Don't settle for a damn thing!

 

Own your portrait images...

Although the photographer during your portrait session is the one driving the car, you need to remember one thing...

you OWN that car, so, the buck ALWAYS stops with you.

Recently, I was in the beginning stages of a branded portrait session where we were working through some logistical difficulties with the space in which we were shooting.

I was capturing some portrait images of my client at her desk, in front of her patio door, with a bunch of her office decor on the desk, walls and floor.

And the space was pretty damn tight.

Lots of elements to negotiate - in addition to the client herself, of course, :)

So, this geeky, photography, composition shit was keeping me busy for quite some time, but, we finally found a magical angle and wrestled the location into submission.

I was quite pleased with the portrait images we captured, but, something about the photos that was troubling my client.

When I asked her what the issue was, she mentioned something about the way her hair looked from the angle in which I shot the portrait.

After watching me struggle with this shot for a while, she wanted to take pity on me and move on by remarking that it wasn’t a big deal and we could just move on.

I stopped her dead in her tracks.

I told her that if there’s something that bothers you about this image, we need to keep shooting.

Why?

If she stuck with the portrait images we originally created, she would never use those images because she’d always be annoyed with that one imperfection that’s constantly staring her directly in the face, so, those images are just wasting space in her image library.

Aside from this very practical reason, there is an emotional component, tool.

This is her portrait session - she invested her time and money into this endeavor to help out her marketing and promotional efforts, and she need to be happy with the final product.

Listen, not every single shot will be a grand slam, but, they damn sure better be a base hit, at the very least!

Your branded portrait session is not a time for you to settle and be content with what you get.

Screw that — these aren't shitty, passport photos, folks!

These portraits visually illustrate who you are, who you serve, aspects of your personality, aspects of your thought leadership, and, as such, you must be confident in posting these images on your own behalf.

So, don’t settle for a damn thing - if something feels off, if the portrait images aren't working for you, be confident and speak your mind in a constructive manner to make sure your needs are met.

Also, make sure that you and your photographer are on the same page before the session.

This communication will ensure that your session will be a successful one, :)

PS - Are you planning on investing in a session and are in need of some direction with the types of image content that you need?

Want help when selecting your final portraits?  Schedule a call with me here and let’s see if we’re a good fit to work together.

PPS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you...because I care, :)