Hello fellow artists and photographers, both professional and amateur,

I must first apologize for not posting in a while, finals and all that jazz. Here's my new post:

Albums That Wow, notes from a session by Julie Cialone.


As most of you already know, I went to Imaging USA 2009 in Phoenix, AZ. While I was there I went to a bunch of classes and sessions. I honestly think that I learn more from the sessions I go to than I do when I go to my classes I'm paying for anymore. I suggest anyone serious about their art go to a session or class offered by a respected professional in the field at least once, you'll fall in love with it just as much as I have.

In this session, Julie Cialone and her partner were teaching how to make your albums wow for your clients. If you don't know who she is visit her site [link] .

Now that you are familiar with her, let's get started on my notes from the session.

Portrait Albums (things we'll cover in today's article)
1.Factors to consider before offering a portrait album to a client
2.Get your clients keen before shooting
3.How to shoot sessions and how to talk to clients while shooting
4.All of their sessions and how they run each session
5.Pricing
*One of the most important things to consider is, Make it difficult to say “No.”

Factors to consider while doing a session
~Do you think traditionally?
~What are your competitors offering?
~What Albums are out there in the market now?
~Are you thinking as a storyteller at every session?
~Importance in Details
~Are you prepared to change the mindset of your clients?

How to Influence your Clients
~Educate Them
~Show a variety of Albums
~Budget (trifold, accordion)
~High End
~High End Proof Albums
TALK, TALK, TALK!!

~Make your logo show up all over the album.

Remember: The more excited you are about a product, the more excited your client gets. It's human nature.

Things to find out at a consultation:
~Ages of Kids
~Interest of Kids
~Family Interests
~Vacation home or vacation Plans
~Favorite Songs

Write this stuff down after they leave, remember as much information about the client as you can, this will help with your branding later!

Show your new clients a full session similar to that of one that they might want to have. (Also show the album that was produced by the session).

Order
Base, Interaction
*Always put the shy child in the middle, ring around the rosie is a great game to get a photograph of children who are shy, you get a shot of one child at a time as well as the rest playing with them, they are usually the happiest then because they think the game is silly to play in front of a photographer. Great opportunity to get true smiles.



~Place in your head, If you were a parent, which image would you erase?

Now it's time to think about how you are shooting your sessions.

Shoot Diversity-different angles of the same scene

Shoot Groups- Break down the group photo with them still posed. Shoot each person separately in the position. (Head shots)

(Families are silly, catch that on your camera).

~Break down groups into lots of sub groupings (don't forget the grandparents).

Shoot Action- Shoot series of actions
-Encourage interaction (Fact: Interaction shots are just more interesting then a single person standing alone)

Shoot Multiple Locations- Move your clients around, shoot them, then move them again.

Shoot details-like a wedding

Story tell-If you can

Session Options


Basic Portrait session
Is this going to be Studio or Loaction? (Always encourage Location)
-No deals or discounts for albums from these sessions
-Albums are always encouraged as gifts especially the smaller ones
-Family session=Bigger Album sales
-Bound Proof Albums

Engagement Sessions
-Given to all wedding clients at no extra charge.
-Album is designed immediately after session and they go on location for 85% of these sessions.
-Session is encouraged as a non pressure portrait day
-They design a portrait album and engagement singing album

A year in their life:
-Market to pregnant women
-Client gets 4 sessions and album priced as a package
-Client is the main image
-Pediatricians office is a great place to display these.

Life Volumes (A day in the life)
-Market aggressively to high end clients
-documentary heirloom
-followed by future volumes (Life Volumes)
-focus on each child in a family so you can do albums for each
-Special day or average day (Wedding)
-Include pets when possible
-Design control (client make ONLY subtle changes)
-Document a charity for a fundraiser

Senior Portrait Albums
-Marketed to all seniors
-Extensive sessions with personality and hobbies
-Produce a more glamorous album

Specialty Albums
-1 year old birthday party session
-children book sessions

Pricing and design
-3 factors in how this works out
1.How many images are going into it?
2. What external size is it? (3x3, 13x13)
3.Is it I mount or bound album (Life volumes are the exception)
Album Designing
1.Traditional 1 image per page (I mounts only)
2.Artistic-multiple images per page
Offer Online Album Presentation, this creates great client interaction.

Here are some photographs that I thought Wowed me to go along with this Article:




And these are the artists featured: