I knew within minutes that I had done a terrible job educating this family about what to expect.

As I was laughing with the kids, getting them to smile, and making sure they were having fun, the mom’s temper was rising.

I am a fun photographer who lets kids play, run, and goof around. We make faces. Families spin and dance.

When I said, “Hey. let’s all make a silly face,” the Mom lost her mind and roared, “NO!  We are NOT HERE to have SILLY FACES!!!  We are here to LOOK AT THE CAMERA, LOOK NICE, and have a PERFECT CHRISTMAS CARD!!!!”

Well, the rest of the session had kids nearly in tears because of Mom’s outburst. I’m sure that you’re not surprised that this family never came back.

From that point on, I knew that I had to do a better job educating leads and clients so they knew what to expect from me.

No matter your genre, there are five things that every lead needs to know before booking. Following these things will make sure that you are matched with people who love your work AND love the experiene.

1. What does the process look like from start to finish?

Will they receive information from you? What will you do to help them prepare? Will you provide them with a style guide? Where will this session be? What happens the day of the session? When can they expect to see photos? How will they see photos?

2. How much can they expect to spend?

Is your price all-inclusive? Are there various expenses along the way? How much do prints or digitals cost? What is the average investment for clients.

It is important for clients to understand the investment up front so there are no surprises.

3. How many different images should they expect?

If they have in their mind that they will get 100 images, and you only deliver 12, there was a miscommunication.

4. What kind of editing do you do?

There is nothing more awkward than a mom saying, “You’ll edit out my fat, right?” or a dad saying, “You’ll be able to edit his back to normal hair, huh?” if you don’t offer these services.

5. What does the session look and feel like?

Will it be calm and quiet? Should they expect it be energetic and fun? Will there be games or prompts? How long will they expect to be there?

If you make sure that your communication and informational materials explicitly state these things, you will be able to better match up with clients who love your process and love your work!

Cara Parker is a photography educator who helps women find a balance between their photography business and life.

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