Why I Do a Personal Consultation Call Before Photo Sessions
There are so many day-to-day things we do online today for convenience - scheduling appointments, shopping, making plans, and all that fun stuff. But when it comes to a photography session, nothing compares to talking it through with a good, old-fashioned phone call. As a professional photographer, I make sure I give every client the time and care of a consultation call, and there are several reasons why.
Plan Your Session
The most straightforward reason for a consultation call is to plan the details of your session. It’s so much easier for us to talk through things like how you want your session to look and feel, and the style you want for your portraits. Trying to do this over email makes for a lot of time-consuming back-and-forth messages and it’s harder for us to know we’re understanding each other fully about your vision for the session.
During this consultation, we’ll also talk through all the logistics and details you need to know. We’ll figure out a location for your photo shoot and I’ll give you guidance about what to wear, what to bring, and other essentials. My goal is to make the process as smooth and easy for you as possible while also creating stunning custom portraits you’ll love.
Make Sure We’re On the Same Page
You might be surprised by how much a photo session (and the portraits) is affected by whether you get along well with your photographer. My job as a photographer is not only to create images that are beautiful but also to create portraits that speak to who you and your family are in this chapter of life and to capture memories of this moment. Chemistry plays a role in this. A consultation call gives you and me a chance to make sure that our visions for the session are aligned and it allows me to better understand you, your personality, and how to bring your personality into your photo shoot.
Build Comfort and Familiarity
Another aspect of making your photo session a better experience is building some familiarity between you and I. Any time you’re meeting someone for the first time, it adds a bit of anxiety to the day, and that’s especially the case when the situation itself isn’t very familiar for you either, which is usually the case for a photo session - most of my clients don’t have portraits taken often and are a bit nervous in front of the camera. That’s perfectly natural, but I’ve found that getting to know you a bit over the phone can help you feel more comfortable at your photo shoot.
Starting Your Next Photo Session Right with a Personal Consultation
Photography, to me, is about so much more than photos. It’s important to me that I create a positive experience for you and your family because you’ll always remember that experience when you look at your portraits. You’ll remember whether you had fun, were frustrated, felt awkward, and so on, so a personal consultation is one of the ways I make sure you have the best photography experience. Contact Jaimié Birtel Photography and let’s start making those great memories!
