I

wanted to finish this book by taking you through a

session from start to finish. Often, I look at photog-

rapher’s display images and am impressed by the qual-

ity of the work. Then, I will a have client bring in their

proofs from that same studio and wonder what happened.

Did the janitor shoot the session? Or does the photogra-

pher subscribe to the theory that if you shoot enough ar-

rows, sooner or later you will hit the target? To my

thinking, being a professional photographer isn’t about

creating a single perfect image in a session, it is about mak-

ing the client’s job choosing images almost impossible be-

cause each pose and each scene is so good that they want

them all. Here’s how I go about achieving that goal.

1. Qualify and Prepare the Client.

As we have already discussed, before I work with a client,

I know that they want to be photographed by our studio.

The staff has talked with them about the type of session

they want, and they have been given detailed guidelines

on how (and how not) to dress.

2. Choose the Scenes.

Before the client arrives, I select my favorite five scenes at

the location where we will be working. This is the stan-

dard number of scene changes included in our outdoor sessions. I also work

out the lighting needed to photograph a subject in these scenes, so we will

be ready to move quickly from one spot to the next.

3. Evaluate the Client and Clothing.

To start the session, I look over the clothing the client has brought with her

to the session. I also look for flaws or problems that will need to be addressed

OVERVIEW 119

10. Overview..

Before the client arrives, I choose the scenes
for the session.