Punctuality and Portrait Photography

Last Monday, Christian Purdie Photography was shooting portraits of a family who traveled from all over the U.S. to Las Vegas. One tip in order to get excellent shots on the Las Vegas Strip is to schedule your shoot early. At 9:30 Monday morning, we met at the top of the Bellagio parking garage to ensure we were ready for our appointment at 10. The extra 30 minutes allowed us to stake out the best locations for the shoot, go over a tentative plan, and begin setting up equipment. At 10 a.m. sharp we met the family and were ready to begin shooting.

Your Attitude Matters

Whether you’re on a shoot or going out for coffee, it’s important to be friendly. Being personable is crucial in a day-to-day setting, but necessary when shooting family portraits. It shows the client that you’re charismatic and professional, which will bode well later on in the shoot. Having a stranger point a camera in your face might reasonably feel awkward, which is why it’s our job to make the client feel comfortable. Light conversation and an affable smile goes a long way. Word of mouth is crucial for your business, so make the experience for the client as pleasant as possible.

Coming Prepared

There were two slight dilemmas that we handled on the fly at this shoot. The first was the wind. At one point a gust of wind caught one of our softboxes and nearly blew it onto Las Vegas Boulevard. Next time we’ll check the forecast and prepare accordingly. Our second predicament–which was averted because we showed up a half-hour early–was dead batteries in one of our flash boxes. Luckily we carry a case of AA batteries with us to every shoot.