Help Your Photography Clients “Act Natural”

for photographers

Dec. 18

We hear it through Every. Single. Booking process…
“you’ve got your work cut out for you,
we’re SO awkward in front of the camera”.

It took us having our own less than comfortable photo + video experiences to realize not every photographer or videographer has found their own secret sauce.

So we’re here to share a few tricks we pulled out of our sleeves to help YOU help your clients shake off the nerves.

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Our main goal at a couples’ or family session is to capture candid moments that reflect our clients' individual personalities AND encompass their relationship authentically.

aka: the vibes

However, if your clients haven’t met you before, they’re probably already uncomfy walking in (and likely ruminating over their nerves since they booked the session). Let’s make it easy for ‘em, shall we…!

Young family including mother, father, and child sitting candidly in a wheat field

01. Build a rapport BEFORE the shoot.

Get to know your clients beforehand, either through a pre-shoot consultation or just by chatting with them via email or phone. We hold a consultation video call with all of our wedding couples before booking their weddings. This serves as a great way to get to know your couples before shooting their engagements session!

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02. Set the mood, dude.

Bow-chicka-wow-wooowww 😉 kiddingggggg, don’t be weird about it

PREPARATION - outfits + location should be discussed in advance to put your clients’ minds at ease heading into the session, there are a few other gadgets below we prepare + bring for added comfort
CONVERSATION - our energy and confidence are MEGA important as we head to meet clients, check it so ya don’t wreck itttttttt
MUSIC - we’ve got playlists locked and loaded and we bring an outdoor speaker clipped to our bags as a simple distraction
BONUS pro-tip: people are happier when they’re fed - involving some type of snacks/food is never a bad idea

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Couple smiling candidly walking through forest and smiling at each other while holding hands

03. Prompting > Posing

We always start off with two or three posed images, you know - everyone smiling at the camera… the ones grandma loves. This gives us a little bit of time to chat and get their minds off of it! Once we’ve checked some boxes for grandma, rather than posing our clients stiffly, we try to give them prompts and allow them to move freely with no rules. The easiest, personal favs with most movement:

walk or run towards the camera, looking at each other
lift kiss or dip (pro tip: every human being on earth will have a double chin when looking down at this angle, remind them to drop their shoulders + lift their chin and they’ll thank you later)
Ben’s personal fav: “follow your instincts” always gives us all a little chuckle afterwards 🫣

Woman holding man's face about to embrace with both smiling

04. Use humour to your advantage.

A little bit of humour goes a long way in helping clients relax and have fun in front of the camera. Making fun of yourself or just being unapologetically goofy will help your clients feel safe to do the same. We really do wish we tapped into what our mom’s told us sooner, “just be yourself” goes a looooong way in relating with your clients.

Woman sitting on wooden box holding man with both smiling

05. Put yourself in your client’s shoes.

Not literally. They might need them for the photos. But, we really did learn A TON from getting ourselves in front of the camera with other photographers in every possible scenario. Couples sessions, family sessions (aka utter chaos), individual portraits + investing in branding images. All of it helped us to understand the inner dialogue that goes on during sessions and how we as photographers can help to quiet the anxiety and actually HAVE FUN!

image by the fab + talented: Kristen from KMH Forte Photography

If you still feel like you’re struggling to help your clients feel comfortable shooting with you, we highly recommend coaching with another photographer or videographer you look up to!

Investing in a posing workshop or photography mentorship might be exactly what’s missing for you.

If you stuck around long enough to reach this section, THANK YOU!
We’re cheering you on every step of the way!!!

Daria and Ben https://dxbcreative.co