Portrait Photography in the Digital Age
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In this day and age almost everyone owns a digital camera. As a professional photographer it has become a new challenge getting customers to invest in professional portraits when they can use their own and quickly get average prints made within minutes.
One way to get customers to invest is to find ways that will impress them other than the actual photography itself. I tend to focus on getting younger children to open up and smile more natural. In most situations parents struggle getting their own children to relax and smile naturally when they have a camera.
Another way is to make sure you offer products that are not available at stores that consumers would go to. Gallery wraps are an example of this. You can purchase them at a lot of stores, but I let customers know that when they get them made with low quality images, the gallery wrap is noticeably less quality.
Another way to bring customers in is to have props and set ups that are expensive, or would only be used once a year. Having a large amount of Thanksgiving and Christmas props make it much easier to be creative, which is something that people may struggle with at home. Large chairs, benches, trunks, and unique posing props can also help. Most people dont have the space to purchase those items, or have them but dont always have the creative eye to use these items.
When meeting with new clients I make sure I have samples that show all of these qualities.
You have to be able to sell yourself in a way that makes you wanted not just because of your ability to photograph.