Boudoir photography: pre-shoot consultation - What to cover?

[valentinephoto]

Hi everyone! This morning I was working on my pre-shoot consultation points to cover and wanted to run them by everyone here and get some help incase I'm forgetting to cover something.

Before I hold a photoshoot with any of my clients (my clients are normal people, not models that are doing this for work), I will be doing pre-photoshoot consultations (at least one) over the phone, through email or in person. I have only been doing shoots for my friends, so I've never sat down to make it more professional, so any help is much appreciated.

Here are the 11 points I have and a brief description of what I plan to cover in each point. I have a more detailed document of all the points and exact questions/points I want to get across but wanted to just do a brief description here. Of course some things listed below are specific to the way I'm running my business, but in general I believe you'll get the idea.

1. DATE/TIME/LOCATION - what days and times work best for the client. Explain our shooting schedule and how long they will be estimated to be here. Are they coming to the home studio or will I be going to their home or location of choice?
2. REASON - is there a specific reason for the shoot? If so, do they need their photos by a certain date?
3. PHOTO PACKAGE - what package are they interested in? Explain package in detail including everything included, pricing, deposit required and time needed at the shoot to accomplish the package. Also describe add-on options (black & white/sepia copies of their photos, additional retouching, photo books, etc.)
4. SET OPTIONS - explain the various photosets we offer (i.e. bedroom, kitchen), plus backdrop and prop options available at the studio. Suggest other props the client could bring.
5. WARDROBE/ACCESSORIES - picking the best colors for the photosets/backdrops they select and what compliments their hair/skin/eye color. Always tell them to bring a back-up outfit and let them know about the clothing, shoes and jewelry available on the website for purchase and to purchase them at least 2 weeks prior to their scheduled shoot date.
6. HAIR/MAKE-UP - what works best on camera, info on hiring a makeup artist/hair stylist, local salon contacts, what to bring with them.
7. 12-24 HOURS BEFORE SHOOT - don't shave too close to the time to avoid red marks/bumps/cuts, get plenty of sleep, have wardrobe selected and de-wrinkled, arrive with loose fitting clothing/underwear to avoid lines on the body (like the lines a bra strap could create), call/email with any last minute questions.
8. ARRIVAL TIME - when to show up and what we do first (get there 10-15 minutes early, get a few test shots and change into first oufit, do last minute touch-ups).
9. DURING THE SHOOT - when we take breaks, the flow I like to work in when taking pictures and set changes
10. AFTER SHOOT - viewing photos, selecting photos for retouching & print, selecting images for use in portfolio (and filling out model release/image release form)
11. WHAT HAPPENS LAST - after client leaves retouching begins, prints are sent to our photolab, once we receive the prints we package them up and mail it off to the client, along with the image CD.

[LW Dail]

Just my two cents, but I believe they will have hung up/tuned out by then. The ones that want to hear it will talk about it for two hours. Those that don't will be WAY annoyed before you're to point 3!

Use your 'session' questions in your booking conversation.

"Are you doing this portrait for a special purpose?" "Oh, your husband's birthday, how fun. What day is that? Now are you thinking sexy or more modest? Are you thinking one portrait for the wall or have you considered x, y, z"" There's three or four questions right there!

Take the rest of the information (shaving, etc) and put into an 'Information Sheet' to provide.

Good luck!

[valentinephoto]

Ooops - should have mentioned that these aren't questions/points I will cover to people just interested in a shoot - these are for those that are booking their shoot and are ready for their consultation, or for those that already have paid their deposit online and are confirming their booking date/time. And most will just be confirming - like date/time/reason.

To people just interested it's pretty much open to just them asking the questions to me.

Sorry - I should have been more clear!

[Mark1]

Looks well covered to me. But I would put the package part last.

As far as clients tuning out. The first two points will take 10 seconds if that. The rest will vary depending on weather the clients have thier own ideas, or if they are relying on you to plan everything.

[Ledrak]

I'm with LW on this one. This consultation thing just seems a bit over the top and unnecessary. If I hired a photographer to take pics of me, I wouldn't want to hear all that and I'd probably already have a set idea of how I wanted my pics to turn out. I wouldn't want the photographer telling me where to get clothes and make-up artists from, much less a step-by-step outline of the entire shoot.

[mikerault]

You might also suggest a glass of wine before hand or something that will help them relax and not be too self conscious...

Mike

[valentinephoto]

Originally Posted by Ledrak

I'm with LW on this one. This consultation thing just seems a bit over the top and unnecessary. If I hired a photographer to take pics of me, I wouldn't want to hear all that and I'd probably already have a set idea of how I wanted my pics to turn out. I wouldn't want the photographer telling me where to get clothes and make-up artists from, much less a step-by-step outline of the entire shoot.

I guess I want to be more personable with my clients, as the photography is very personal and I don't want them to just show up and it be the first time they really get to talk with me and then they take off their clothes for a photoshoot. I do the pre-photoshoot consultation as a way to get them to know me and get all questions about their shoot answered. Plus, I'm the type of person that has to know everything about what I'm doing, so I guess I project that onto my clients. They will always know more than they should from the start I think.

Oh I didn't mean to give off the impression that I was telling them where to get clothes, but I'm informing them that our website does sell them if they need them and we give a discount to those buying items for their photoshoots. Some people actually do ask what to wear, so that's one of those things that I help with. And others do want a make-up artist so I have a list of them they can hire or a list of local salons and recommendations from other clients of their work.

The points are really just a general list and if the client doesn't need to hear about one then I'll skip it. Like if I say "do you know what you're going to be wearing?" If they say yes, then okay, next point. If they say no, I ask them if they'd like any suggestions or to look at the portfolio for ideas (some girls that want to do a pin-up girl style shoot want a specific look and they're unsure of where to get the right pieces for their wardrobe). Or I'll ask them how many outfits they plan to bring, etc.

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm all set on it now

[Mark1]

I guess I understood what you are thinking. This is not meant to be a in-deph expose. The entire conversation takes probably 4 minutes tops. Less if the client has the clothes she wants. This is one of those things that takes longer to explain, than it does to actually do. However it can take forever if the client wants the pics, but has no idea about anything she needs.