member of the 2022 Shine Team! I included the agreement and a pre-addressed envelope in your welcome packet. You can also scan and email it to me (truelightportraits@gmail.com)

Shine Team Membership Fee ($300) - The Shine Team fee covers all of the fun things that we will be doing throughout the year: Props and rentals for photo shoots, Shine Team merch, food and goodies for team gatherings, the Shine Team Retreat and everything else that will make this an AMAZING senior experience. The Shine Team Fee is due on February 1, 2021.

Make sure you join the 2022 Shine Team Facebook Group to stay connected and get regular updates on the team!