"I feel expensive and beautiful and totally my grown up lady self!"
"I feel expensive and beautiful and totally my grown up lady self!"
That kind of reaction to a portrait session is music to my ears, :)
If there’s one thing that I can completely relate to when it comes to my clients, it’s their hesitation and anxiety before they set foot in front of the camera.
I made a career of ducking cameras for the first 30 years of my life.
Although I can laugh about it now, it sure as shit wasn’t funny then.
Actually, thinking back on it upsets me, not because I don’t have many photos of myself as a teenager through my 20’s, but because I allowed that fear to dictate my behavior.
The good news is that I leverage my personal experiences to help create a better one for those I serve.
And that’s what happened during a recent session with a speaker client, Jess Pettitt.
From the very first second I met her at Influence 2019, she let it be known that she hates her picture being taken.
And then, she kept reminding me at every possible moment along the way.
When we got on the phone for the first time, she brought it up.
During our pre-session strategy call, she mentioned it yet again.
In case I forgot her feelings on the topic, she threw it in again for good luck right before her portrait session started.
So yeah, she doesn’t like her pictures taken, got it loud and clear, :)
Fortunately, I helped her get past her hesitation to be in front of the camera by assuring her every step of the way that we would capture images that were flattering and valuable as promotional assets because she needed new branded lifestyle portraits that positioned her as the expert that she is.
Ultimately, she trusted me based on all of our conversations and the feedback she received about my work from her speaker colleagues who’ve already gone through the experience.
So, the seeds were well-planted for a magical session.
The fact that she has such a big personality - and a big heart - didn’t hurt, either.
At the end of the day, her crazy meshed well with my crazy, so that really helped set us up for a successful shoot, :)
The moment I started sweating and diving on the floor, searching for interesting angles and compositions, I don’t even remember her mentioning it once.
I mean, I have no idea what she was thinking in her head, but as far as what she was delivering in front of the camera, it was all money in the bank!
After almost 2 hours of non-stop work, we created some compelling, entertaining and badass images that encompass a wide emotional spectrum that will visually punctuate the sentiment of every story that she would ever want to share with her audience through her website, social posts, blogs, presentations and printed materials.
The cherry on top?
I got to smoke a cigar through the last half of the session outside while shooting her portraits, :)
Here’s what Jess had to say after all was said and done:
“I legit hate getting my picture taken.
I hired John because he seemed to capture personality in his shots, not to mention they are beautiful.
What I 100% was not prepared for is that I never had time to remember how much I hate getting my picture taken because we worked fast and hard and laughed the whole time. I followed directions and answered questions and got shots that needed ZERO photoshopping because they showcase my best self.
In under two hours, I have a ton of shots that can be used for social media, marketing, website, slides, books, and head shots, in multiple outfits, a wide range of emotions, all in about the time it took John to smoke a cigar. Honestly, my lipstick lasted longer than our shoot, but the impact of feeling seen, understood, powerful, and even beautiful will last even longer.”
If you’d like to check out more from our branded lifestyle portrait session, head over to Jess’ gallery.
Also, if looking at her photos lights a lil’ fire under your ass and inspires you to want update your own photos, we should talk.
Set up a time to chat with me and let’s see if we’re a good fit to work together - I look forward to chatting with you, :)