Welcome to the Hillary Pair Photography blog!
Did you know there are different types of photographers? I’m not talking about a photographer who specializes in family vs newborn photography. There are different types of photographers, as far as, how they serve you. They can all help you in different ways. It all depends on what type of service you expect and enjoy.
First I want to say; photography is a service. Photographers are servers. We provide a service to our clients. Much like a server at a restaurant. They serve you and when they do it well, they are paid well.
There are several types of photographers. I will be hitting a couple of the main types. Most likely you have experienced what we call a shoot and burn photographer. Shoot and burn photographers are great especially if that is exactly what you want.
When you go to a “shoot and burn” photographer, you will book a session with them. It is usually a quick process. Most of the time when you book a session, you will pay a session fee that may or may not come with digital files from your session. The photographer will meet you at the session location you agreed upon for the session and take your photo. After the session the photographer will complete their edits and then they will get the files from the session to you. You can do what you wish with these files.
Things to keep in mind when getting digital files:
What will you be doing with the files?
Do you plan on printing them?
Do you plan on keeping them on the computer?
How will you store them?
Another thing I want to note for you, digital files can be degraded or corrupted. Please save them in multiple locations; computer and hard drives fail all the time. If the portrait is important to you PLEASE print it!
Another type of photographer you have most likely have never been to, is a full-service photographer. Full-service photographers are rare. They do what you can’t and help you through the entire process. They take less clients so they can spend more time with each client to provide the best service possible.
I am a full-service photographer. If you follow me on social media you probably have heard me refer to myself as a full-service photographer. But do you actually know what that means?
I became a full-service photographer because I wanted to serve moms very well. As a mom, I know how stressful planning family portraits can be. A portrait session should be enjoyed! Mom should be able to enjoy the entire process. Moms have a lot on their plate. When she books a session, she has to figure out what everyone is going to wear. Where should they have their session? Then when she gets the digital files she has to figure out what she wants to do with them. Sometimes she doesn’t do anything with them because she is overwhelmed or gets busy and forgets.
Now think about a portrait session process where you are served so well you don’t know what to do. To explain what a full-service photographer can do for you, I will be explaining the process my clients go through.
The first thing to happen is what is called first contact. This is usually when the client contacts me for information on booking a session with me. I love to talk to my potential clients on the phone. It is just so much easier than texting or messaging back and forth. It makes the conversation so much less confusing. During our conversation I will ask you to schedule a consultation if you are interested in booking a session.
A consultation is a great way to meet and get to know each other. When you schedule a consultation please bring everyone who will attend the session. This is so important. It gets everyone more comfortable with me, and me more comfortable with you. I am an introvert. That being said, I do a much better job when I am comfortable around the client. Kids also do so much better when they have met me a few times before the session.
The consultation is also a time for me to give you more information on what I can do for you. When you decide that the service I provide is perfect for you, we can start planning your session. You will have an idea of what you imagine for the session. We will walk through what your vision for the session is. From there I can get an idea of what clothes and location will complete your vision. I can also get an idea of what portraits to capture and what products you will need. If we have the consultation in your home, I can help you pick out what will look best in your home.
We will also be able to schedule your session at the consultation.
After the consultation we will be in contact often. Remember I am a full-service photographer. I am there to help you through everything. If you have any questions or need help with something I am there for you.
Clothes are one of the most stressful parts of planning a session for moms. Especially when you are trying to coordinate the whole family. I can help you get that done easy peasy. Whether we go through the closets in your home or we have a shopping day, I am there to help alleviate the stressful process of finding outfits. Hopefully this is also another time that I can get to know the family better. A time we can all get more comfortable with each other.
I can also help you in deciding on what products will look good in your home. The decor in your home can make a big difference on what products will look good in your home.
The location can also be determined by the decor in your home. Finding a location can be very stressful. There are so many options. I can help you find a location that will look great in your home and still see your vision for the session through.
Your portraits are not only portraits of the most important people in your life, they are pieces of art. In fact, I call my framed prints, canvases and acrylic prints, Wall Art. The products I produce for you are top of the line professional quality.
The planning is all done. We have everything ready. We finally made it to the session day! We have planned everything and I know exactly what to capture during the session. Everyone is ready for a great session. We are all comfortable because we have met or talked several times. Everyone gets a little nervous when they know a camera is on them. That is why I take the time to spend time with my clients. When we get to the session, the pressure is significantly lower.
After the awesome session, I will get to work on editing your portraits. This is another part of the process that makes me different from other photographers. I hand edit every portrait. Most photographers buy products they can use to edit their photos with a click of the button. I also create some very unique and magical portraits for my clients. I like to call them Imagination Portraits.
When I am all done, we will meet for a viewing and ordering appointment. You will get to see the final hand edited images and Imagination portrait if you bought one with your session. I have already helped you with choosing what kind of products you would like for your portraits so this is the easy part. I can show you exactly what the products will look like on your wall with the portraits I have made for you. You can see exactly what they will look like on your wall before you buy it! How awesome is that?
A full-service photographer is great for someone who doesn’t want to stress over it all. Moms who want to check something off their list and not add more to it! It is already hard enough to get everything on your list done. A portrait session should be a fun and enjoyable process. Not just another thing you have to do and stress about.
So what type of customer are you? Do you want a quick meet up session and digitals handed over? Are you the DIYer that enjoys taking the photos and creating something beautiful? Or do you enjoy being served well knowing you can relax and enjoy the process?
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