Working With Clients: The Case Against Discouragement

Posted by admin in Business on 04 27th, 2010 | 16 comments

Guest Post by Tamara Lackey

For all the buzz out there, there’s actually never been a better time to enter the profession of photography.

The wide berth of education available to new shooters eager to learn about photography is incredible. I’ve never seen more of a community in the way of small-group gatherings, major conventions, online forums, social media and discussion-based blogs … all offering education, support, and access to more information.

But for every source of information, there are equal opportunities to take in misinformation. And, for all the support out there, there’s an even measure of discouragement. Sometimes, unfortunately, even more.

I recently weighed on an active online forum discussion where an emerging photographer posted her concern about delivering a portrait session to a client “a while ago” without hearing a response yet. She asked if others had experienced something similar. I was pretty surprised to see that nearly all the feedback was negative… “If you haven’t heard anything back by now, you won’t.” … “They’ve probably figured out how to scan your images.” … “They weren’t happy with the photographs, that’s why they’re not calling you back”. When I weighed in with a more positive response, the sentiment was that my optimism was nice and all, but I should really “face reality”, that I wasn’t doing the poster much good by offering false hopes.

I started a photography studio more than seven years ago and in that time have photographed more than 1000 portrait sessions. Many of my sessions move along in a similar rhythm: I photograph the session, my clients view the images, we walk through them together, determining how their images will be best presented – and then they purchase their custom order. Often, this is a simpler, linear process. Other times, not so much.

I have had clients buy just a few pieces now, then a few later, and then that big canvas in six months. I have had clients finesse their ordering decision to the tune of five separate meetings and a subsequent home visit. I have had clients walk in my studio with color-coded file folders containing detailed specifications for which order will go to which family grouping in exactly which delineation, all before we even viewed the images.

And then I had this one client, a family session. Our shoot had gone quite well, and I was thrilled with the final images from our time together. I delivered a preview of the session and followed up to confirm the studio appointment time. They didn’t call back. Not that day, not that next week – not any week that month. To put it succinctly, I hadn’t been expecting that.

Nearly a full year later, just before the holidays, they put a call in to the studio. An order was placed. Quite a substantial order – surprisingly so. But, still, they never offered any actual feedback about the quality of the images or any statement regarding their enjoyment of them. They simply phoned in their order.

Interestingly enough, I actually found myself feeling even more disappointed after the phone call. I had wanted that feedback from them. We’d had a genuinely good time together, I felt I had captured something very honest about them as a family, and I’d worked to perfect those images before presenting them. See, that’s why a response matters to people photographers – we fall in love with our clients and often want to know if they could tell.

So I felt disheartened by the fact that they didn’t respond… until I finally recognized that they actually had. Just in a different way than I’d expected. On quite a different schedule, too.

But we all express ourselves in different ways.

And we’re all moving through the pace of our scheduled-out lives with varying measures of ability to manage the associated disorientation.

The bottom line is that, regardless of what anyone else might say, it can often help to understand that our own set of expectations may discourage us more than any other (mis)information that might come our way.

Recognizing that my rigid expectations were actually holding me back really opened me up to a whole new level of optimism about my career. It reframed that entire experience for me – and set some great groundwork for new scenarios that might develop over the years.

And, truth be told, I am finding that to be a pretty auspicious way to face reality.

16 Responses to “Working With Clients: The Case Against Discouragement”

Jay says:

2010/04/27 at 8:59 am

I had a very similar location shoot. We spent the time together (rushed as it always seems with kids). Things went well, I thought. I had the photos processed and available to them in three days. I didn’t receive any word for months. Being a very serious amateur this hit me hard. I feared the photos just weren’t what they wanted or cared for.

No question I can see now where I could’ve done better, but they were well aware of my current ability and according pricing. (Yes, the pricing issue is a whole other discussion) But, I felt like I stole their money from the shoot. The most difficult part for me was the lack of answers when I asked multiple times what style they were looking for and there certainly wasn’t time for much beyond essential shots.

All of those factors put me back in my shell for months. When I received a few orders I felt better, but I definitely learned some hard lessons from that shoot.
Bill says:

2010/04/27 at 9:21 am

Hi -

I have a question about the business side of photography.

Does the client pay for the time spend “in front of the camera” if they choose not to place an order?
Marti says:

2010/04/27 at 10:07 am

I love this post! I have learned very quickly to not take client’s responses personally. Some people are just not as enthusiastic as others. I had a session that I thought was only so/so (fussy, tired kiddo at a so/so location) but then they referred another family to me the next week.

I also have to remember that people are REALLY busy and often have a different time frame than I expect.

Bottom line, I expect if someone is unhappy with the product they will tell me. If they don’t, I cannot try to remedy it and there is really nothing I can do.
Scott Shoemaker says:

2010/04/27 at 10:53 am

This actually happens to me more often than not. I felt a bit bruised as well, at least at first. Then I took a step back and looked at my own family life and it became clear: I just don’t have the time to build a relationship with a photographer. It’s great and affirming when a client takes the time to work with you, but between career, T Ball, soccer, Church, dedicated family time, etc that relationship may not be high on their priority list. I have clients that send me business months after the original session, and the response is positive. The trick that I’m still working is the balance between staying in touch without being too pushy. I know that bothers me with other services.
Matt says:

2010/04/27 at 10:58 am

I may have missed it in my reading of this post, but did anyone make a follow-up call to the customer after the shoot? In this day and age of email, a thank you card and/or a follow up phone call is often unexpected and appreciated.
admin says:

2010/04/27 at 11:51 am

@Matt while I agree with you, I think your comment ignores the broader point. The post is about managing your own expectations as a photographer. At least that’s how I see it.
Denise says:

2010/04/27 at 4:00 pm

@Marti & @Scott

I totally agree with everything you said.
michelle says:

2010/04/27 at 5:38 pm

Thank you for this posting. As a new photographer, myself, I’m finding that I REALLY need to have a thick skin as I carve my path in this industry. There are a LOT of people that have been totally supportive along the way, but there have been an equal number of completely UNsupportive people. And some have been downright snarky. But I try to keep positive through it all.
Gabby says:

2010/04/27 at 6:45 pm

quote “See, that’s why a response matters to people photographers – we fall in love with our clients and often want to know if they could tell.”

This is so true…it is like creating an art piece and you really want that recognition. I am slowly learning to step back once the shoot is over and if clients don’t respond straight away or place an order not to stress over it.
Tamara Lackey says:

2010/04/28 at 1:04 pm

love hearing the comments

Matt, in response to your question – you’re right, follow up contact is appreciated. we did reach out a few times, which was all the more surprising at the time.

i do genuinely believe that managing (often self-generated) stress helps to energize one’s creativity exponentially – not just in respect to imagery but also in regards to how to most cleanly run a business.
Jeff Rodgers says:

2010/04/28 at 3:29 pm

Way to go little sister!

Excellent information that people need to read. You are very wise for a 28 year old.
Magan says:

2010/04/28 at 3:55 pm

Tamara, thank you for posting. It’s encouraging, though I wish it didn’t happen at all, to know that your work is outstanding and this still happens. I think this certainly is a testament to how busy life can get, for us and for our clients.

I had this happen at the end of last year, and I just didn’t know what to do. The client verbalized her adoration for the photos, but her actions weren’t solidifying that for me. Being in my first year of business, this was really difficult to go through; it really made me question my ability and whether or not they liked my work. She emailed, six months later, to let me know that life had just gotten extremely busy.
li says:

2010/04/29 at 8:25 am

thank you so much for this post! it is so very comforting to know that the purchasing process differs by client. i keep thinking that it is my inexperience that is impacting the timeline; it is really wonderful to know that this happens to established photography studios as well. thanks again.
Rosaura Sandoval says:

2010/04/29 at 3:49 pm

Thank you very much for this. Great reminder to have a thick skin, don’t take it personally, and take a step back.

Thank you!
~r
Tamara Lackey says:

2010/04/29 at 9:33 pm

you’re so very welcome!

and jeff – i think you are quite wise, too, my friend (even without your cape).
Houston Brown says:

2010/05/05 at 9:29 am

AS a beginning photographer I have had quite a few shoots that I have done where the client says they received the link to go and look at the finished images online and then I never hear from them or weeks. I also experience this as a web developer as well. I get 50% of the project costs up front and it is amazing to me that people do not put more effort into getting me the content that they want on their site, especially when they have money invested. But many people can be quite lethargic when it comes to them having to do the work. Weather it be supplying me with content or having to choose images. They simply want it done, after all, they are paying YOU. This is why it is so important for the business person to make the sale sometimes, and be patient other times. This is a blog post in of itself.

Houston Brown