Welcome Your Client To Your Studio

I want to talk about my client interaction when they first come to my studio, because it's so very important to make sure you give your client an incredible experience when working with you, from start to finish.

The first thing I always try to do is make sure I greet my client, outside by meeting them at their car when they pull up.

I want to make sure that they don’t need any help carrying any bags or anything else into my studio.

Once I get everyone inside, I always tell them to make sure you make yourself at home.

After they are settled in, there’s a few things I talk to them about.

Number one. I tell mom and dad I am going to give them a small, short studio tour. If they choose to do family portraits, I always do these first and I explain to them the reason for this is I keep my studio at a very warm temperature. I want to make sure we get their photos out-of-the-way so they can take off any extra layers, and be a little more comfortable for the rest of the baby’s session.

Also, if mom and dad bring any little ones, they tend to be a little bit on the restless side so it’s another reason why I want to make sure I get the family photos taken right away.

I like to make sure that mom and dad know where everything is. Explain to them that everything on the baby changing station is there for them to use. Show them where the laundry basket is, and the garbage. I also point in the direction of snacks, water, coffee, or soda. Basically, anything that I have on hand for them to enjoy.

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I always want to make sure that mom and dad are comfortable with my posing beanbag that I use. This can be a little intimidating just because I want the parents to understand what exactly their little one is lying on. With all the blankets laying on top of the beanbag you can’t necessarily see what’s underneath. I always lift the layers on top-up, and show mom and dad how big the bean bag actually is. I always take time to explain where I’ll put their baby, and how I will be posing him or her.

Next, I take them across the studio to where I have my bowls and buckets lied out. I explain to mom and dad that I picked out pieces based on their initial consultation with me, but I leave all the options out. I explain to mom and dad that they’re free to make any changes or swap anything out that they like or don’t like. I’ve never had a mom or dad say, "no I want this" or make any changes, but it’s always nice to make sure they are involved in the creative process.

Lastly, I go over my studio rules with mom and dad. I can’t stress this enough- to not just have studio rules, but to communicate these rules to your client, and also have them on display for them to read.

You can never be too careful when working with a little one, so having rules in place will keep everyone on the same page, and everyone will have the same understanding of what needs to take place during the two or three hours of the session.

Then I always ask them if they have any questions, or if they need me to go over anything again just to make sure they’re comfortable with everything that’s gonna take place during our session.

And then... I direct them to where I’ll start shooting.