Hi gang!
Once again a photography post (don't worry I will mix it up eventually , just the easiest thing for me to post at the moment （´▽｀）)
Today I will talking about working with clients when beginning to get into photography.
It's very important to understand what your client wants and what it is that they are expecting of you. You need to know what gear you need , how much of your time it is going to take with planning, team and props. Inexperienced clients with barely any knowledge of the industry tend to make their expectations of the shoot way too high. They want something top class , out of a Vogue magazine for as little as possible. So it's always important, first of all, to find the right clients to work with. Your expenses cannot exceed your profit.
This is why I personally don't take large projects as paid work because of the high expectations and expenses from my part. I tend to focus on shoots that I am comfortable with like simple portraits, costumes and etc. In this particular shoot I'm sharing , all I had was my Nikon D700 and my 50mm 1.8 lens. That's it. I didn't take any reflectors, lights or any other equipment because I had to travel to the client's residence and I don't have a driving licence so I had to take public transport.
The client knew what she was looking for making my job easy as she had several reference images we discussed before doing the shoot, they were all very simple with just a white wall in the background and natural light. As it happened, the client had the perfect source of light in her living room ( which she already considered herself, once again, making my job easy).
So I left the editing pretty tasteful and natural as the client is being represented in an online company for make up artists (which is why her make up is amazing!). I provided two edits for each image so that she had a choice if she didn't like one style and a few different angles of her portrait. Originally the client was only looking for one image and that is all but I always give around 8 or so just to basically spare my time if any argument occurs and for the availability of choice.
Model: Noeleen Cunningham
It's always important being confidant with your client and it makes it so much easier if the client themselves are confident in what they want. When starting out and actually getting paid for your work it takes a while to learn your own worth , I'm personally still learning. However being confident, getting to know my client for a cup of coffee and understanding what they have imagined for the future day of our shoot is something I always do. That would be my main advice.
During the actual day of the shoot you will generally get into the flow if you have these mental plans prepared , and over working yourself as well does not mean great results.
I'd love to say...
Just keep it simple! (⌒▽⌒)θ～♪
Comment if you have any questions, I will eventually reply to everyone when I get the chance as I have a full time job （=´∇｀=）
Have a lovely day!