Newbie alert
If you’re an Expert who’s been photographed a million times, or one who has never seen a light or lens in person once…
…you need to be you in front of the camera.
For the vast majority of the experts in which I serve, they’ve spent many hours in front of a camera.
They’ve done the headshots.
They’ve done lifestyle portraits.
They know the drill.
And yet, every now and then, there’s someone whose never had their picture taken professionally.
A portrait unicorn, if you will.
When working with newbies in front of the camera, this acts as both a blessing and a set of unique challenges at the same time.
It’s a blessing because they don’t have any long-standing, bad habits in front of the camera that need to be corrected.
Stop the duck lips thing, wipe the fake smile off your face, and stop popping your hip out like that! It’s not that kinda shoot!
And, it’s challenging because they don’t know how to simply be themselves when being photographed. They often feel like they need to pose and add in extra flare that would otherwise fall outside of their personality and general disposition.
Wherever they are, I meet them there and guide them to where they need to be.
Ultimately, the goal is for them to have a portfolio of images that truly captures who they are, who they serve, the problems they solve and how, and why they do what they do.
Recently, I collaborated with Nick, a newbie in front of the camera, to create a series of visual assets to promote his speaking and coaching business.
While he came into the conversation unclear as to what he needed visually, or what he’d need to do in front of the camera, I walked him through, step-by-step, the why, what and how behind creating these images assets for his content portfolio.
After the 2-hour strategy call, we built a roadmap for the session and he became more clear regarding what he needed to create the visual foundation for his brand and business across his entire online presence.
Now, it’s one thing to talk it all out, create a structure for the session, and be on the same page with your photographer - all extremely important building blocks.
It’s quite another to capture a super packed, shot sheet of images with multiple outfit changes, location changes, and different lifestyle activities in front of the camera in just 2 hours.
How did he do?
Check it out for yourself:
Despite his lack of experience, you’d couldn’t tell - he was a joy to photograph!
He exuded confidence, was extremely receptive to direction, and was open to the entire experience.
Dare I say he, and I, both had a wonderful time making magic together :)
After the session, I asked him to share his thoughts on the experience, and here’s what he said:
“I was referred to John and had never had a session with a photographer prior. I was in serious need of some good pictures as I build out my business.
I was blown away by John’s process that he puts all of his clients through. Initially I was thinking that he was coming in to point a camera at me and tell me to smile. Boy was I wrong.
He got to know my needs and we were able to work with what I had. We had an hour call for John to get to know me, my business and our goals.
When our session started I thought a few hours would be plenty of time. It went by like a blink and I am thrilled with how the pictures came out.
I would highly recommend John DeMato.”
Regardless if you’re an expert who's a veteran in front of the camera, or someone that’s never gone through the process, creating visual assets to support your marketing and promotional needs is a must have that will never go away.
Go into it with an open mind, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the results :)
If you’re curious to learn more what it looks like to work with me, set up a time to chat and let’s see if we’re a fit to work together.