unique style that is visible when you look at their work. No matter how the
makeup artist does it, the makeup they create will be different than the way
the woman does her own makeup. In a portrait that is going to sell to fam-
ily members (not a glamour-shot style), however, you want the person to ap-
pear as they see themselves and as others see them everyday. Therefore, we
tell our clients to wear their makeup the same way they would for a special
evening out. With just that advice, we rarely have a problem with a young lady
not liking her appearance because of their makeup. (Note:The only time we
venture into professional makeup is when we have a girl who never wears
makeup. Then, we have an artist apply basic foundation, mascara, and some
tinted lip gloss. This doesn’t make her
look like someone else, it just calls a bit
of attention to her eyes and adds a little
color to her face with the lip gloss.)
As you can see, throughout the entire
process we address the same questions
and concerns that every studio in the
country has to deal with, but with a dif-
ference: I am not afraid. In fact, Iwant
to send some business away. We are not
a studio for everyone. If we were, I
would have set up shop in a mall. There
are many potential clients who don’t
have the money to pay my prices, even
though we are competitive with other
quality senior studios. Other seniors and
their parents don’t care about taking
creative senior portraits; they just want
the same headshot seniors have been
getting for decades. For these clients,
our studio is not a good match, and
that’s fine. It lets us keep our focus on
those clients whose tastes and goals suit
our own.The Long and Short of It.
Until you take control of your business,
you will never take control of your ses-
sions or subjects. You’ll tell them what
to do, they’ll ignore you—and, then,
when things go badly because of their
choices, they will blame you.CONTROLLING THE SESSION—AND YOUR BUSINESS 117We tell our clients to wear their makeup the
same way they would for a special evening
out. If they apply it themselves, we rarely
have a problem with them not liking it in
their portraits.