Last year, when the Hobby Lobby challenge infiltrated my newsfeed with pictures of people staging their own personal photo sessions at every mom’s favorite craft store my first thought was…every day of my life is a Hobby Lobby challenge! The truth is, while I pride myself on making sure my clients are as prepared for their sessions as possible, I just never truly know what I’m going to be walking into! I do everything I can to make – not simply the most out of those situations – but the absolute best! I’m a detail person…the details that you might not notice, they’re glaring to me, and I have very quick and easy ways to fix them!
Here are a few examples of how I can make something out of nothing!
Real Estate
Just because a home is beautiful and tidy does not mean it’s what I consider “magazine ready” (you can read my tips for accomplishing that here!). That’s where I come in. I understand that it’s in the small details, the ones you might never consider, like hiding the trashcans. I’ve also been known to raid the pantry, stealing chip clips to pull back curtains. There’s so much staging that can be done with the items already in a home. Move this vase here, stack those books there, lay this throw like so, hide those wires.
Commercial
The concept of commercial photography might seem pretty straight forward, but in truth there are so many things that can go wrong. It’s not at all unusual that I show up to take staff photos for a business to learn that half of the employees learned about the shoot that morning! That comes with quite a bit of reassurance that they’ll look great, and then I have to put my money where my mouth is and prove it.
This goes for real estate shots as well…if I’m taking an exterior shot of a business, the weather is really such a big factor (blog on that coming soon!) but you can’t schedule a sunny day, and that’s my problem, not the clients. I’ve spent the last 18 years perfecting my use of lighting. Knowing how to make natural lighting work for me, not against me.
Personal Shoots
Everything that I do is a process. I try to hold my clients’ hands as much as possible and make sure they have all the tools so that their session goes off without a hitch, but I think we all know what they say about best laid plans. I know that if I take extra time to be sure I’m prepared as possible the day will go much smoother. For instance, family sessions usually include lots of little ones whose moods can be unpredictable. I always make sure I’m stocked up on bubbles, water and snacks.
Again…it’s all in those small details. Your hair can be styled to perfection, but if a stray hair is curling around your neck, the shot is ruined. You can have on a gorgeous outfit, but if your collar is crooked, there goes your headshot. Noticing and fixing these things quickly is all part of my job.
