When shooting portraits for a living, you, the photographer, need to create EXCITEMENT at the time of the session, as the photos are actually being MADE. THis is the kind of thing many people have never been taught because they have not worked in the portrait business. AS YOU SHOOT the images, you need to verbally SAY things like, "we're going to create a beautiful full-length photo of you, with you seen here in front of this XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX background item. What we are going to do is to put one big, soft light right up here on a 13-foot stand, and then we're going to use a reflector on the opposite side to fill in the shadows, and create just the most awesome, beautiful, delicate lighting on you. It's gonna' look totally sweet!"
As you are MAKING the photos, you are both selling, and educating. At least a couple of times per session, it's a good idea to take some incident light readings with a light meter, and to actually make the statement that, "I want to get my main light JUST, exactly "so"...it's gotta be just perfect!" People like and respect a photographer who has the right professional tools. People appreciate a precise, diligent tattoo artist, surgeon, accountant, and photographer.
Anyway, creating EXCITEMENT as the photos are being made involves showing enthusiasm for the kinds of poses and lighting that you are committing to the camera, during the shoot. Every shoot! When you trigger off a shot of two siblings, every so often after a decent shot you need to say, "OH! that's a great one! That'll make a lovely 11x14 canvas mount print!" just to plant the seed of the smaller, but very,very high-markup small canvas prints. Stuff like that. "Oh, he's so adorable in that little jacket--he looks like a tiny little man!" for a five year-old boy. etc.,etc..
Family photography is a people business! You need to have a lint brush on hand,and maybe even dab it on a spot or two. When first posing a man and wife, you need to say, "Here, let me just really quickly check your jacket for any loose threads," and also do a necktie check as well. Many younger men today are LOUSY necktie tiers, and if you mention that you are "Adjusting some of the small details," it conveys an attention to detail, a level of professionalism that the average FB snapper is gonna be clueless about. Same goes with shirt tails, jacket lapels, collars, necklaces, etc.etc. You need to state, clearly, and make a point of showing that YOU are IN CONTROL of the session and the way they look. If a necktie has a loose, sloppy knot, or the collar is sticking up weirdly, or a man's shirt is hanging out and wrinkling, you need to demonstrate that NOTHING gets by you. Necktie flaws, lint on jackets, cat hair, flyaway hairs, ladies necklaces with the pendant hanging awkwardly, missed shirt buttons, lapels that are laying weird, wedding rings where the diamond is off to the side, all those kinds of things fall to YOU. AS you are shooting, you need to tell your clients about these styling touch-ups, and direct them as to how to remedy them. This eliminates costly retouching AND makes for better photos,with better-styled clothes and hair.
If you demonstrate real old-school perfectionism and professionalism, and show enthusiasm and EXCITEMENT when you and your subjects work together to make a successful portrait image, you'll develop a reputation that will precede you. People will talk about how, "Paul's necktie was tied kind of funny, and my necklace was crooked, but he SPOTTED it and fixed it right way!" "And he thought the girls were just soooo darling, and they thought he was really a fun photographer too." This is how you educate people and show them why you're better than some hack who doesn't know a single trick of the business. Ooh and ahh over the babies, look out for the dads and teenage sons' appearance (many of whom are helpless in 'good clothes') and alwayyyyyyys compliment the moms and grandmas on how well everybody behaved and how nice they all look together. Keep in mind too that the women usually wield the checkbooks and the big credit cards, and are the actual BUYERS of family photography services and prints. Don't suck up to the dads unless it is clearly a divorced dad/weekend dad scenario, which is not that common, but also not rare.
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