Some of you may remember the survey I put out a month or so back about professional photography and your experiences with it. Some of the trends, such as a desire for digital images, I expected. But there were definitely some answers I was surprised by! Over and over I saw in a variety of ways that people have been disappointed with their level of communication and completeness from their photographers in the past. What do I mean by completeness? It seems that many photographers have booked sessions with you and then simply shot the session. The end. No pre-session planning, no post-session follow up to help choose the best images. Just an exchange of money for a USB of images or digital download leaving you feeling overwhelmed with decisions – how do I decide which images to use? How do I want to display them? Traditional prints or canvases? What size? Are there other options, and what are the benefits? Where do I find a printer that will give me quality product that will last? For an album, where do I even start?
That style of photography feels so incomplete to me! When I’m contacted for a portrait session (newborn or contemporary) we start with a meeting to talk about what your goals for the session are and your vision for displaying your images. First and foremost this session is about YOU. What is your style? What’s your home like? What do you envision doing with your images after the session? If you want to hang them on your wall (most of my clients do!), we’ll even talk about which wall specifically and I’ll ask you to send me a picture of it so we can shape the vision for your session. Your answers to all of these questions will influence the way I shoot.
Once we’ve established a vision, we can talk in detail about product choices. Depending on your needs you can walk away with only digitals, only product, or a combination of both, which is the most common scenario. We’ll talk about sizes and placement for product, and all of your options for medium and style. By the end of the pre-session consultation (before you’ve even booked your session!) you should know exactly how much you can expect to invest and feel confident in that.
I try to make this meeting in person since so much can get lost when you’re not face to face. But honestly, sometimes there’s not a chance (like after a baby is born), in which case we’ll still have at least a phone or video conversation and some back and forth via email/text/etc. Please ask me any questions you can think of and we’ll discuss them.
Leading up to your session I’ll help you be totally ready for success. We’ll discuss how to prepare for your session so that we can have the best chance to capture those images you dream of. We’ll talk about outfit choices and colors, how to prepare yourself and your family, what to expect for timing and flow – everything you need to be relaxed and ready. You can even send me pictures of clothing options for feedback in the days leading up to the session date.
After your photo session is complete, within two weeks (and usually within one week) we’ll meet together again to review your images and make final decisions on product. Based on our conversations before your session I will have some suggested images for your wall or album – and I can even show how they’ll look on your wall because you have already sent me a picture of it! And let’s be real: I’ve likely shown you this image on the back of the camera during your session because I knew when I captured it that this was the one we had talked about from the beginning!
Why do I conduct my business in this way? I want to make it as easy as possible for you to achieve the vision you have, not only for capturing these precious memories of your family, but also reliving them and sharing them by providing you with quality products that will last a lifetime and keep these memories fresh.
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