Ensure success for your portrait session
When looking to maximize the value of your lifestyle portrait session…
Do the work beforehand.
For years, I would run portrait sessions with a let’s hope for the best approach.
By that, I mean the client and I would agree on a location, they’d bring a bunch of outfits, and when they showed up, I’d simply walk around and hope to find areas in which we could create photos they can use.
And what would end up happening?
Ehhh…the results were a mixed bag.
Sometimes, the shots were usable. And other times, they weren’t.
Over time, I realized that resting the success on hope and prayer was a shitty way to orchestrate a branded lifestyle portrait session.
That’s when I tapped into my TV producer brain and created a process for ensuring success.
It involved asking a detailed set of questions prior to the shoot to be able to really understand the person in front of the camera:
Why did they need these photos?
How do they plan to use them?
What aspects of their personality needs to shine through?
What aspects of their business needs to be shown in these images?
What aspects of their process are important to share with those they serve?
And on and on.
Once the nitty gritty is brought to light, those answers help create a shot list that truly is unique and specific to the expert.
It helps trim out all the fat and focuses on the visual assets that are most important to capture.
And that helped changed the game for the value of these sessions.
One client who understood the value of this work before the work process was Jenny.
She reached out through a colleague who already went through this process with me several months prior.
While an emerging speaker, Jenny was unsure of what she needed specifically, but knew she had to step up her visual storytelling game to a level that befit her expertise.
After we brainstormed ideas during her strategy call, we put a plan in place, complete with the location of the session, what outfits she was going to wear, what activities she’d engage in front of the camera, what props to bring, and what aspects of her personality she wanted to shine through.
We were ready to get to work - and work, we did :)
Here’s what Jenny had to say about the experience of working with me:
“John DeMato is a fantastic professional photographer. He came highly recommended, and I engaged him to enhance my personal brand visual storytelling to communicate my work as an Executive Coach, Speaker, and Advisor.
I was very impressed with John’s process, which started with a strategy session where we aligned on my business needs and how he would bring these to life, including my business profile, in-person, and virtual coaching, speaking, and facilitating.
John is very client focused looking to build a long-term professional relationship with his clients. As such, he is a master at creating a fantastic client experience where you feel at ease in front of the camera.
He is thorough in his approach, excellent at executing his art, and provides a fast turnaround to meet the most pressing deadlines. I was delighted with my pictures and highly recommended him as a partner in your next branding journey.”
When you build a foundation with your photographer based on communication and strategy prior to the camera coming out of the bag while you’re on location, that will ensure a more valuable experience, overall.
And since you don’t have a lot of time to jump in front of cameras, this is the type of assurance that you need.
Over to you…
Are you currently looking to update your image portfolio and not sure if the photographer referrals sitting in your inbox are the right fit to capture your business, brand and personality?