Today I got to collaborate with my friend, Victoria, to grab some, clean, on-brand, professional headshots of my client. (whose site apjlawoffice.com is coming together nicely!? It was really fun! Here are 6 tips I think are important about photoshoots. I hope they help you if you are looking to grab some fancy photos for your small business or next big client. If that sounds like a lot of work, just ask me and I’ll do it for you!
- WORK WITH COOL PEOPLE: Find a photographer you love. Victoria is very sweet. She is flexible. She also takes great photos! I can always rely on her to show up, do a great job, make awesome edits, and deliver a quality professional photoshoot that both myself and the client love. I am so happy when a client asks for headshots because I know I will get to work with Victoria!
- COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION: Communicate your creative vision. Communicate your vision to your photographer before the shoot. I take some draft photos, so I can show her what my vision is. I also try to explain the brand image. For this client, I wanted smart, professional, hard-working, trustworthy. This also includes communicating attire to the client. I had two outfits for my client and 1 location. His desk. I wanted his desk to be busy, filled, lively. I also try to give my clients suggestions and hints about what I want them to do in the shoot. Coordinate between the photographer and the client. Attorneys are busy as hell and it’s tough to nail down a date and time. Thankfully, Victoria was flexible and was willing to work with a few reschedules. Send reminders. As the official chaos coordinator, I make sure to check in and double-check with everyone to make sure we are all on the same page.
- SHARE FOOD: Buy lunch. I always feed my clients and my vendors. Relationship building is so important, everyone has to eat. Working lunches give us a chance to chat, catch up, as well as a brainstorm, and strategize. I love picking the brains of my clients. It helps me to form their brand voice. It helps me to understand their purpose, mission, and vision. This is the reason I do what I do. I take storytelling so seriously, and I love learning and building relationships, and growing with my clients. Lunch is so important!
- HAVE FUN! My client was giving off stiff energy, until I jumped into the shoot and started talking, joking, making him laugh. I pretended to be one of our buyer personas and was having him practice delivering my key messages. This is a great way to practice brand awareness with your client in a silly and fun way. Everyone started laughing, and I am betting those shots are going to be my favorite! Thank you to Albert & Victoria for such a great shoot today. I can’t wait to see the pictures!
