Why You Must Have Consultation Before Booking Your Headshot Session

Have A Consultation Before Booking Your Headshot Session

Do yourself a favor please.  Have a consultation with your Photographer BEFORE booking your Headshot Session.  When you are booking your Headshot Session or Personal Branding images, you are choosing more than just a random person to take nice pictures.  You are hiring someone to interpret your vision for how you want potential clients and employers to view you.

In short, you need to do more than fill in a quick Jotform or choose a date with someone’s online calendar booking system.

Before even one photo is taken, a serious discussion needs to happen.  You should be communicating about your business, your goals for the session and your expectations regarding finished images, payment and delivery terms.

Portrait Photography Is Personal—Even Professional Headshots

While a Headshot or Personal Branding session may have a business goal, the experience is still very personal.  It is definitely a collaborative and connection driven situation.

A Personal Connection With Your Photographer Is Essential For Success

One thing I understand having been a Professional Portrait Photographer for many years is that clients can feel very uncomfortable in front of a camera.  They often feel weird, self-conscious, or vulnerable. That is why it is important to have a consultation first when booking your Headshot Session or Personal Branding.

A quick call or meeting before scheduling gives us a chance to talk through what you need—What is your goal or vibe and how can I best help you achieve that?

For a headshot or branding session, we should be talking about not only your industry, but what you want your place to be in that industry.

For a corporate team session, it may mean making sure the images feel not only polished and professional on their own, but also aligned and on brand for your entire organization and marketing needs.  Consistency is key.

Style and Approach

Let’s be honest.  There are lots of Headshot and Branding Photographers out there.  They are not interchangeable.  Every photographer out there has a different style, creative process, and a unique way of seeing.

Some photographers create clean, minimalist headshots. Some shoot with a more magazine or editorial style. Some photographers want to manage every single detail of the shoot down to the color nail polish someone is wearing, creating elaborate mood boards and such.  And some are looser or go with the flow, taking a more client driven approach.

None of these approaches are wrong, but they are not all the same.

That is why prior consultation with a photographer is important before booking your Headshot Session. A discovery call helps make sure the creative direction fits both your comfort level and what you actually need.  The photographer also needs to know what the actual scope of the job is to charge you appropriately as well as provide a great product and level of service.  Both parties need to feel like it is a good fit.

Understanding the Process Before the Session

It is very important to understand exactly what to expect before, during, and after your session.  Just as there are different styles of photography out there, photographers offer unique business models as well.

Some photographers are what is known a “shoot and burn.”  Basically, they are photographing a session and handing you unretouched or unedited files.  While this can be an attractive option when a client is budget conscious, you must understand that you are not getting any post processing to “finish” the images.

Just a few questions to ask are:

How long is the session and what is included?

How long does it take to receive the images from the session?

Is retouching included in the final images?

You should know ahead of time what is included and what kind of experience you will be having.  You should not be surprised or be expected to guess!  There should be no shocked “Wait, that was not included?” moments during the process.

Photography Deliverables Are Important!

The ultimate goal of any Portrait Session, but especially Headshots, should be clear well before the day of the session.  After all, time is money.

For some clients, all they really need is one or two fantastic Headshots.  For some, an entire Team needs Headshots.  For other clients, they might need an entire library of custom branded imagery for their website, social media, and marketing collateral.  Discussing this is a great way to save time and money in the long run.

Refine Your Goals With A Consultation

You may not know right off the top of your head what you need.  Talking with a professional can be very clarifying.  A consultation helps you refine and communicate your goals effectively.  This in turn leads to a session that produces the correct results.  The deliverables from your Headshot or Personal Branding Photoshoot should support your company image and story.

Finally, connection with your Photographer is literally everything.  You need to be able to trust that the person you and your team are working with understands you and makes you feel comfortable while being photographed.  A Photographer can have all the amazing high-end gear in the world, but if you are not comfortable it will certainly show!

Are you ready to make the plunge and book a Personal Branding or Headshot Session?  Great!  You can use our Contact Form or call the Studio directly at (518) 584-4237 today.

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