Photographer Behavior Affects Client Perception
I've witnessed changes in my digital recommendations after taking control of and influencing what my social media feed suggests to me. NOW that I've done that I'm seeing much more photography related articles and humanitarian stories that are NOT fake news :)
Recently I came across this article by Fabrice Tranzer as one of those recommendations which came through facebook, what she wrote made me think more about that client experience, a part of the photoshoot which I am responsible for. Yet I, as well as many other newer photographers, have forgotten to consider this important portion of a shoot as we focus on the more tangible aspects.
I have given thoughts about how I can make a client more comfortable or even certain things to avoid which might make the client uneasy during the shoot. Despite having thought about theses particular aspects of the shoot experience I hadn't thought of it in a full encompassing manner. And not seeing any discussion or mention of it helped me dissuade myself from investigating further, which in retrospect I admit is a faulty way to come to a conclusion
Without anything to validate or correct me on which aspects to pay attention to during the shoot I have only used my gut instinct or a suspicion of a what a client's perspective could be in that regard. Then I came across this article, Photographer Behavior Affects Client Perception, where Fabrice lays out a few simple rules that you would have thought were common sense and would not need to be given full consideration. But just as easily as you can take a bad picture by accidentally bumping a setting on the camera and overlook the opportunity to review it on the camera until later, you can give off a non-verbal cue that rubs clients the wrong way and see it reflected in repeat business, lack of reviews, bad reviews, or anything that is short of a gleaming experience and the positive fallout it creates.
This article really highlights some of the more easily overlooked things that clients really take notice to and can therefore affect referral and future job possibilities. Fabrice Tranzer really hit the nail on the head as she lists the top five behavioral mess-ups that photographers (I know I'm included in this group as well) commit during wedding shoots, but the advice is universal as it applies to any shoot scenario. As photographers we have all had those pictures where everything was perfect: the lighting GREAT, the scenery ON POINT, the color and vibe EXACT, the model's pose, YES....but then something small in the facial expression throws it all off and then that picture ends up in our digital trash can. Instead of blaming timing or something else not related, take a look at the experience you are creating. A better client experience will definitely create more facial expressions that could even distract from other less than perfect aspects of the picture. That is why I focus on taking pictures of people doing what they love! It makes them comfortable and that is when they give me those unforgettable genuine facial expressions.
0 Comments