Proud Photography Blog

No matter what kind of photography you do, if you have to work with other people then it’s important to be able to build rapport with them.  It could be your clients or your models, it could be your assistant or team – being someone that is professional and can be trusted is important to make it as a Photographer.

Here are some ways to build up a rapport with your potential customers and clients.

1.    Show them your work
Often, someone who is hiring you for your photography skills will want to see what you can do.  Sometimes they have already seen an example of what you can do via a website or they have been recommended by a friend so are trusting their opinion of you.

Always be open with showing your work, and try to show relevant samples.  In some industries, like wedding photography, it’s likely that you will have to show a portfolio anyway to be picked for the job.

But even if you are taking the first set of headshots for say, an aspiring dancer or model, showing them what you can do builds up trust.  Even if they don’t ask for examples or proof of your work but showing them it gives them a chance to input ideas and talk to you about what they really want from the shoot.

Make it easy for them to see your work.  Get a website or at least up load your images to an online gallery.  Take a portfolio with you when you first meet your client.  Show examples in your advertising.

2.    Be honest about your skills

You may be the best still life photographer in the world but how good are you at shooting models?

If you want to expand on your genre, there’s nothing wrong with that and if you have practiced on your friends and family and know what you are doing, you can make this clear to the client.

However, if you are unsure about things, let your customer know what you can and can’t do.  For example you may have taken simple headshots for people but have never taken high fashion images (which are extremely demanding and require the highest quality not to mention skillful post production).  You need to tell your client what you can and can’t achieve and be honest with this.

3.    Preparation

If you are hired for the job then sometimes, if it’s worth your time, doing a pre-shoot can be helpful.  This is very much recommended for jobs where you only have one day or one chance to get the best shots such as weddings and special occasions, or where it would cost you a lot of money to travel or reproduce the images.

Wedding couples are usually happy to have a pre-shoot as it also gives them time to adjust things like clothing, hair and make up.  However, if it’s a big shoot and you can’t replicate things exactly you can use a similar set up (lighting or go to the same location if it’s not too far) and use your friends or assistants as models so you know exactly what you are doing.