March 3, 2025 • 29 mins
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This week , we explore how to transform your photography approach and enhance client experiences from inquiry to the final delivery. We delve into techniques, tools, and strategies that contribute to creative photography work and memorable client interactions.
• Setting an inviting tone for client inquiries
• Providing styling and location guides for clients
• Describe how you get the photos with prompting or posing
• Set the tone for How to get the most out of your session
• Delivering photos in a memorable way
• Weekly challenge: Improving your client experience
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, mama, whether or not you're trying out your
camera for the very first timeor you've been doing this a
while and just looking for somecreative inspiration, I've got
all that and more.
I'm here to help you see yourworld differently, challenge you
creatively and find yourpassion for photography.
Welcome back to Better PhotosPodcast.
(00:20):
Happy March everybody.
I cannot believe that we are inMarch.
I feel like spring is hereminus this week.
It is so cold.
But Saturday we had greatweather so I was getting out all
my flower seeds, got somepotting mix, cleaned out my
garden beds and every year Ijust have this vision of like a
(00:43):
beautiful fresh cut flowergarden.
I had a fresh cut flower gardenat my old house and trying to
reestablish that in a new housewith different lighting and
different yard and sloped yardand maybe wanting to do some
things different than I didbefore.
(01:04):
And being a photographer isreally hard for things because
you're always thinking how isthis going to look in a photo?
I've got to get it with theright light.
I've got to get it like what ifI was going to have people here
, like, where would I shoot from?
How do I make it the most likepicturesque thing thing.
(01:29):
So there's a downside to beinga photographer.
So we did that, and then thisweek it's really cold, so now
I'm just watering my seedsinside, so that's fun.
I am planting a variety ofthings and the thing is is that
when you go to the store theydon't have a great big selection
of colors of flowers.
So I found to go on Etsy or ifyou follow certain gardens that
(01:53):
sell their seeds, then you canhave a more specified color
palette, because we all knowthat I love more neutrals, more
muted colors, and, yes, I willhave some pops of, you know,
pink, maybe yellow, I don't know, but specifically I'm going to
have ranges of blush and white.
(02:15):
So I bought all my seeds andsome Dahlia bulbs and I'm still
deciding what else.
And I'm still deciding whatelse.
Also, things that happened was Iforgot to tell you guys that
last I think it was last week,when I had a family session I
finally used my new pocket dispolens and it was so great, I
(02:39):
love it so much.
So it feels like nothing's onyour camera and it's kind of
hard to see through theviewfinder.
But and a tip is to shoot umlike underexposed for your shots
because it gives like anostalgic, moody, grainy vibe.
Um, and this lens is like Ithink it's like 50 bucks or
(03:00):
something.
It's pretty cheap and it makesyour camera like so lightweight.
So I'm thinking when I travel Imight take this lens just for
like a fun kind of disposablecamera vibe, but I don't know
Like it's.
If you want super sharp images,it's probably not the best one
for you.
But if you want some of thatlike vintage feel, then I
(03:20):
definitely suggest um trying itout.
What could hurt?
It's not that big of a dent inyour pocket.
The hard part is remembering totake things out that I buy and
use them because I can get stuckdoing the same thing.
Another thing I did last weekwas I did a brand shoot for a
(03:42):
mobile IV and injectable likevitamin infusion stuff.
One of my clients is startingher own business doing that.
So we rented a studio loft areathing and did our first session
with that and like I don'treally I can't say I really like
(04:03):
love doing that because itwasn't.
I feel like with medical stuffyou can't be like as fun and
creative.
I feel like I would like abranding session more for like I
don't know something else likemore creative, because it's like
, oh, motion blur, you probablydon't want that on medical stuff
.
Or if you want to do a creativelike I don't know, like I don't
(04:28):
know, there's just like notthat much fun stuff when you're
trying to do like a brand for um, ivs, um, or maybe I just need
to practice more, like get somemore inspo.
Um, then, what else got somenewborns coming up.
Oh, then I was location scouting.
(04:49):
I'm trying to find some likecloser locations so that I don't
have families driving that far,because I've realized that my
clients don't really want todrive that far with little ones
and I totally get it, want todrive that far with little ones,
and I totally get it.
So what I've been choosing, Ithink, is like so picturesque
(05:13):
and like I don't mind driving,but maybe your kids hate the car
and getting everybody ready andout the door and getting
somewhere, and maybe yourhusband is like no, like don't
care how great of a place it is,like we're not driving that far
.
So I'm going to start lookingfor more local places and
starting with one that Iactually found in my
neighborhood.
There's a horse farm.
(05:34):
If you go down one of the roadsin my neighborhood that I never
go down and she was so nice andlike I walked the property and
she was telling me all about thehorses and what we can use them
for and I'm like just picturinglike the most romantic, like
family session with these horses, maybe some like cowgirl hats
(05:55):
or ranger hats, I don't know.
I have a session next week thatwas interested in doing this,
so I'll be posting stuff on myInstagram at be posh photo if
you want to see how those turnedout.
Location finding is likeunpopular opinion.
I dislike it.
I feel like it's so hard tofind like a spot because a lot,
(06:17):
of, a lot of places will charge,like flower fields or gardens
or those are kind of the samething greenhouses, or like
historic homes.
Or there's like a lot of placesthat you do it by reservation
and some of them book up soquickly, like peach trees, they
only have, you know, like twoweeks of availability.
(06:39):
So it's like if you don't getin, then you don't, and so you
may not have a client that wantsto sign up for that and then
you may have a client that wantsto sign up for it later in,
like April, but there's noblooms left.
So just trying to match theclient to the location.
Um, it's hard when you havelike a little timeframe that
(07:01):
things are being available.
I hope you can't hear myrooster outside.
He is like right outside mywindow and being so loud.
Anyways, so last week we talkedabout pricing and contracts and
all that fun stuff of startingup your business, and this week
(07:23):
we are going to talk about fiveways to create an incredible
client experience that keepspeople coming back.
So stay tuned, all right.
So what is the best marketingfor your business?
Happy clients, okay, clientsthat rave about their session,
(07:45):
repost their photos, um, telltheir friends about you.
I've literally grown mybusiness pretty much strictly
through word of mouth and, um,that is honestly like the best
way to get clients, because ifyou are booking like ideal
clients, most likely theirfriends are very similar to them
(08:05):
and you will have a wholelittle group of people that
share your same style andinterests.
So that is great.
And so five things to keep themcoming back is one you're going
to set the tone from the firstinquiry is one you're going to
(08:26):
set the tone from the firstinquiry.
So as soon as you get that firstbooking or email, then you want
to respond quickly, first ofall, and outline your process,
tell them how to book, and partof this is like having an easy
booking system, which I hate.
Um, first of all, I don't wantto talk on the phone.
(08:50):
So if a photographer is sayinglike we need to have a call
before I'm out.
If I don't know what I'mgetting, I'm out.
If I don't know what the priceis, I'm out.
So I think of things that likeif I had to like call and get my
calendar out and go back andforth on dates, I'm out.
So I've taught, like takingthese things into account.
(09:11):
When I've taken these thingsinto account when I've been
structuring my experience for myclients is that I want a
seamless, easy booking.
So that's why I use that Acuityand I'm interested in learning
about HoneyBook.
But my clients can go on.
I've created some PDF thingsthrough Canva and they can read
about my whole experience, or Ican respond in an email about
(09:34):
what my experience is like andthen it will take them
seamlessly to booking the datethat they want, adding on the
things that they want and makingsure that they have, like,
signed my terms and conditionsand all the things in one spot.
So if you want to make a welcomeguide, then I definitely
suggest like Canva and usingCanva templates.
(09:55):
You can turn those intowebsites.
You can start a website andhave that as a page on your
website.
You can even just put this upin a PDF on Canva and send them
the PDF to their email.
I can't remember if I just saidthat Canva has websites.
You can make a website linkstraight from Canva.
(10:16):
So those are some ideas on justsetting the tone for your first
inquiry.
So second, you want to helpclients prepare with styling and
location guides.
So you can do this by an email,again, like this is what you
suggest for them wearing um, itcan be colors, patterns, styles,
(10:41):
um.
And you can suggest likelocations of where you want to
shoot.
I used to respond to each email, um, like stating this all out,
but I found it very helpful,like last year or the year
before, creating these guides inCanva again.
So then I made it another likewebsite link that has my
(11:03):
location guide, and then I'vemade like a Pinterest board with
like styles that I like A lotof.
The Pinterest board is alsolinked to my like to know it
account, so then I can getcommission on those outfits, and
then I've also made a clientcloset link that will show
(11:25):
people wearing the dresses, andif they want to pick something
from my client closet, dependingon their package or their add
ons, then they can see it rightthere online in a link at their
leisure, and so that has been sogreat to just send clients
links without having to type outeverything in an email each
time you get a new email aboutsomebody inquiring.
(11:50):
The more direction that clientshave up front, the more in sync
you will be with like what yourvibe is, with what you're
expecting like.
The worst thing that you can doand I definitely didn't learn
this like right away is thatwhen you give clients no guide,
then you end up shooting thingsthat are not quite what you
(12:13):
expected.
So the more if you can justgive them like colors to choose
from.
Maybe you even make a colorboard and say, hey, these work
great with my editing.
Can you pick some colors thatmatch this?
Maybe you create a style guidewith Pinterest and you're
pinning things that you love.
Um, and I also use athird-party styling website
(12:34):
thing that's called style andselect, and this lets me go in
and say how many people are inthe family and search by their
ages and genders and I basicallyget like an online closet thing
and I can pick out outfits foreach person and they are
actually shoppable links.
(12:55):
So that is included in some ofmy packages, where they will get
a customized style guide withlike actual shoppable links for
all the outfits and they can seetheir whole family styled
across the board.
So that is something that hasreally changed.
With style and select, you cansee color combinations.
(13:16):
You can see like at the verybeginning of the page.
You get to pick whether youwant bold, whether you want
classic or whether you wantmuted earth tones.
I bet you can guess which oneI'm going for and then you can
select colors.
Like which two colors do youwant to see within the clothes?
You actually get like fourcolors.
Like which two colors do youwant to see within the clothes?
Um, you actually get like fourcolors but two choices.
(13:38):
So with me I still do justblack and white and brown and
cream.
So it adds in like some otherlike tones, and then obviously I
can add in like blush, or maybefor the holidays I'm wanting
red or some of those jewel tones.
Then I get to decide and I cansend these to my clients and
they can shop their closet ifthey want to.
(14:00):
They can shop the their localstore or they can shop the link
directly.
And I make sure to say that,like, if, like this, these are
just suggestions.
I don't want anyone to feellike they have to wear all these
things, because if I'm likeforcing them to make suggestions
on things that only I like,like these are their photos, so
(14:20):
I don't want them to be unhappywith choices that I made them
make.
So I always say like this,these are just styles and colors
that go best with my editingand with my vision.
But like, if this doesn't fityour family's vibe, then totally
wear.
Like whatever you want andsometimes that's great and
sometimes it's not but like thenat least I've said like this is
(14:41):
what I suggest.
And like, if you go withsomething else and you hate them
, then then they know it wasn'tlike something that I suggested,
but if they followed along, youknow it's like it puts the
power back in their hands, whilestill helping me guide them,
because sometimes I mean most ofthe time people don't know what
(15:02):
looks good in photos.
I always say like the, the dressthat you may wear to the baby
shower is not necessarily thedress you would wear to a photo
shoot, a maternity session,because the way things like lay
and move on your body can begreat for photos and maybe not
great for your baby shower.
When you're wanting like atighter fitted dress to like
(15:23):
show off how great you look, youknow, or even fall photos are
kind of like that Like momsyou've been working out, like so
good, you look great.
You want like a really tightfitting dress and um, and
sometimes like that's great forlike a work party or whatever,
but it's not great for um familyphotos when you're all sitting
on the ground or like being morecasual.
(15:45):
So it's just you know, being upfront with what you're looking
for and what you offer.
That can help guide them in theright direction and y'all can
be more confident together inthe way the photos will turn out
All right.
Number three is using promptsand movement to create natural
(16:07):
moments so you can tell yourclients ahead of time like I'm
not expecting you to be models,I am not expecting you to know
what to do in front of thecamera.
I will literally tell youeverything to do.
Like I do not expect people tolike show up and be giving me
all these like exactly the rightpose, the right face, the right
(16:27):
you know, whatever.
Sometimes that can look liketoo stiff anyways, and so I'm
like, don't worry, like don'tlook at the camera.
Unless I ask you to look at thecamera, I will prompt you the
entire time and if I'm notsaying anything, just keep doing
what you're doing, cause I'mgetting like exactly what I want
, and so that helps them feelmore confidence, because I think
(16:48):
that's like a scary thing forpeople to um book a photographer
and then be like so what do wedo?
Like where do you want me tolook?
Are we looking at you?
Are we looking at each other,which I still have.
People ask that, which istotally fine, but I'm constantly
queuing and directing and justmaking it not feel so awkward,
(17:09):
and so you can say that that'swhat you incorporate into yours
or into your sessions, or how doyou make sessions feel
effortless and authentic?
All right.
Number four is keeping theenergy relaxed and fun.
Please don't be stressed on theday of your photo shoot,
(17:33):
because it will make clientsfeel stressed, and when clients
and parents feel stressed, itmakes the kids feel stressed,
and there's nothing that's worsethan like having so much
tension because people arefighting and not doing what they
expect in front of the camera,if that makes sense.
(17:56):
Like okay, I know you wantphotos of like your kids smiling
in front of the camera, butlike spanking them to make them
smile, just oh, it like hurts myheart.
So, um, I try to like just tellparents, like you know, just
take a deep breath, like here'swhat to do, to like hope for the
(18:19):
best you know with your kids islike making sure they get a
good nap, making sure that theyare well fed before they get
there, maybe bringing somesnacks that you don't mind them
having during the session.
Don't bribe ahead of time,especially when you get to those
like five-year-old,six-year-old, seven up, because
they are constantly going to beasking the whole time like do I
(18:41):
get my toy now?
Do I get my toy now?
Do I get my toy?
Like, oh, like, what do I haveto do next?
Like you know and it's likethat is not the vibe I want to
set for my sessions I wantfamilies to be like hey, listen,
we are going to go and spendsome time together, we are going
to play, we're going to laugh.
We're going to chase each other,tickle each other.
Like I just want pictures of meloving on you and like loving
(19:04):
this family and um, and thenbeing okay If your kids are
smiling, if your kids are, likeyou know, feeling like not the
best or they're shy or whatever.
Like I still love those photostoo.
Like let me show what it lookslike to be a mom right now to
this child.
Let me show what it looks likefor you to comfort your child to
(19:25):
this child.
Let me show what it looks likefor you to comfort your child.
Let me show you know you, yourfuture, you, your grandma, you,
you know your future kids, oryour kids as they're older, how
you were a mom to them.
You know, like I think that canshow up so well in photos and
the stress that can come alsoshows up in photos.
(19:47):
So you want to make sure thatyou do anything you can.
If you need a glass of winebefore you come, do it.
If your husband needs a beer,whatever.
If you need whatever you needto.
Like just take the edge off,like come that way and so that
you can just be present and beokay with, like what unravels
(20:08):
because, overall, likeauthenticity, like authentic
photos and emotions will pull atyour heart more than the
smiling ones that were spankedor bribed or whatever to smile
in that picture.
And during the session, youjust want to keep conversation
moving, which, again like tryingto find your ideal clients or
(20:32):
friends.
Of friends, it's easy to tobring up conversation I always
talk about like kids or pets orjust work.
There's like so many thingsthat that you can talk about
during the session, um, and ifyou need to take small breaks,
then that's fine too.
Sometimes you can go get somedetail shots of flowers or you
(20:57):
know, like maybe you're peeringthrough something at the family,
just maybe not focusing likestraight on the kid.
If they're like absolutely donot take my picture, maybe you
are showing them your camera,like a lot of times I'll let
them take a picture with mycamera or pressing the button or
letting them take a picture ofmom and dad and just
incorporating like them into itand just helping families feel
(21:24):
at ease and that like I've hadtoddlers before.
So I know that they can beunpredictable, I know they can
be crazy, I know that they canbe like not themselves on photo
day and I just go with the flow,like it is, like no one has to
apologize for the way that theirkids are acting or behaving,
and like I hear it all the timelike, oh, my kid normally does
(21:46):
this, you know, well, it's, it'sfine, it's picture day, and
that can be normal to um, to bea little bit of reserved, or the
opposite, like super in yourface.
Um, and that's why I a lot oftimes I don't suggest many
sessions for people because I'mlike your kid is going to be
(22:09):
crazy for the first 15 minutesand when they finally warm up to
me and this idea of photos,then your time's up.
So I like the longer familysessions so that we have time
for all of that.
Um.
And number five um deliver thephotos in a way that your
clients feel valued, um, sowhether you put them on an
(22:33):
online gallery or you do alittle slide show or you send
them a message or um, for someof my sessions I send like USBs
and a little like Polaroid,anything that I can do to make
my clients feel special and feelseen, especially the ones like
(22:53):
before they're expecting.
I'll send, like a little gift,anything to make moms feel like
you know they do so much fortheir kids that sometimes it's
nice to receive something that'sjust thoughtful for them.
And then sometimes it is a goodlittle thing to send something
for the kids, you know, just toremind them, like, how great the
photo session was and like, oh,like you got a piece of candy
(23:15):
after.
Or oh, like she sent bubbles ora lollipop or whatever like for
us, like I can't wait to seeher again.
You know like I try to makesessions like not only like I
can't wait to see her again.
You know like I try to makesessions like, like, not only
like great for the parents andthe family, but I want, I want
to like, uh, kiss up to the kidsso that they, they want to come
(23:39):
back and see me, you know.
And so that is part of um,making your clients feel valued
and seen and just reminding themthat that you're used to this
and like this is all part oflife and you're there to capture
that.
Um.
So this is your week's challengeyou are going to write out your
client experience from start tofinish.
(24:02):
Um, what do you do right nowwhen someone emails you about a
photo shoot?
What does your process looklike all the way to finish, and
are there any areas that youcould make smoother?
Like I said, when I was typingout each email responding to a
client about locations and youknow all the things, and then I
decided just to make a visualguide.
(24:23):
Things like that can help yourbusiness run smoother and that's
what I love, kind of like,evaluating each year is just
seeing like, where could Iimprove, how could I add a
little bit more value to whatI'm giving, because obviously
there's so many photographersthere's like such a saturated
(24:44):
market, but making yourselfstand out in different ways
maybe of how like um, howorganized you are, how like um,
how much on time, how much youguide them, how much you make
them feel less stressed and howyou um deliver their um photos
to them and how you wrap thewhole thing up and um, that
(25:08):
makes a big difference in yourclient experience.
So I hope you can take all thesethings and um tweak what you
have and just make it the bestthat fits your business, and
clients will definitely want tocome back and tell their friends
about you, and next week we aregoing to be talking about
(25:29):
marketing your business, and sothis is one of the ones I am
like super excited to talk about, because I love marketing stuff
, especially like just to see,like analytics and what works
and what doesn't.
So join me back next time anduntil then I hope you go out and
make better photos.
(25:49):
Thanks, bye.
Hey, mama, whether or not you're trying out your
camera for the very first timeor you've been doing this a
while and just looking for somecreative inspiration, I've got
all that and more.
I'm here to help you see yourworld differently, challenge you
creatively and find yourpassion for photography.
Welcome back to Better PhotosPodcast.
(00:20):
Happy March everybody.
I cannot believe that we are inMarch.
I feel like spring is hereminus this week.
It is so cold.
But Saturday we had greatweather so I was getting out all
my flower seeds, got somepotting mix, cleaned out my
garden beds and every year Ijust have this vision of like a
(00:43):
beautiful fresh cut flowergarden.
I had a fresh cut flower gardenat my old house and trying to
reestablish that in a new housewith different lighting and
different yard and sloped yardand maybe wanting to do some
things different than I didbefore.
(01:04):
And being a photographer isreally hard for things because
you're always thinking how isthis going to look in a photo?
I've got to get it with theright light.
I've got to get it like what ifI was going to have people here
, like, where would I shoot from?
How do I make it the most likepicturesque thing thing.
(01:29):
So there's a downside to beinga photographer.
So we did that, and then thisweek it's really cold, so now
I'm just watering my seedsinside, so that's fun.
I am planting a variety ofthings and the thing is is that
when you go to the store theydon't have a great big selection
of colors of flowers.
So I found to go on Etsy or ifyou follow certain gardens that
(01:53):
sell their seeds, then you canhave a more specified color
palette, because we all knowthat I love more neutrals, more
muted colors, and, yes, I willhave some pops of, you know,
pink, maybe yellow, I don't know, but specifically I'm going to
have ranges of blush and white.
(02:15):
So I bought all my seeds andsome Dahlia bulbs and I'm still
deciding what else.
And I'm still deciding whatelse.
Also, things that happened was Iforgot to tell you guys that
last I think it was last week,when I had a family session I
finally used my new pocket dispolens and it was so great, I
(02:39):
love it so much.
So it feels like nothing's onyour camera and it's kind of
hard to see through theviewfinder.
But and a tip is to shoot umlike underexposed for your shots
because it gives like anostalgic, moody, grainy vibe.
Um, and this lens is like Ithink it's like 50 bucks or
(03:00):
something.
It's pretty cheap and it makesyour camera like so lightweight.
So I'm thinking when I travel Imight take this lens just for
like a fun kind of disposablecamera vibe, but I don't know
Like it's.
If you want super sharp images,it's probably not the best one
for you.
But if you want some of thatlike vintage feel, then I
(03:20):
definitely suggest um trying itout.
What could hurt?
It's not that big of a dent inyour pocket.
The hard part is remembering totake things out that I buy and
use them because I can get stuckdoing the same thing.
Another thing I did last weekwas I did a brand shoot for a
(03:42):
mobile IV and injectable likevitamin infusion stuff.
One of my clients is startingher own business doing that.
So we rented a studio loft areathing and did our first session
with that and like I don'treally I can't say I really like
(04:03):
love doing that because itwasn't.
I feel like with medical stuffyou can't be like as fun and
creative.
I feel like I would like abranding session more for like I
don't know something else likemore creative, because it's like
, oh, motion blur, you probablydon't want that on medical stuff
.
Or if you want to do a creativelike I don't know, like I don't
(04:28):
know, there's just like notthat much fun stuff when you're
trying to do like a brand for um, ivs, um, or maybe I just need
to practice more, like get somemore inspo.
Um, then, what else got somenewborns coming up.
Oh, then I was location scouting.
(04:49):
I'm trying to find some likecloser locations so that I don't
have families driving that far,because I've realized that my
clients don't really want todrive that far with little ones
and I totally get it, want todrive that far with little ones,
and I totally get it.
So what I've been choosing, Ithink, is like so picturesque
(05:13):
and like I don't mind driving,but maybe your kids hate the car
and getting everybody ready andout the door and getting
somewhere, and maybe yourhusband is like no, like don't
care how great of a place it is,like we're not driving that far
.
So I'm going to start lookingfor more local places and
starting with one that Iactually found in my
neighborhood.
There's a horse farm.
(05:34):
If you go down one of the roadsin my neighborhood that I never
go down and she was so nice andlike I walked the property and
she was telling me all about thehorses and what we can use them
for and I'm like just picturinglike the most romantic, like
family session with these horses, maybe some like cowgirl hats
(05:55):
or ranger hats, I don't know.
I have a session next week thatwas interested in doing this,
so I'll be posting stuff on myInstagram at be posh photo if
you want to see how those turnedout.
Location finding is likeunpopular opinion.
I dislike it.
I feel like it's so hard tofind like a spot because a lot,
(06:17):
of, a lot of places will charge,like flower fields or gardens
or those are kind of the samething greenhouses, or like
historic homes.
Or there's like a lot of placesthat you do it by reservation
and some of them book up soquickly, like peach trees, they
only have, you know, like twoweeks of availability.
(06:39):
So it's like if you don't getin, then you don't, and so you
may not have a client that wantsto sign up for that and then
you may have a client that wantsto sign up for it later in,
like April, but there's noblooms left.
So just trying to match theclient to the location.
Um, it's hard when you havelike a little timeframe that
(07:01):
things are being available.
I hope you can't hear myrooster outside.
He is like right outside mywindow and being so loud.
Anyways, so last week we talkedabout pricing and contracts and
all that fun stuff of startingup your business, and this week
(07:23):
we are going to talk about fiveways to create an incredible
client experience that keepspeople coming back.
So stay tuned, all right.
So what is the best marketingfor your business?
Happy clients, okay, clientsthat rave about their session,
(07:45):
repost their photos, um, telltheir friends about you.
I've literally grown mybusiness pretty much strictly
through word of mouth and, um,that is honestly like the best
way to get clients, because ifyou are booking like ideal
clients, most likely theirfriends are very similar to them
(08:05):
and you will have a wholelittle group of people that
share your same style andinterests.
So that is great.
And so five things to keep themcoming back is one you're going
to set the tone from the firstinquiry is one you're going to
(08:26):
set the tone from the firstinquiry.
So as soon as you get that firstbooking or email, then you want
to respond quickly, first ofall, and outline your process,
tell them how to book, and partof this is like having an easy
booking system, which I hate.
Um, first of all, I don't wantto talk on the phone.
(08:50):
So if a photographer is sayinglike we need to have a call
before I'm out.
If I don't know what I'mgetting, I'm out.
If I don't know what the priceis, I'm out.
So I think of things that likeif I had to like call and get my
calendar out and go back andforth on dates, I'm out.
So I've taught, like takingthese things into account.
(09:11):
When I've taken these thingsinto account when I've been
structuring my experience for myclients is that I want a
seamless, easy booking.
So that's why I use that Acuityand I'm interested in learning
about HoneyBook.
But my clients can go on.
I've created some PDF thingsthrough Canva and they can read
about my whole experience, or Ican respond in an email about
(09:34):
what my experience is like andthen it will take them
seamlessly to booking the datethat they want, adding on the
things that they want and makingsure that they have, like,
signed my terms and conditionsand all the things in one spot.
So if you want to make a welcomeguide, then I definitely
suggest like Canva and usingCanva templates.
(09:55):
You can turn those intowebsites.
You can start a website andhave that as a page on your
website.
You can even just put this upin a PDF on Canva and send them
the PDF to their email.
I can't remember if I just saidthat Canva has websites.
You can make a website linkstraight from Canva.
(10:16):
So those are some ideas on justsetting the tone for your first
inquiry.
So second, you want to helpclients prepare with styling and
location guides.
So you can do this by an email,again, like this is what you
suggest for them wearing um, itcan be colors, patterns, styles,
(10:41):
um.
And you can suggest likelocations of where you want to
shoot.
I used to respond to each email, um, like stating this all out,
but I found it very helpful,like last year or the year
before, creating these guides inCanva again.
So then I made it another likewebsite link that has my
(11:03):
location guide, and then I'vemade like a Pinterest board with
like styles that I like A lotof.
The Pinterest board is alsolinked to my like to know it
account, so then I can getcommission on those outfits, and
then I've also made a clientcloset link that will show
(11:25):
people wearing the dresses, andif they want to pick something
from my client closet, dependingon their package or their add
ons, then they can see it rightthere online in a link at their
leisure, and so that has been sogreat to just send clients
links without having to type outeverything in an email each
time you get a new email aboutsomebody inquiring.
(11:50):
The more direction that clientshave up front, the more in sync
you will be with like what yourvibe is, with what you're
expecting like.
The worst thing that you can doand I definitely didn't learn
this like right away is thatwhen you give clients no guide,
then you end up shooting thingsthat are not quite what you
(12:13):
expected.
So the more if you can justgive them like colors to choose
from.
Maybe you even make a colorboard and say, hey, these work
great with my editing.
Can you pick some colors thatmatch this?
Maybe you create a style guidewith Pinterest and you're
pinning things that you love.
Um, and I also use athird-party styling website
(12:34):
thing that's called style andselect, and this lets me go in
and say how many people are inthe family and search by their
ages and genders and I basicallyget like an online closet thing
and I can pick out outfits foreach person and they are
actually shoppable links.
(12:55):
So that is included in some ofmy packages, where they will get
a customized style guide withlike actual shoppable links for
all the outfits and they can seetheir whole family styled
across the board.
So that is something that hasreally changed.
With style and select, you cansee color combinations.
(13:16):
You can see like at the verybeginning of the page.
You get to pick whether youwant bold, whether you want
classic or whether you wantmuted earth tones.
I bet you can guess which oneI'm going for and then you can
select colors.
Like which two colors do youwant to see within the clothes?
You actually get like fourcolors.
Like which two colors do youwant to see within the clothes?
Um, you actually get like fourcolors but two choices.
(13:38):
So with me I still do justblack and white and brown and
cream.
So it adds in like some otherlike tones, and then obviously I
can add in like blush, or maybefor the holidays I'm wanting
red or some of those jewel tones.
Then I get to decide and I cansend these to my clients and
they can shop their closet ifthey want to.
(14:00):
They can shop the their localstore or they can shop the link
directly.
And I make sure to say that,like, if, like this, these are
just suggestions.
I don't want anyone to feellike they have to wear all these
things, because if I'm likeforcing them to make suggestions
on things that only I like,like these are their photos, so
(14:20):
I don't want them to be unhappywith choices that I made them
make.
So I always say like this,these are just styles and colors
that go best with my editingand with my vision.
But like, if this doesn't fityour family's vibe, then totally
wear.
Like whatever you want andsometimes that's great and
sometimes it's not but like thenat least I've said like this is
(14:41):
what I suggest.
And like, if you go withsomething else and you hate them
, then then they know it wasn'tlike something that I suggested,
but if they followed along, youknow it's like it puts the
power back in their hands, whilestill helping me guide them,
because sometimes I mean most ofthe time people don't know what
(15:02):
looks good in photos.
I always say like the, the dressthat you may wear to the baby
shower is not necessarily thedress you would wear to a photo
shoot, a maternity session,because the way things like lay
and move on your body can begreat for photos and maybe not
great for your baby shower.
When you're wanting like atighter fitted dress to like
(15:23):
show off how great you look, youknow, or even fall photos are
kind of like that Like momsyou've been working out, like so
good, you look great.
You want like a really tightfitting dress and um, and
sometimes like that's great forlike a work party or whatever,
but it's not great for um familyphotos when you're all sitting
on the ground or like being morecasual.
(15:45):
So it's just you know, being upfront with what you're looking
for and what you offer.
That can help guide them in theright direction and y'all can
be more confident together inthe way the photos will turn out
All right.
Number three is using promptsand movement to create natural
(16:07):
moments so you can tell yourclients ahead of time like I'm
not expecting you to be models,I am not expecting you to know
what to do in front of thecamera.
I will literally tell youeverything to do.
Like I do not expect people tolike show up and be giving me
all these like exactly the rightpose, the right face, the right
(16:27):
you know, whatever.
Sometimes that can look liketoo stiff anyways, and so I'm
like, don't worry, like don'tlook at the camera.
Unless I ask you to look at thecamera, I will prompt you the
entire time and if I'm notsaying anything, just keep doing
what you're doing, cause I'mgetting like exactly what I want
, and so that helps them feelmore confidence, because I think
(16:48):
that's like a scary thing forpeople to um book a photographer
and then be like so what do wedo?
Like where do you want me tolook?
Are we looking at you?
Are we looking at each other,which I still have.
People ask that, which istotally fine, but I'm constantly
queuing and directing and justmaking it not feel so awkward,
(17:09):
and so you can say that that'swhat you incorporate into yours
or into your sessions, or how doyou make sessions feel
effortless and authentic?
All right.
Number four is keeping theenergy relaxed and fun.
Please don't be stressed on theday of your photo shoot,
(17:33):
because it will make clientsfeel stressed, and when clients
and parents feel stressed, itmakes the kids feel stressed,
and there's nothing that's worsethan like having so much
tension because people arefighting and not doing what they
expect in front of the camera,if that makes sense.
(17:56):
Like okay, I know you wantphotos of like your kids smiling
in front of the camera, butlike spanking them to make them
smile, just oh, it like hurts myheart.
So, um, I try to like just tellparents, like you know, just
take a deep breath, like here'swhat to do, to like hope for the
(18:19):
best you know with your kids islike making sure they get a
good nap, making sure that theyare well fed before they get
there, maybe bringing somesnacks that you don't mind them
having during the session.
Don't bribe ahead of time,especially when you get to those
like five-year-old,six-year-old, seven up, because
they are constantly going to beasking the whole time like do I
(18:41):
get my toy now?
Do I get my toy now?
Do I get my toy?
Like, oh, like, what do I haveto do next?
Like you know and it's likethat is not the vibe I want to
set for my sessions I wantfamilies to be like hey, listen,
we are going to go and spendsome time together, we are going
to play, we're going to laugh.
We're going to chase each other,tickle each other.
Like I just want pictures of meloving on you and like loving
(19:04):
this family and um, and thenbeing okay If your kids are
smiling, if your kids are, likeyou know, feeling like not the
best or they're shy or whatever.
Like I still love those photostoo.
Like let me show what it lookslike to be a mom right now to
this child.
Let me show what it looks likefor you to comfort your child to
(19:25):
this child.
Let me show what it looks likefor you to comfort your child.
Let me show you know you, yourfuture, you, your grandma, you,
you know your future kids, oryour kids as they're older, how
you were a mom to them.
You know, like I think that canshow up so well in photos and
the stress that can come alsoshows up in photos.
(19:47):
So you want to make sure thatyou do anything you can.
If you need a glass of winebefore you come, do it.
If your husband needs a beer,whatever.
If you need whatever you needto.
Like just take the edge off,like come that way and so that
you can just be present and beokay with, like what unravels
(20:08):
because, overall, likeauthenticity, like authentic
photos and emotions will pull atyour heart more than the
smiling ones that were spankedor bribed or whatever to smile
in that picture.
And during the session, youjust want to keep conversation
moving, which, again like tryingto find your ideal clients or
(20:32):
friends.
Of friends, it's easy to tobring up conversation I always
talk about like kids or pets orjust work.
There's like so many thingsthat that you can talk about
during the session, um, and ifyou need to take small breaks,
then that's fine too.
Sometimes you can go get somedetail shots of flowers or you
(20:57):
know, like maybe you're peeringthrough something at the family,
just maybe not focusing likestraight on the kid.
If they're like absolutely donot take my picture, maybe you
are showing them your camera,like a lot of times I'll let
them take a picture with mycamera or pressing the button or
letting them take a picture ofmom and dad and just
incorporating like them into itand just helping families feel
(21:24):
at ease and that like I've hadtoddlers before.
So I know that they can beunpredictable, I know they can
be crazy, I know that they canbe like not themselves on photo
day and I just go with the flow,like it is, like no one has to
apologize for the way that theirkids are acting or behaving,
and like I hear it all the timelike, oh, my kid normally does
(21:46):
this, you know, well, it's, it'sfine, it's picture day, and
that can be normal to um, to bea little bit of reserved, or the
opposite, like super in yourface.
Um, and that's why I a lot oftimes I don't suggest many
sessions for people because I'mlike your kid is going to be
(22:09):
crazy for the first 15 minutesand when they finally warm up to
me and this idea of photos,then your time's up.
So I like the longer familysessions so that we have time
for all of that.
Um.
And number five um deliver thephotos in a way that your
clients feel valued, um, sowhether you put them on an
(22:33):
online gallery or you do alittle slide show or you send
them a message or um, for someof my sessions I send like USBs
and a little like Polaroid,anything that I can do to make
my clients feel special and feelseen, especially the ones like
(22:53):
before they're expecting.
I'll send, like a little gift,anything to make moms feel like
you know they do so much fortheir kids that sometimes it's
nice to receive something that'sjust thoughtful for them.
And then sometimes it is a goodlittle thing to send something
for the kids, you know, just toremind them, like, how great the
photo session was and like, oh,like you got a piece of candy
(23:15):
after.
Or oh, like she sent bubbles ora lollipop or whatever like for
us, like I can't wait to seeher again.
You know like I try to makesessions like not only like I
can't wait to see her again.
You know like I try to makesessions like, like, not only
like great for the parents andthe family, but I want, I want
to like, uh, kiss up to the kidsso that they, they want to come
(23:39):
back and see me, you know.
And so that is part of um,making your clients feel valued
and seen and just reminding themthat that you're used to this
and like this is all part oflife and you're there to capture
that.
Um.
So this is your week's challengeyou are going to write out your
client experience from start tofinish.
(24:02):
Um, what do you do right nowwhen someone emails you about a
photo shoot?
What does your process looklike all the way to finish, and
are there any areas that youcould make smoother?
Like I said, when I was typingout each email responding to a
client about locations and youknow all the things, and then I
decided just to make a visualguide.
(24:23):
Things like that can help yourbusiness run smoother and that's
what I love, kind of like,evaluating each year is just
seeing like, where could Iimprove, how could I add a
little bit more value to whatI'm giving, because obviously
there's so many photographersthere's like such a saturated
(24:44):
market, but making yourselfstand out in different ways
maybe of how like um, howorganized you are, how like um,
how much on time, how much youguide them, how much you make
them feel less stressed and howyou um deliver their um photos
to them and how you wrap thewhole thing up and um, that
(25:08):
makes a big difference in yourclient experience.
So I hope you can take all thesethings and um tweak what you
have and just make it the bestthat fits your business, and
clients will definitely want tocome back and tell their friends
about you, and next week we aregoing to be talking about
(25:29):
marketing your business, and sothis is one of the ones I am
like super excited to talk about, because I love marketing stuff
, especially like just to see,like analytics and what works
and what doesn't.
So join me back next time anduntil then I hope you go out and
make better photos.
(25:49):
Thanks, bye.
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