expectations

“What Do We Do With Our Hands, feet, face, bodies?”

If your client isn’t creating content for instagram every day like it’s their job, chances are they probably aren’t too well versed in how to take the most natural images. More times than not my clients let me know in advance that they are ‘awkward’ in front of the camera as if they are the only ones in the world who are. They aren’t. And I like to let them know that to help ease their anxiety. It doesn’t. So I have a section on “what to do with your hands” in my prep guide for that very reason. I have a different section for solo clients than I do for couples because I need them to interact in two different ways. Whatever it is you will be asking your client to do once the spotlight is on them, try to let them know a little bit about it in advance so that they can begin to wrap their mind around it and also so they don’t have to feel like they have to figure out how to be a runway model all on their own.

Creative Direction + Posing

A lot of my clients book me because of the natural vibe I bring to my images. They never really register the fact that these images aren’t just magical candids that I just so happened to capture 100 times in one session, but poses that I have put my clients in after gaining their trust and making them feel comfortable with being posed. I like to give them a heads up so that they don’t walk into my photo session really believing all the natural feeling images they see on my site are actual candids. Some are of course, but the majority are a result of me asking my clients to do something specific and since the word ‘pose’ scares people so much, I make sure I educate them beforehand so that they understand what is actually happening behind the images they love so much.

Bad Weather + Rescheduling

I don’t know about you but I try to find every way possible to keep my emails down to a minimum. This includes emails from clients freaking out about a weather forecast, 1-2 weeks in advance. If I didn’t have this section in my prep guide, I know I would get at least 10 emails a week about the weather.  

My advice, create a bad weather clause so that clients are able to read (without emailing you) what will happen in case of bad weather. Will the session be moved indoors? Will the session be rescheduled? Whatever it is, add that. Include when it is ok (and not ok) to chat about the forecast, what time a session will be called (if it can be) and explain how rescheduling due to weather works.

Time Management

I’ve had enough clients arrive late to their session to add a section about time management in my prep guide. The busier you get, the more valuable your time is to you. And I absolutely hate when I have to wait for someone, whether I’ve been paid in advance or not. It just makes me feel like I’m not worth someone else’s time when they arrive late. Rather than jump right into what will happen when  you are late, I first give suggestions on how not to be.  

I also suggest not just letting clients know they should arrive early or on time but also include the actual process that will take place if a client were to arrive late. It can just be as simple as letting them know your grace period, and what will happen if your session is unable to start within that time.

Their “Stuff”

Behind the scenes you might be all the things (accountant, assistant, social media manager, creative director, editor, etc) but at a photo session, you really need to just wear the hat of the photographer. Let your clients know in advance that they don’t need to bring a million and one belongings with them because carrying all these things around may hinder the shoot, and will ultimately fall on you to help carry things, taking away from your one hat. I tell my clients who are not doing an outfit change that they can bring their phone and keys, everything else should stay in the car. My clients that do have an outfit change know that they should bring their clothes in a bag they don’t mind being placed on the ground when not in use because I cant carry their stuff and my stuff at the same time.

Email Curbing

We all know how annoying it can be to receive an email or text from a client asking how much longer it will be for them to receive their photos (especially when we know they are like 50th in the edit queue).

Let your clients know about how long it will take for them to receive their images in advance to avoid being bombarded with emails every 2 days about when they can expect them.

I tend to give my clients a time frame that is longer than it actually takes to edit their photos. That way, when I get it back to them days before they expected them, they are pleasantly surprised. I also do this just in case life happens and I just cant get around to it until literally the day before I said they’d be done. Eh, it is what it is.

Whether you deliver your guide as a website page, a pdf, or like some over achievers i know, you actually print it out and send it via snail mail (who are you even?) rest assured, providing your clients with all the information they need (to rock their session and also to help you maintain your sanity) is absolutely worth the original couple of hours it takes to create. Once it’s done, you don’t have to even look at it anymore.

And for the visual learner, here is an example of what a general prep guide can look like. Use this template as a stepping stone to creating your own prep guide for the different type of clients you work with on a more regular basis.