Headshot Portrait Session Turned from Professional to Pranks
Fun was the reason I got into professional photography in the first place. I started working with INVU Portraits by Charla when my son was one. After a Saturday of professional children’s portraits in blue-jean overalls and fun props, my husband would ask me about my day. My response, “I had so much fun!!!” His response? “Did you make any money?”
Then there’s that: profitability.
When I ventured out on my own in this wonderful world of professional photography, my shoots were all fun: young family holiday pictures, high-school senior portraits, photographs of children were all creative and unique settings. We laughed, we played and produced great wall portraits together.
Then as the digital age kicked into gear, it was a smart business decision for me to shift directions. Of course, Jenny, Kenneth and I still offer individual and family portrait sessions all over the Dallas metroplex, however the majority of what we do at Photography by Misty is corporate headshots, commercial and event photography.
The income is more consistent and predictable but I was super nervous about the fun factor. My philosophy when it comes to business photography: 90 percent of what we do is for the client, and 10 percent is for us to express our creative outlet. What we have found is this 10 percent fun factor is just as important to our clients as it is to our creative souls.
Take for instance, Catherine (pictured here). She is a recent college graduate, looking for a marketing career. In comparison to college and sorority life, the real world just doesn’t seem as exciting. After we knocked out the necessary evil of LinkedIn headshots, we headed over to my Instagram inspired wall of fun.
Catherine went from being a willing subject to being engaged and full of her own ideas. The best part? We pranked her mom, who is the marketing guru for the Texas Health in Plano, and also paid for the session, by uploading only the fun photos to her on-line gallery. I am guessing her initial reaction will be that she should not have trusted a photographer she barely knew… and hopefully she’ll get a good laugh when we share the professional headshot portraits.
Choose a profession you love or, at the very least, generate laughs wherever you’ve been temporarily planted. Do you also have a talent for photography? Apply for my Mastermind Calculated Shot retreat and I will teach you how to turn your photography passion into a successful career!
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