Thursday I had a wonderful opportunity to capture a portrait of a close friend and her two sisters. Every year they gather on their deceased mother’s birthday to celebrate LIFE. I thought this was a striking ritual so I offered them a portrait session. They accepted joyfully. Later a sister told me that this was their first professional portrait taken of the three of them. After posting their images online, they made a selection and their images were in their hands in less than twelve hours. WOW! Digital technology at its best.
Three years ago I contracted to photography four out-of-town sisters…well, this session wasn’t as fluid. We scheduled an outdoor session but due to inclement weather I had to set up lights, string cables, setup backdrops at the last minute. The session ran into another session, my family was complaining because we had made previous plans. The whole day snowballed into a big knot in the neck. The following day I revised my workflow and wisely invested in a ceiling lighting and background system. Now I can accommodate small groups in a professional looking environment, offer immediate tethered proofing and printing on location. Was it worth the investment in time and money? Absolutely! My clients seem to appreciate it and sales have doubled. Now there is no reason to walk away with sad faces or to request a reshoot. My clients and I are a team. We shoot, we teach, we listen, we put into practice what we’ve discovered ...we make immediate progress.
