Have you encountered this scenario? You put a lot of work into a client shoot. You create mood boards and take control of the creative direction with fresh ideas. You produce great work that you’re proud to deliver to the client—only to hear back with a list of changes, which means you pretty much have to reshoot the whole project.
This is disheartening and can happen at any stage of your career, but there are systems that you can put into place that will reduce the likelihood of having to reshoot for a client.
In this blog post, I’m sharing my process that will hopefully help you make your clients happy and to avoid major revisions on a food photography project.
Lay a Foundation by Charging Enough
Pricing is the foundation of everything you do in your photography business. Pricing has a huge psychological component and not navigating it correctly can have major consequences and will trickle down to every part of your food photography business.
Every emerging photographer that I’ve ever worked with has a tendency to price their work too low for the quality they can deliver. However, in a client’s mind, not charging enough is a red flag that you don’t know what you’re doing. That you don’t understand the costs of production, usage fees, or the value of your work. Even if your images are really good, the client will think that they will have to hold your hand through the process. Thus, they assume that revisions will be a part of the process.
To present yourself as a professional, weed out the bad clients, and be seen as an expert, you need to charge a lot of your photography. This is the foundation of your photography business.
Always Outline Next Steps
When things go awry between a client and photographer, it’s often due to a lack of clear communication. A client may seem difficult, when in actuality there may have expectations that gone unmet. This can be mitigated by discussing your process, so that the client knows exactly what to expect.
Depending on the client, you can outline the process in a proposal or an onboarding form that you have the client fill out before you get started. You can also create a PDF that you give to the client and refer them to as needed.
Get them Involved in the Process
Unless you’re working with an agency who gives you mock-ups, mood boards or other collateral to show you exactly what they’re looking for, getting them involved in the project right off the bat will ensure a smoother process and show them that you care.
Take the reins and add value by contributing your ideas and undertaking the communication that is required to make sure that you’re on the same page.
I create mood boards for my clients and help them with a shot list, if needed. If I’ve secured the deposit, I’ll even take some test shots to show them. I always do a lot of preparation for each photo shoot and it makes a big difference in client satisfaction and my results.
Have a Clear Shot List Before You Get Started
I try to get a shot list from prospective clients before I write up an estimate for them. Agencies are pretty good with this, but brands and smaller clients like restaurants will often have no idea what shots they need and what’s in them.
This can make it very difficult to ascertain the scope of the project and provide adequate pricing, however, I often present quotes based on the information they have and make it clear that it can be subject to change if the parameters shift.
You can help a client further define what will be in the shots, but you need to know this before you start shooting so you can ensure that you have the correct props, backgrounds, and ingredients that you’ll need.
For example, a recently had a client who wanted some dark and moody process shots with a strong visual story. After some discussion, she mentioned that she wanted to see at least one image with an old book as prop. This helped me prepare for the shoot and to make sure that I had something suitable in my prop inventory before shoot day.
Do a Prep Call via Zoom
Before shoot day, I recommend setting up a Zoom video call between you and your client to go over a mood board or any sample images and discuss the requirements and execution of the shoot.
I also find it useful to ask the client to point out images in your own portfolio that resonated with them. After all, they chose to hire your presumably in part for your style. Having a client pinpoint what they like about your photography can help you emulate a lighting style or composition for the project.
Provide Image Options Via an Online Gallery
I always strive to shoot more images than agreed upon with the client and present them via a quality photo gallery. This way the client has some options, and they may decide to purchase more images than they intended at that time or in the future.
I use Prodbi for its high resolution and excellent quality, but you can use Pixieset or another gallery of your choice.
I recommend showing them a gallery of partially edited photos. Once the client has chosen their final images, you can complete the editing and any retouching that may be required. For example, I edit with Capture One but pull each file in Photoshop and using cleaning techniques at 100% to ensure the final files look impeccable.
To Sum Up
Clients require reshoots when their expectations haven’t been met. Sometimes they have a hard time articulating this n matter what you do. Clear communication and having a system in place for understanding the requirements of the project will go a long way to protect you from having to reshoot or do major revisions in post-production.
Want more business advice? Work with me one-to-one I one of my mentorship programs. Whether you want to develop a marketing plan, need help with your pricing, or a supporting sounding board for your photography business, I can help!
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