When starting a photography company, there are a lot of things to consider. Factors such as branding, knowing who and where to market, and communicating well with your clients are all important things to consider when you are a self-employed photographer.
In many instances, the cause of frustration for clients is brought about by miscommunication before and during the photo shoot sessions. Many things may be unclear such as pricing, contract agreement, venue, expectations, and others.
Tana Taylor Adoption, a known company that specializes in and adoption photography, gives us their best tips on how to communicate better to photography clients.
Provide samples of your work.
Before accepting an agreement between a client, you need to set their expectations straight. They must get a “feel” of your creative style, and if their preferences suit this specific style. Some clients would be rushing in the process that they forget to consider if their choices are suitable for what you have to offer.
Thus, it is important to show your work initially by sending in samples from old clients. Needless to say, show your latest projects because photography styles evolve over time.
Provide a clear budget.
It is not advisable to say that it’s up to the client to set up their price or your price is negotiable. Although in some instances this may work, most of the time it causes confusion and blurry expectations about the pricing.
According to Tana Taylor Adoption, setting a standard price sets you apart from the rest. It helps you position yourself as a business who knows what they are doing and have clear-cut prices for each service you offer. There are many ways to go about standard pricing. First, you can create packages of your services–some photographers like categorizing them per event such as wedding package, birthday package, etc. Some try to package it by amounts such as 100 candid shots and 50 professional shots.
It all depends on how you want, but standard pricing will help to set things straight about payments and expectations.
Set up appointments and call times.
Preparation is essential when it comes to photography, whether it’s an event or something done in a studio. At least 1-2 weeks prior to the event, it may be helpful to set a date and time to come in early and do some preparations.
Some photography sessions need more preparations such as nuptial and prenuptial shoots, and others require less such as birthdays and corporate events. Also, consider the time you will be setting up your equipment if you have a large production team.
Give reminders of what clients need to bring on shoot day.
If clients need to bring something, such as payments, props, their own makeup team, or something else, give reminders. Often, some clients tend to forget these details especially if they are preparing for a big event.
A day before, it would be good to provide reminders of what your clients need to bring so that your sessions will be smooth-sailing.
Give a short brief on shoot day.
Tana Taylor Adoption also suggests making a short overview of the things you will be doing in the photo shoot. This is important to help keep the whole team in check with their schedule, and how they can work around it to meet what is needed. If time is flexible, shortly discuss the activities that you will be doing for the day.
As you consider these tips, you will have greater chances of communicating effectively with your photography clients.
