Only YOU Control the Purpose of the Booking! Part 3

By Gary Bernstein

Part 1 Review:

Click HERE to check out the full blog of part 1.

A couple booked a formal portrait session (it could have been a formal bridal portrait). Once we got the hero shot (the money shot i.e. the formal portrait) in the can – meaning we captured a quantity of good images showing the couple with formal poses from which they could select, we transitioned to a fashion setup (for a more editorial look).

“Ordinary people” love feeling like models and movie stars—so it’s your job not only to make them feel that way, but to capture them looking that way!

TIP: Always book the subjects hair and makeup styling from a pro. Read Chapter 5 in my book, Pro Techniques of Beauty and Glamour (which also tells you how to get hair and makeup services for free), and guides you and/or your stylist in taking a subject from this:

That’s me in silhouette watching the process…

To this (!) (note, these photos are all direct scans from the book):

Part 2 Review:

Click HERE to check out the full blog of part 2.

Always ask your clients to bring wardrobe changes (so that takes the fashion look and really creates another series of very different images to sell).

TIP: Makeup and styling changes like the ones above, simply make your client buy a lot more photographs, plus they tell all her friends about the session (show them the photographs), so that their friends become your new clients, and then you sell them a lot of photographs as well, etc.…just sayin’ ;).

Before we get into the final “look” for this session, below are some of the images that have been created so far. Question: Will they buy all these images? Well, maybe not now…but maybe for a birthday or Christmas. One of the many advantages you have as the recorder of history is that your portrait clients are getting older (in fact, we’re all getting older) ;), and most likely they will never look as young and beautiful as they do in the images you capture. I sell portrait photographs that I made many years ago! Personally, I love the way people age; love that character; and truly believe that mature women have a beauty beyond that of their more youthful counterparts…but I digress and your subjects may not agree LOL. Here are some of the images we’ve made so far:

AND REMEMBER – YOU CAN’T SELL IT IF YOU DON’T SHOOT IT!

OK, another variation, just to keep them loving those images:

Let’s use natural light and a reflector for a series…

Midday sunlight is a b-b-b-bear (yes, I cleaned up my act ;))…

…But shooting under an overhang or in a doorway is the ultimate blessing – see below:

Below I am simply directing the subjects…I talk to them constantly as I am shooting, as if it were cine rather than stills…you can see the 12 noon sunlight on my head and back…

…followed by some of the finished shots.

I didn’t like the way, Michael’s hair went into the dark background, so to give it more separation, I turned on a light behind the distant glass wall for this next shot:

Note – these are raw images – straight out of the camera – no finishing whatsoever.

I sell a lot of photographs—always have, but I shoot a lot images from which to select. My pricing approach also puts me in a position to sell a lot of images. We will get to that…

Next article I’ll take you back to my first shoot for Esquire Magazine (which will be part of my new book of anecdotes), a time when I was NOT shooting a lot of images and the VP of Esquire threatened me...to be continued ;).

Happy Shooting.