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views in two days. Hourscht, who was al-
ready well known in her market, saw her
brand recognition skyrocket. Disney hired
her to do another series, and Netflix hired
her for an ongoing project.
Hourscht leveraged that high-profile work
by redoubling her emphasis on client experi-
ence. As a result, her clients trust her more, re-
spect her more, and give her more creative lee-
way. This trust has led to more innovative im-
agery that has clients calling again and again.
Here’s how Hourscht creates the client
experience:RESPOND QUICKLY AND
COMMUNICATE CLEARLY.
When a client reaches out, Hourscht is quick
to respond. “First, because we want them to
know we’re excited,” she says. “And second, if
we don’t respond right away, they will look
somewhere else. Instant gratification is every-
thing these days.”After the initial contact, Hourscht and her
team keep the lines of communication open,
walking clients through the entire process.
The goal is to make sure clients are never
confused, never anxious about anything.CONSULT.
A pre-session consultation is a critical step.
Hourscht covers the investment and poli-
cies to get all the details in the open, then
quickly moves the conversation to her cli-
ents. “We want to hear their stories,” she
says. “What’s their goal? What have they been
through? What does this pregnancy mean to
them? A lot of our clients have gone through
infertility, miscarriages, or other issues. We
want to learn about their experiences and
understand why the images are especial-
ly important to them. That helps inform so
much of what we do from that point on.”CREATE A STRESS-FREE ENVIRONMENT.
From start to finish, Hourscht helps clientsthrough everything—styling, wardrobe, props,
and themes. She communicates all the de-
tails and expectations so clients don’t have
to worry about anything. She has hundreds
of dresses available at the studio for mater-
nity clients to wear in their sessions. She
also offers assistance with hair and makeup.
“We want our clients to feel comfortable and
reinforce that they are beautiful during this
special time in their lives.”
For newborn shoots, building the stress-
free environment is even more critical. “New-
born photography is a different field from any-
thing else,” says Hourscht. “When dealing with
a brand new baby, everything has to be on
point. The studio needs to be clean and safe.
Nothing touches the floor [and then touches
the baby]. The staff is always up to date on
their immunizations and wears masks when
a baby comes in from the NICU. New moms
are already exhausted and don’t have the time
to go around picking out things for a photo
shoot. So we have props, wraps, and outfits,