Consultations.
These little meetings or phone conversations can honestly make or
break your whole business. It is through a consultation that you
begin to understand how a child's personality can best shine or a
teen wants to celebrate their high school years.
I have
become a broken record when it comes to drilling the idea of
“thinking beyond the same three poses”. What I want to do now is
drill into you how vital it is to ask questions of your clients.
Find out what they want out of their session. Never worry that you
will appear insecure; you are the artist but they are the ones that
will buy or not.
For years I
worked for retail studios that never really had consultations. We
would call the day before a session to confirm that the client was
going to actually show up, get a few snips of information so we could
fill out all the corporate regulated forms, and maybe even ask them
what cheesy holiday props they wanted to include in their very canned
sitting. As you can most likely guess, I felt these calls and the
following session often ended up impersonal. The same six poses
showed up in every album, and after a while I felt like there was
nothing lovely about my photos which would otherwise be “good”
technically.
While a
good photographer will ask many questions, there are some points
where you can advise in a consultation and it is those points I want
to cover right now:
Clothing
choices:
I know that we have all had those clients who
just have to get a shot with
all the kids in those massive holiday knits that grandma made last
year. I always feel a twinge of pity for the kids as the melt under
studio lights and layers of itchy wool. I also remind parents that
layering is great because we can take the required “thank you for
the itchy gift” shots and follow up with a few things that can be
displayed year round.
When clients ask about color choices or
clothing styles I always suggest a simple pair of jeans and solid
black or brown long sleeve shirt. These colors work with all skin
tones and hair colors as well as translating perfectly for color
edited images. Jeans are relaxed, and the warm shades of brown can
be a great way to make an impression without letting color dominate
the image.
Something with a scoop neck is most flattering to
women, and an Oxford style button-up in white or black is wonderful
for men. Women who are pregnant should try the white or black oxford
as it can be used to full advantage for flattering displays of the
belly.
Make-up: Less is More:
Never underestimate the power of bad
make-up.
If the Jersey Shore has taught us
anything, it is that beauty is completely in the eyes of the
beholder... and not in the eyes of the spray tanner. I know that
some people feel that an orange glow is an expression of health, but
it rarely translates well without digital editing. Find a tactful way
to let your clients know, brides especially, if their tanning is not
captured well. Massive charges to the time spent fixing lighting are
never a client wants to see, and working to tone down their bronze
glow is something you will have to take in stride.
Next to
fake tanner, make-up can honestly pose a massive problem because of
“bleeds” from red lipsticks, mascara smudging, and glitter
explosions under the flash. In this situation, you can always talk
about going for a natural look. Clear gloss, matte finishes on eye
shadow and powders, and using browns in place of black for the
eyeliner and mascara can make a huge difference. Using some pageant
world tricks like a touch of vaseline across the teeth to repel
lipstick stains and encourage smiles can really make a difference.
Hair:
Big hair went out with the 80's... unless
you are in child beauty pageants. Remember that the client's
individual style should always come through, but hair should be kept
simple if they are not doing something for a special event. You will
want to check for curls and fly-away strands each time you change
pose, so keep a comb or soft baby brush handy.
Braids and
ponytails can be great, but try not to have everything pulled too
tightly. Better still, let the hair fall freely and brush it out to
catch some silky texture and gloss. Fans are wonderful for models
with long hair moving freely, but letting a small section fall over
the shoulder or across one eye can make for truly a sultry
look.
Either a smooth wave or spiked tips look best if they
are all “moving” the same way. Angle and direction is important,
so just keep it flowy when the look is soft. If you have a “hard”
look, like spiked hair, you'll want to ensure that gel is not gobbed
on making visible shifts in color and texture.
Bling
is NOT Everything:
Finally, talk to the girls and women coming in
about jewelry.
Less is more here as well. Massive earrings
and mounds of chunky necklaces can be a big problem because they
block facial features if the model does not hold the pose just right.
A simple, sleek look will work best here because it cannot take away
from the natural grace of the neck, or block the face from poor
placement like some things can.
Rings, bracelets, watches, and
necklace latches should all be checked carefully so they are not a
problem. Just as hands can be a problem because they will detract
from a wonderful face, jewelry can pose the same problem from
catching the flash at the wrong time.
As with everything...
there are times you need to break the rules and go for the jewelry.
In general, you must get shots of the rings for engagement, wedding, and anniversary
albums, They are the visible centerpiece of an event. There are
hundreds of ways to show rings while getting the personality of the
bride and groom into the shot. A great way to do something different
is to have the rings placed on a newborn's toes if the parents are
both coming in for infant sittings.
