Happy Monday, Photography Friends!
I have such fun announcement this morning! If you know me – or my work! – you know this: I love showing personality in photographs. I love for all of my photographs to be colorful and cheerful and full of so much heart but, in the past, I’d sometimes get stumped! I wanted to plan amazing shoots for all of my clients but, without knowing my clients before our shoot, I didn’t always know what idea would fit best for each client.
And then! I started using portrait questionnaires.
Portrait questionnaires are a game changer!
With portrait questionnaires, you’re able to get to know what kind of location your client would like to be photographed in, you’re able to start brainstorming props and, best of all, you’re able to get a glimpse into your clients’ personality before you’ve even met them. This is a game changer! Questionnaires have made my work so fulfilling and fresh, even when I have weeks with a crazy amount of shooting!
Here’s the details! This PDF includes three questionnaires, tips on how to use + customize these questionnaires, what to do when your clients are unsure of their photographic vision and, best of all, how to use all of this information to add personality into your photographs.
Here’s a little excerpt from the first page of my new PDF!
“Have you ever sat down to plan a portrait session, only to draw a complete blank? You have a ton of ideas for your own creative shoots but, when it comes time for an engagement session or senior shoot with paying clients, your mind goes blank! Which of your ideas will work for this specific client? What if your plans for the shoot are way off base with the people you’re photographing? You want photographs that represent your people but, without knowing your clients, how is this possible?
That’s where questionnaires come in!“
My portrait questionnaire PDF has 23 pages + 26,000 words of ridiculously awesome content so go and get it! I’ll be charging $35 for this in the future but, until Friday, you can steal her at half off. Your discount will appear in the cart! Go on and snag her!
Annnnd real talk cause you know I’m the worst saleswoman ever.
I’ve been using portrait questionnaires to plan my client shoots since 2013. My questionnaires – which have been tweaked over time to what they are now – are key to planning personality driven photographs. Don’t just throw shoot ideas to your clients to see what sticks! Listen to what they want in their shoot + what they hope to create. I promise, your work will become so much stronger if you implement these questions into your workflow. Your clients deserve the best! Start asking them what they’d like to get out of their shoot, not just what you think they might want. And best of all? When you plan your shoots with your clients and your own voice in mind, your voice is just going to get stronger and stronger.
Don’t believe me? Four of these photographs were taken at styled shoots planned by me – the rest were 100% planned by clear communication with my rad clients. Can you tell which are which? It’s hard, right?!
So! Let’s go! Grab this little PDF and start planning dream shoots with clients you adore.
Weddings | Engagements | Seniors | Families | Personal
Based in Fayetteville, Lissa Chandler is a traveling portrait and wedding photographer who shoots all over the US. Additionally, she is the co-founder and owner of Opal and June and the creator + instructor of The Hue of You, an online (and rad!) four week editing course offered through Click Photo School. And while writing this blog post? Her youngest son sat behind her playing video games, her daughter challenged bedtime, her oldest made lots of jokes, and her husband did the dishes (dream man, right?!).
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