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Have I told you lately how awesome my clients are? No really, they are so freaking awesome. This brings me to the current question of the day.
So can I just say “I don’t find them, they find me”? I really wish I had a better answer for you, but I don’t. Then there is usually a follow-up that goes something like this, “how do you convince people that this type of photography is right for them“? BAM. There is the real question. So let’s kind of talk over that one instead.
I don’t really try to convince a client that they will love documentary family photography, because what if they don’t? I don’t try to convince them that real life is awesome and better than a pretty portrait in a park. I love documentary family photography, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Some people really want that annual portrait where everyone is looking and smiling for the camera. I think portraits are AWESOME and some of my clients DO want that portrait. I take the occasional portrait during a documentary family photography, because I like to have them as well. However, in terms of my client work, I think you either watch one of my slideshows and cry, or you don’t. You either see images on my site that are more documentary, the in-between moments if you will, and want that for yourself or you don’t. You either want the portrait secondary to the other images or it is likely I am not the right photographer for you.
So I have a workflow. I get a lead from my site. Some of them say “Colie, the work on your site is just amazing. I would really like more information on booking a (family, hospital newborn, day in the life, … whatever) session”. Others might just say “Can I get pricing information on your newborn/family sessions”? Either way I send an email back that has examples of my work, links to related blogged sessions and slideshows, along with a link to my pricing guide. I am sure to use words like ‘candid, documentary, lifestyle’, but to also include examples so they know what I mean. Regardless what you call your work, the style will emerge from a collection of your images and they should be able to SEE what you mean.
So then what? Well, then they either respond or they don’t.
Do I follow up? Yes, I follow up, but not to try and convince them they would love a session with me. I follow-up just in case the email was lost in cyberspace or incorrectly placed in their SPAM folder. I follow-up just in case they have had a gazillion things on their mind and while they meant to answer my email (or even thought they did), they just plain forgot.
So what if I still don’t hear back? Well then I was likely NOT the photographer for them and I wish them the best of luck in finding one that suits their needs/budget/style.
What if they only want to hire you for family portraits in the park? Well I have plenty of local photographer friends that shoot AMAZING outdoor portraits. Referrals are awesome, right?
So what if your clients want the best of both worlds? Well you see, I love my clients. LOVE. So if they want me to take some outdoor images in their yard or neighborhood park in addition to the in-home images, game on. I actually do that frequently, I usually just don’t blog the outdoor images. So if it takes a few people who inquire telling me no to get those that say yes, it’s all good. Because the ones that say yes end up being a good fit. Those are the ones that I end up photographing multiple times for a baby/family plan in a single year or that continue to come back for an annual session.
So what does that all mean? Maybe I should give some actual advice on getting people to see your work if you are transitioning to a more documentary family photography style of shooting.
Looking for a family photographer to tell the everyday stories of your family? Colie James is a documentary family photographer offering maternity, newborn, and family photography sessions in Boulder, Fort Collins, Denver and the surrounding areas that tell the story of you. For additional information on family sessions please click here. Also available for travel, booking travel sessions for 2016. #havecamerawilltravel
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