Portraits are going to be your basic go to in your artillary of talent. It's best to know what your doing!
Have a Few Poses
“Have a few poses and then talk! Get people laughing, get people pretending, get people moving easy and free.”
One of the biggest mistakes photographers make is having a ton of poses that they place their subjects in and then they just go crazy shooting each pose. PLEASE DON'T DO THAT! This is one way to guarentee that your photos all look the same and the client doesn't come through in the image. Have a few poses and then talk! Get people laughing, get people pretending, get people moving easy and free. Have them be goofy while you're testing your light. Have them move around while you shoot. Talk to them about what they're doing. Comfort is key in getting natural poses that the client will love!
Have a Time Limit
It's critical to have a clear understanding with your client about how long the session is. I generally like to do an hour. That's generally enough time to get 1-2 locations, maybe 1-3 outfit changes, get them feeling comfortable and get 10-15 solid images from the shoot. Don't go under your time unless you absaloutely have to! However, if you can, giving your client that extra ten minutes of time can go a long way!
Having a time limit also helps you as the photographer to make sure that things move along. This means that you should know the area you're shooting in pretty well before you go to do the shoot. You should never have to wonder where to go to next. It makes clients nervous and less likely to reccommend you! (Learned this the hard way!)
Guarantee Images
“...you know by heart how long it takes you to edit and you first and foremost go for quality.”
If you know it will take you 2-3 weeks to edit the photos and get them to your client tell them that! 2-3 weeks is a perfectly fine amount of time to narrow down the hundreds of images you took to 10-15 and make them stunning! Be very clear (it helps if you have a contract) about when the client can expect their images. And make it clear beforehand! Many people like to do things last minute and may need the images sooner than you can guarantee them by. If they do you should feel completely lefitimate in adding on a rush fee. One, because you made it clear beforehand. Two, because you know by heart how long it takes you to edit and you first and foremost go for quality. Giving yourself this barrier of time helps you continue to guarantee quality.
What Lens?
Honestly, this question comes up all the time. It's a never ending debate. To be honest. I love my trusty 18-55 for portrait sessions. I love the range it gives me for close and for farther away. However, depending on what the client is looking for I may switch it up a little. Maybe they want really close up, just head shots, I might go to a fixed 85 mm f 1.4. It really depends on your client. Definitely keep a few lenses on hand until you get the hang of things. Best advice I have on this is to keep experimenting!
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