Crafting Authenticity: An Insight into a Successful Photography Session Pt. 2

Are you aware of the power of a single phone call when it comes to preparing for a photography session? Imagine having your client's expectations clearly laid out in front of you just by taking the time to communicate effectively. In this episode, we'll delve into the critical importance of communication, decluttering, and adequate preparation for photography sessions. We'll also share some handy tips for handling pets that might be present during the session, and how keeping the area minimal can contribute to a better photographic outcome. 

Now, you might wonder how you can capture real and authentic moments during a photography session? Well, the secret is in adaptability and flexibility! We'll discuss how pivotal it is to be open to unexpected moments and how to prepare yourself to capture them as they occur. We'll also discuss the importance of being honest with your photographer about any personal worries or issues you may have and how not expecting your session to look identical to someone else's can lead to a more personalized experience.

Finally, we aim to help you make your photoshoots feel more natural and authentic. We share the best ways to make the day special, yet familiar and comfortable. We even share tips on how to handle uncooperative children or couples during a session. After all, photography is about capturing moments, not creating artificial ones! So tune in, and let's learn how to create a positive and natural photography session together.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

Hey guys, you're listening to part two of today's episode. If you haven't listened to part one of this episode, we'd strongly recommend you listen from the beginning of part one to understand where our conversation starts up. When you're done with this episode, please feel free to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcast. It's the easiest way to support this podcast. Enjoy part two and we'll see you next week.

Speaker 2: 0:57

So at the end of the day, I'm always just trying to get individuals to talk about themselves so I can get an understanding of what they're, what it's like, what they're almost like so I can know what to do when I walk in the door. What to expect, do?

Speaker 1: 1:08

you have a phone call with them.

Speaker 2: 1:10

I always have a minimum phone call Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:12

Oh, okay, okay, So I used to do phone calls and then I changed it to questionnaire.

Speaker 2: 1:17

Questionnaire works too.

Speaker 1: 1:19

Yeah, I changed it to an online questionnaire and if I have any questions I can email them and ask them and all of that. But I feel like having it written down, having it written exactly in their words, and I can kind of go back and check it before the session. I feel like that always really helps me to kind of know what I'm walking in and just like you instead of well, i know that you said that you're not like is it clean? But usually what I'll say is like for our session, i usually ask that you declutter the areas that you're looking to be captured in most.

Speaker 2: 1:51

That's what I'm getting at. That's essentially what you're getting at.

Speaker 1: 1:53

And then I tell them that minimal is best. Minimal. If you're thinking about adding things to your space to help it feel more homey, I always tell people to like, don't, like. Don't go out and like, buy something just to put up on the walls just because you feel like the walls are blank. What blank walls are really nice in photos. Actually, minimal is better.

Speaker 2: 2:16

Yeah it always does kill me sometimes the hardest part of doing it. Being in a hotel room is like artwork that just is so loud and it's in and it's like, yeah, like, because the focus is the subjects. That's the focus.

Speaker 1: 2:27

So right, we don't need to be loud.

Speaker 2: 2:31

I'm gonna, i'm going to the next.

Speaker 1: 2:32

The next clip that you post on our thing should just be every single time you hit it.

Speaker 2: 2:37

Yeah, that's actually good, yeah, so I have to emphasize too on this conversation. So I'm thinking back. When you do these podcasts, you like, you just you're just talking and you listen back and you're like, oh, that sounded odd, because in my head it sounds good, but maybe it's interpreted correctly. If you know me, i'm an extremely patient person. I'm very tight.

Speaker 1: 3:00

No, he's not. Yeah, i'm just like get on here.

Speaker 2: 3:04

I'm extremely patient, i'm really easy going, so I don't walk into anybody's house and go like this is trash, like this is not what we discussed.

Speaker 1: 3:11

There's a lot of work to do here.

Speaker 2: 3:14

I make anything work, we'll make it work. I'm just looking for you to tell me about you, that's essentially what it comes down to, and little tips that will help hopefully give the expectations that you're looking for in the photos, and I can give you as much as I can on that.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Right, and when we, when we offer to do phone calls, when we offer to do you know the questionnaires and when I know, so, like you know, scheduling the phone call might seem a little bit more Mm, i don't know. Fun, i want to say fun but I don't think that that's. I feel maybe professional is what I'm trying to look for, but I know that some of my clients when they get the questionnaire they just kind of like blow it off and they're like go whatever you know, But I strongly urge the clients to write in.

Speaker 1: 3:58

I mean, I have questions about like how can I have your kiddos warm up to me? Do you have pets and does it take them a minute to warm up to me? Because I've also walked into in-home sessions and gotten bit by dogs because I have a big camera in my hand and they think that I'm coming for their newborn baby, like that's dogs are.

Speaker 1: 4:14

They're animals, they're gonna assume the worst. So I always ask them, you know, is there treats that I can give your dog at the door before I even take out my camera? Things like that where it's not only gonna help me but it's also going to help you? because if I know, when people walk into my door and Nelly is just going buck wild all over them, not only am I a little bit embarrassed I know she's a dog and I know people expect it for the most part but it's embarrassing that I can't get a hold of like my animal, like get over here, come on, you know. And especially if they're not dog people, if they're not dog people, and Nelly is going nuts on them, like it's a little embarrassing and it's not something you know that I think my clients would make me feel bad about, you know.

Speaker 1: 4:55

But if I had somebody come in and I'm just like oh my God, i'm so sorry It already is putting you in this position of you feel uncomfortable and so you're apologizing and that's not the foot that you wanna start your session on.

Speaker 2: 5:08

No, it's yeah that's so. This wraps into the whole picture of gaining as much information as you can about you and the individual.

Speaker 2: 5:17

It helps in any situation, especially for photography. So when we're dealing with people and this goes for any business, honestly when you, when it's not just a service of tech or something, a software, and you throw in people, you automatically now have a whole new level of if you can understand them, it will make your experience that much better. Like, just apply that concept to any business, any interaction with humans you have to. It will help always.

Speaker 1: 5:51

Actually, while we're talking about this, i wanna send you oh, you might have seen it, i just posted a photo, but I wanna send you one of the photos from a family session that this the mom. My client described her session as what she wanted to be cozy but chaotic, because that's what their life feels like at the moment, and so I'm sending you some pictures so that you can see, because it helped me prep for my session so much.

Speaker 1: 6:21

It helped me prep in a way where I was like, okay, like I'm just we're having fun with their girls and like we're gonna, you know, jump on the bed and we're gonna get a little rambunctious, cozy and chaotic, like, tell me, these photos do not scream that to you. But if I didn't, have if I didn't have her description of what she was hoping for, I might have gone a totally different route 10 out of 10.

Speaker 2: 6:46

This is exactly that description.

Speaker 1: 6:47

Yep, that is wonderful, but it helps me so much because, if I you know she was, it was a newborn session, but she has two older girls and she wanted to make sure that they were feeling just as loved, as, you know, the little guy that she was welcoming So that's what we were focusing on was okay. how is this family kind of working through this newborn stage in a cozy and chaotic way, like I loved it.

Speaker 2: 7:15

Yeah, i can't stop looking at them. they're so good. That's it Just a really good example.

Speaker 1: 7:18

Yeah, just a really good example of like how to help your photographer prep in a way where they understand exactly what you're hoping for. And you know, somebody might have given Chris that prompt and Chris might have captured it in a totally different way. But this specific client of mine has looked through all of my you know my galleries and things like that my blog posts And so I feel like she chose me for a specific reason. And being able to look at her words and go, okay, yeah, we got this, like, let's do it. Getting home and seeing those photos and editing them, i was like oh my God, i love it.

Speaker 2: 7:51

They're, perfect So what we'll have to do is I wish there was a way we could share this so you could see it, just to get a picture.

Speaker 1: 7:58

but We can post it on the feed. I did post it on my feed so we can share it on like our story or something. So when this comes out we can just like share that specific set that I posted so that people can kind of reference like what the cozy and chaotic?

Speaker 2: 8:14

looked like So, they, they. She hit the nail on my head, so that was perfect.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Love that. So a few other points, and I don't know how much more time do you have, cause we can run through them quick.

Speaker 2: 8:27

Let's run through them quick, okay.

Speaker 1: 8:29

So I'm just gonna run through my list and if you have anything to add, go for it. After booking, order your outfits early, and the reason why is because a lot of your session at least for mine is going to be very movement-based. I see a lot of photographers taking that onto. Movement-based sessions gives prompts and not poses. So if you are jumping around in your outfit which I strongly encourage you doing it after you order your outfit when it comes in, wear it for a day. Do not wear something that's brand brand brand new to your session, because you don't really know how you feel in that outfit. You don't know how you look Standing in front of a mirror and you know sucking in your belly a little bit isn't going to be the way that you look throughout an entire session. So I would encourage you to run, jump, play, do whatever you need to do to make sure that you are staying confident in that outfit for a longer period of time, if you feel like That goes for any session.

Speaker 2: 9:22

That goes for any session. Yeah, doing something brand new on that day of is very risky. So I mean you can take that risk, but you've got to be really confident that you're going to look good in this.

Speaker 1: 9:31

But even if you think about a wedding dress, how many times do you go and you try it on and you're moving around and you're trying you know you're dancing in front of a mirror to make? sure that you're not like falling out of the top of your dress. I mean, if, basically, if you don't feel confident in it, you're not going to look confident in it and your photos will show that.

Speaker 2: 9:48

Great business idea. We need a-, so it's like a like an indoor trampoline park, but just for attempting new clothes. So, and we'll just have one photographer there and just like start shooting everybody jumping around.

Speaker 1: 9:58

Done. This outfit is certified. Yeah, we have, like, a before and after. Like, will this one make it? Will this one make the cut?

Speaker 2: 10:06

Different winners.

Speaker 1: 10:08

So the other thing, too, is that if you can't decide on an outfit and sometimes I'll have in-home sessions where my clients want this is mostly for, like, newborn sessions, and I totally understand it's it's appealing to get dressed up for your photo session, because you're paying all this money, you want to look really good, all of that but sometimes when you dress up at an in-home session, it actually kind of doesn't really look quite right. Having a more cozy vibe and having something that you know you want to if you're having an in-home session, basically, what I'm trying to say is that you want to be wearing something in your house that you would normally wear. Doesn't have to be your your ripped up sweats like I'm wearing today, but you can definitely you can talk to your photographer about what package they have that might include two outfits where maybe you start in-home. I don't I just felt something move under my feet, but I don't know what it was. You start in-home with like a cozy outfit.

Speaker 1: 10:59

I'm just gonna totally ignore it, just think about it, keep it going And then you can actually you know plan for a second, you know a second location or something like that and a fancier outfit. So if you wanted to do a portion in-home and then go somewhere else, talk to your photographer about what they have that offers for a two-outfit session, so that you don't necessarily have to choose. Or if you're doing the thing of ordering an outfit last minute and you're like I don't know if this is gonna work for the entire thing, you might want to think about doing a two-outfit session.

Speaker 2: 11:29

Two-outfit session is a win, so that's- he's like I got nothing to add. No on the two-outfit session. I mean, that's you you hit-. It's nothing else for real for me to add to that other than you know it's some people for the engagement session realm. some people only care about one outfit And if that's your vibe, you know I'm totally down for it. But if you are someone who wants to explore a little bit. you know, two-outfits is always fun too, So It is fun.

Speaker 1: 11:52

It is fun And by the second outfit you usually understand a little bit more about, like, the ways in which your photographer wants you to move, And I feel like the second outfit is always the one I always tell people make your second outfit your favorite outfit, because your first outfit you're just gonna be kind of like figuring it out, learning how to be posing and stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 12:09

Yeah, that's good. Another point is to talk to your photographer about timing and lighting. So if you have a specific idea as far as your engagement session, if you want to be photographed on the top of a garage, if you want to be photographed at a beach in full sun, you want to be able to talk to your photographer about what specific vibe you're looking for, because a lot of the time you know we'll be, we'll be working with some weather issues, like I am today, as far as you know, planning a session around a certain type of weather or a certain type of day. I would strongly encourage you to talk to your photographer about that, but then not be too tied to the specific look in what you're trying to go for, because life happens And what I always try to I'm always encouraging my clients. I'm like don't cancel for the rain. Don't cancel for the rain, because I really love rainy sessions. I really do.

Speaker 2: 13:01

I feel like getting underneath a clear umbrella, which I always have at the ready in my car, like oh yeah, it's so romantic, they look so fun And some of my favorite photos have been in the rain. It's just, yeah, it's, it's totally the vibe. So I'm you know it depends on who you are and what you're posting and so forth So I'm a huge fan of, so I was gonna say, solar flares. That's really intense. Some flares sun flares in my especially, like in my engagement photos. I'm just I can never get enough of it, like a backlit, just sun poking through. So obviously when I post a lot of that, the repercussions are, you know, that's expected. It turns into an expectation.

Speaker 2: 13:40

So I have to lean into making sure that my couples are aware if the weather doesn't look good, i'm gonna be on top of before you And then I have to do a double check. Like we can get amazing photos in the rain and the clouds. Absolutely, i know, and most people are pretty aware nowadays too, like when they see the clouds it's actually I'm not gonna say surprising, but it's interesting. How many people will say to me, like isn't this a good thing? We've got a lot of clouds going on, so people are very aware some basics of lighting And it just comes. Yeah, it's just expectations, so just making sure, but the rainbows can be great. This is a nap, colts. What the heck is it called? Speak easy, i told you it was speako. The nap called speako. I have it like I paid for it to work on me talking into this mic.

Speaker 1: 14:29

I don't think it's that bad.

Speaker 2: 14:31

No, I need a counter We need to be in the. AI for encounter to hear how many times.

Speaker 1: 14:34

Oh, that can be another post.

Speaker 2: 14:37

You're absolutely right.

Speaker 1: 14:39

You should do it Every time. you should do ding.

Speaker 2: 14:41

It would be a whole episode Like a counter, like 10 minutes. You're right, That's no, and it will be painful for myself, but I need to see it. I need to see the I don't.

Speaker 1: 14:51

Honestly, though, listening to you, i personally don't. I mean, we talk a lot and I don't hear the ums as much as I think you hear them. But I also say like a lot and uh, so we'll see.

Speaker 1: 15:03

All right, so the next one is let go of your expectations and self doubt After you've talked to your photographer about what you're hoping for and you have, like, openly discussed okay, i'm hoping for this kind of a session, i'm hoping to capture this kind of a vibe After that release it. Release it you've talked to your photographer about what you're hoping for and now you just need to sit back and kind of it sounds kind of weird, but like hope for the best and just trust the process. You really just need to communicate at the very beginning and throughout those questionnaires or the phone calls or whatever. Definitely you want to have your expectations heard, but then you don't wanna be tied to them too much. You can't force a session to be something that it is not. If your kids start crying during a session, some of those photos are my favorite because mom or dad comes to the rescue and they're loving on them and it's just so. I feel so bad when I'm taking photos of a crying kid. I'm not even gonna lie.

Speaker 2: 16:00

Oh no, it does, but they're so cute. But that was the real memory, that was the thing that happened. You're gonna wanna look back at that. It's not always all smiles. It's not close to that. So it's yeah Basically, if you can't plan life.

Speaker 1: 16:15

you can't plan how a session is gonna go You just can't.

Speaker 1: 16:18

And if you pick a photographer who is pretty lenient on the style in which, if you have a photographer where all you're seeing is the happy sitting posy smiles, then yeah, you're not gonna have those memories captured of your baby crying after they trip over a stump which has happened to me. But that photo, that one particular photo where dad came to the rescue and he was holding his babe with tears streaming down the face, it's my favorite photo that I've ever taken of that family and I photographed them for like eight years. So I mean just kind of let your session happen as it happens and understand that meltdowns will happen. Things will happen like that where it's okay.

Speaker 2: 16:56

I feel I think the tangible like comparison to this would be the Pinterest board example, where it's providing a Pinterest board of poses and anytime anyone does that, i always, i encourage it, i always say like that's wonderful, because that means you care, fantastic, like you know, go in there Always a star, asterisk preface, whatever you wanna call it. Don't expect that they're gonna look exactly the same, because we have different light, different location, different colors, different outfits and different guess what you different person, so you don't want it to be the same.

Speaker 2: 17:31

I'm gonna take the idea of what you provided and maybe we can do some very close things to that and mimic that. You know that specific shot we can get If it's a very, very, very specific shot, like you know Who wants to copy somebody else's wedding photo anyway, or? lifestyle photo or whatever. Who wants?

Speaker 1: 17:48

to have an exact copy.

Speaker 2: 17:50

Exactly that's the point. These are your photos. You want them to be unique. So we're gonna take some of those ideas and we're gonna mimic some of them to get that vibe that you're looking for. But it's always a two-way street where there's an expectation that it will look exactly the same and it's not going to. So I encourage that's a good thing. That's a good thing because your photos are gonna go up and somebody else is gonna be like oh, i want that photo. So, you gotta think of it like that.

Speaker 1: 18:18

Right, okay, I have two more. I can see you're kinda like looking at your watch like you're gonna have to go pretty soon.

Speaker 2: 18:23

I actually know someone was calling me and this is the first time. In spite of this, i'm using for video. I'm using my iPhone because it has a thing called continuity camera, which is wirelessly sending this video in very great quality So someone was calling me and I was like oh, how does that work now? Like is it showing up on my screen.

Speaker 1: 18:40

Like is it gonna? mess with it So, but I've got the watch that tells me someone was calling, so I just wanna make sure that we're keeping you on schedule, because I'm just editing today, so we're good.

Speaker 2: 18:49

Yeah, as soon as this is over, you're gonna see me just flip this table and run and go do my next thing. Okay, bye, You know it's over. bye.

Speaker 1: 18:57

We have check your worries at the door. So if there's something at work, if there's something with family, if there's something that is kind of occupying your mind, if there's something that is, and if it's something that is occupying your mind so much where and I'm talking about like grief if there's a situation where you are literally just not going to be able to be okay for our session, it is 100% on you and I'm really lenient. Each of my sessions come with like a built in reschedule date. I think for and I don't know if you do the same thing, chris I try really hard to stay exactly where I schedule my clients. I try to keep them on that date, no matter what rain or shine, unless there is something that is going on family-wise, mental health-wise.

Speaker 1: 19:46

I'm a huge advocate for taking care of yourself first.

Speaker 1: 19:49

And if you're gonna show up to your session with all of these fears, worries, you know, puffy eyes from crying about something that you have no control over, i want you to reach out to me and I want you to tell me that, rather than just try to suck it up and just stick through it for the photos, because I don't want it to be a reminder of that memory. But in the same sense, if this is a painfully beautiful time for you, i also want you to weigh that too. I've had sessions that were around a heart-breaking time, but it captured the vibe of what was happening in their life, whether it was losing someone or someone was sick, or maybe they were losing a family home and they decided to have a session there one last time and it's very emotional. What I'm trying to say is that being emotional is okay, but if it's something where you are literally not going to enjoy the process of taking your photos in the slightest because something is going on, you need to be upfront and honest about that and not be I don't wanna say not be worried about losing your potential date, because I definitely try to keep people where I book them, but there's always a special circumstance. There's always something where it's and I wanna be very clear here my sessions come with a built-in rescheduled date.

Speaker 1: 21:14

Weddings do not.

Speaker 2: 21:15

Weddings have a lot riding on them so I just wanna make sure in the world of yeah, yeah, we'll just change the wedding date, no, no but sessions where you are mentally not able to get it together for your session, i understand it.

Speaker 1: 21:30

I have days like that. I'm totally fine with rescheduling. So leave your worries at the door. Here's I'll do it. I guess I'll do one. Leave your worries at the door. If you cannot, then two embrace it. Embrace it and understand that this time in your life right now is happening in a fleetingly painfully beautiful way and if you can handle that and you can process that and it's not doing anything. I mean, when I cry my eye, they look like balls. I swear to God. They're so no, they're so swollen. It's insane. When my grandfather died, i was living with a roommate and I walked out of my room. She goes dude, you look like alien versus predator right now. Oh my God, i was like are you serious?

Speaker 2: 22:20

The only equivalent I have to that is. What hurts my soul is seeing people finish a marathon or a race and they're in front of the camera smiling, and they look unchanged. And that is the one person in life that I'm like, because I run 500 feet and on my face is a chair.

Speaker 1: 22:38

Right, right, yeah, mine too.

Speaker 2: 22:40

Like a monster, yeah, at the end of a race. Yeah, i'm not. It's not good, it's not photo quality.

Speaker 1: 22:47

No, no, it's like. Should Chris go to the hospital, or should we be taking photos of him right now?

Speaker 2: 22:51

Just yeah, literally just photos for reference that I needed to go to the hospital, that's it.

Speaker 1: 22:57

I guess what I'm trying to say is like don't be afraid to talk to your photographer, or something too intense is going on where you feel like you cannot do this session. There's a really good chance that your photographer is a human and they're gonna understand you, and if they don't, that wasn't the photographer for you in the first place.

Speaker 2: 23:11

Yeah, and there's gonna be both. There's gonna be photographers that can't handle it and I have to be completely honest, those really intense sessions that you're describing, i want to do them and it almost makes me nervous.

Speaker 1: 23:21

So it's a it's so intense, it's really hard.

Speaker 2: 23:26

I've seen, i've been presented this idea of these photos but like someone was in the hospital and it was like a literally last gathering and man, it's that tough that is so tough, and it's something, though, that you have to. It's on our end.

Speaker 1: 23:47

It's a.

Speaker 2: 23:48

I don't wanna say suck it up, kind of like this is above you and you're everything's, so you wanna have a photographer that can handle it?

Speaker 1: 23:55

obviously so it's, but it's for those photos And some photographers can't handle it, but they do it anyway. They do it anyway, like me.

Speaker 2: 24:03

I know. But that's a good thing. I mean, that makes you a really good person. So because you know the importance of it, you know how much, how the value is immeasurable, absolutely immeasurable.

Speaker 1: 24:15

I've done a few memory sessions and they're every single one is just as hard as the last.

Speaker 2: 24:21

Yeah, yeah, there's no training yourself for this. There's no getting stronger, thicker skin in this realm. It's you're human to human, that's it, and you're breaking walls down.

Speaker 1: 24:31

No, and if you're a photographer who's been asked to do something like that, don't feel the pressure to do it just because you feel like you would be a bad human if you didn't do it.

Speaker 2: 24:39

There's actually It's a really strong, it's tough, that's really hard, it's tough.

Speaker 1: 24:44

I feel like the only reason why I was even able to do it is because I've gone through so much grief in my life and I understand the feelings that they will be left with afterwards. So the fact that they even asked me, I felt just honored, just honored to do anything like that Incredible yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:00

To be the one to capture someone's last photos with somebody, and sometimes their first photos with somebody, their first and their last and it is a really, really hard thing to do, but it's, like I said, it's painfully beautiful because you get to spend that moment with those people and they'll forever remember you as the person who showed up and did that. And so don't feel obligated. But if you can help someone out like that in that way, i would encourage you to do it. Yep, but not if it is going to fuck with your mental health. Okay, now the last one that I have. That I try to do with all of my clients and sometimes we do it and sometimes we don't. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but it's always a good idea and you tell me if you agree. It's always a good idea to plan an activity for you and your spouse, for you and your family, whether it's going on an ice cream day and having you know ice cream together, or going on a hike, or are you saying post session.

Speaker 1: 26:04

No, no, no In the session. I love to have a session where it's surrounded by things that you are naturally doing and will stop and I'll pose you and all of those things. But you know, like around Christmas time, making hot chocolate together, it doesn't have to be something that's going to take so long, it's just something where it's like it adds a little bit of like that candidness, that playfulness, and it's I always tell people I'm like be yourselves, but like a little lovier, you know.

Speaker 2: 26:31

That's always yeah, always when in doubt. yeah for any decisions. when in doubt, cozy is good, cozier is better, Yeah, we want to fill the space, so love that idea. That's just that. I think what sticks out with me and that and to take away would be whatever you are doing naturally, whatever feels natural for that activity.

Speaker 2: 26:50

That's where you're, i mean, that's that's you're not looking to, and it ties in with the new clothes, the new dress, like you know do the brand new thing on the day of the suit, because it feels like it's something you should do Right, like an activity that feels like home Right, and if it feels like home dress like you would dress for that activity, maybe a little bit cuter, maybe a little bit cozier Maybe, instead of maybe instead of the sweatshirt you can do like a really cute sweater or something.

Speaker 1: 27:18

So you want to like spice it up just a little bit, but not so much where you get the photos back and you're like these don't even feel like us, these don't even feel like me.

Speaker 1: 27:26

You want your session to come back and you want it to remind you of this time At least. If you're booking me as your photographer, you want your photos to come back and remind you of this fleeting moment that is your engagement session, your newborn session, your family session and all these little, the little toes and like the quiet giggles and all of those things. That's what you should hear and see when you get your photos back. And if you're trying to force it to be something that it's not, i can guarantee you won't be happy with the photos, because it's not actually capturing what you're looking to capture, which is the happiness and the love in your family. If you're gritting your teeth and you're like you fucking sit down right now and look at that camera You don't know how many sessions I've had where people do that And I'm like, oh I know, so maybe we could just throw a baby in the air for a few.

Speaker 2: 28:14

You know, like anything else, yeah, yeah, the change gears really quick.

Speaker 1: 28:18

Oh, no worries, Maybe he needs a snack. Oh my gosh, yeah. Have you ever had a session like that?

Speaker 2: 28:24

or somebody was like sit, yeah, i mean from the moment we got there, it was a and it was I go, i. this will be my, like, last input on this. I, i, I still like many sessions, but I say this very carefully This is a debated topic.

Speaker 1: 28:41

Mm, hmm.

Speaker 2: 28:42

For a lot of reasons. I'll just pick one reason. right now, many sessions are good because I do appreciate that there are families who really do just want a couple of professional looking phones.

Speaker 1: 28:56

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 28:57

They just can't, they just don't have the person, they don't want to use their phone camera, they just don't feel comfortable or they can't afford a full session.

Speaker 1: 29:04

That's totally fine.

Speaker 2: 29:05

That is totally okay. So I like I can't. We love to preach that every person should get the full hour session, and you know all these things, but there are just the realities. There are some people who don't pay, don't care that much, or be they don't have the time, they don't want to make the time, they just want some photos, but they're willing to pay a little bit for it. So it's always a push and pull in our industry. But the one thing on what you said, though, that I will say, which is the screaming child or just the frustrated session the moment you walk in I've had that at many sessions, that's pretty much when I have them is a mini session And it's a Because they're like we have five minutes.

Speaker 2: 29:44

Yeah, and I always, you know, always try and preface, and with the problem with mini sessions is that you're blasting information to everybody. You can't get this one-on-one connections, which is like you could try, but it's very difficult.

Speaker 2: 29:57

So the individuals come and they're rushing because they don't want to miss their session and the kid's not in. Well, and it's one I have to always say, like you know, give, let's give it. You have a 15, 20 minute slot. Let's wait five minutes. Like let's take the kid down to the lake, like, is there any? can we grasp Any? like grasp is there? like let's go picking, pick up sticks. Let's go and you've got the toy, and just, we're gonna put the camera away. Put the camera away because there's nothing you can do about it. There's nothing in your photos will not come out like you want them to. So we're gonna just wait. We're just gonna wait a few minutes. Let the individual, the child, some adult, like take a minute, and yeah, just. And then we'll come back and we'll have to. You know we'll take some quick photos and we'll do some things and I think it's gonna be okay. That's a but yeah, going into the session frustrated and having someone say, oh, sit down, and, you know, smile at the camera, and it's like this is.

Speaker 1: 30:51

And as a photographer, i don't know about you, but I can tell when I show up to a house and you and your spouse were just fighting, i can tell almost 100% of the time. Or if you're like super annoyed with one of the kids that just like doesn't wanna do it, as soon as I walk in I'm like, oh okay, like this is the vibe.

Speaker 2: 31:11

It's, it's that and shit happens.

Speaker 1: 31:13

That's like people are giving us time to think of it.

Speaker 2: 31:15

No, yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's one of those things where you know, these are the things that we come back to the concept of we deal with. When you immediately of your business or what you're doing, you're dealing with people, there's this shit you're gonna run into that you don't think about.

Speaker 2: 31:29

Or you're taking an educational course and you're a new photographer and you're, like you know, home session like this is how you do it. And then you forget about the whole psychology of your dealing with humans, and weird things happen when you're dealing with humans, and one of those would be like how do you, how do you go about creating an environment for these photos that you had in mind when the two people are fighting? when you walked in, Bet, you didn't think about that one.

Speaker 1: 31:52

You pop open a bottle of champagne. No, i'm just kidding. Yeah, i'm all for that Here. Take a sip very real quick. Let's celebrate. I'm all gonna toast, we're toasting. Yeah, that's I'm kidding. I don't. I don't condone that. I love champagne in sessions. When I'm saying I don't condone drinking because you're like fighting, i'm saying.

Speaker 2: 32:09

I'm saying I literally walked in with bottle of champagne and said drink this. I'm kidding, brooke had definitely the like smile of like. Is he sick?

Speaker 1: 32:17

I'm like, uh, That's just yeah, totally kidding.

Speaker 2: 32:23

Yeah, okay, I think it would be a good idea on this, all of these individual pieces of session expectations and how to prepare. I would love so. you and I have been talking about you know our experiences, but this is a really wide topic. It would be great if we somehow could get information from other other photographers and maybe each of them give us a piece of advice or something that would be fun to share, either in the next one or maybe down the road.

Speaker 1: 32:47

That would be fun.

Speaker 2: 32:48

Re-up this conversation with individuals and what they and we can talk about that. I think that would be a good idea.

Speaker 1: 32:54

And you know this is. This is just a glimpse of our process. This isn't, you know, this isn't all the things that we do. This is just some ideas to make your session a little bit easier, whether it's an engagement session and you're feeling some nerves, or you have a family session And it's not to. You know us saying that we can tell when we walk into an awkward situation. I'm not saying that in a way where it's like you shouldn't do that.

Speaker 1: 33:19

Like life does happen, it's totally fine. And if you need a minute when we walk in to just like, I just need a second to decompress. It's totally fine to ask for that.

Speaker 2: 33:28

And there's a yeah.

Speaker 1: 33:30

Yeah, of course, because if you need a second, the thing is is that if you're aggravated, when we show up and we jump right into photos, your photos are gonna have that vibe. Your kids are gonna be like, okay, cool, this is what we're doing because we just got yelled at you know like We want the photos that look relaxed and fun, or however you describe it.

Speaker 2: 33:50

Okay, what did you say? It was cozy with chaos.

Speaker 1: 33:52

Cozy with chaos.

Speaker 2: 33:53

Cozy with chaos. That sounds yeah. That's like that's an episode title Cozy with chaos. I like that.

Speaker 1: 33:59

Maybe that should be this title In home sessions cozy and chaotic.

Speaker 2: 34:03

I love it. I gotta write that down.

Speaker 1: 34:06

I have to thank my client who sent me that.

Speaker 2: 34:08

Yeah, you do.

Speaker 1: 34:10

But yeah, this is just a small part of the process. This is obviously, and it's kind of a shorter episode, so I think we can release this one in just one, right Cause the other ones were like a little bit over an hour.

Speaker 2: 34:22

No, we're over an hour right now. Oh, we're an hour and six minutes, so we can split this in two. This will be part one, part two, about 30 minutes each, so which is perfect.

Speaker 1: 34:30

Okay, Well, hopefully I didn't ramble too too much in the very beginning.

Speaker 2: 34:33

No, it's all information, all good stuff. I feel like I woke up on this podcast Well, that happens, that happens, that happens, right, shit All right.

Speaker 1: 34:43

So I'm going to go ahead and say good luck to you tomorrow and Wednesday and we'll reconvene on. Thursday And that's all I got. You got anything else, that's it. That's all I got Tell Jamie, i said hi, virtually. I've never met her, but I see you're in the background.

Speaker 2: 35:02

I will.

Speaker 1: 35:03

So what's up, jamie? Oh, we're going to do it right now. Oh, we're going to do it right now. Podcast host.

Speaker 2: 35:09

Brooke says hi, she hasn't met you, but says hi.

Speaker 1: 35:12

Hi, all right. Thanks for putting me on the spot for us. I wasn't ready, no.

Speaker 2: 35:17

I'm just kidding. You handled yourself well. I know you got it. I'm like yeah. All right, we out.

Speaker 1: 35:24

We out Good luck, have a good week. Bye.