Have you had professional photos taken before ?

If your experience has been anything like ours, you probably went into the photo session not understanding how the whole thing would work, were not given advice on how to prepare for the shoot, what to wear, what to bring, or how to engage your kids.

During the session itself, you may have felt rather uncomfortable in front of the lens. You probably were unsure of how to move around, how to pose, or whether to smile at the camera. You saw the photographer looking at the screen but didn’t know if the photos were coming out fine.

After the shoot, most likely at some point you grew impatient and frustrated for not knowing whether progress was being made. You waited too long, way too long, and had to contact the photographer a couple of times to give them a bit of a push.

In the end, you finally got your high quality pictures, so then you were happy and could just go about sharing them with family and friends.

In hindsight, however, when evaluating your overall photographic journey, you felt that you could have been given a much better customer experience.

Enter BellaShoot…

Customer satisfaction is our priority, and the way we embrace and build relationships with our clients is what sets us apart.

We find that when customers get involved throughout the process and participate in the artistic decision-making, the sense of reward at the end is greater, so we approach each client’s project as a two-way collaborative endeavour. We open avenues for customer feedback as we advance through the process, so clients are given the opportunity to have a say and provide their views and thoughts.

From the early planning stages, all the way through to the finished product and delivery, we’ll look after you and put our full dedication and attention to detail every step of the way so we leave you happy with the end result. We’ll strive to excel at the quality of our service, and will shoot for no less than your absolute satisfaction.

A clear, well designed photography workflow is instrumental in realizing the vision that both the photographer and the client, together, set out at the beginning. It’s therefore important that the client understands the whole process so the opportunities for feedback and collaboration are well identified from the get go.

You, the potential client, have browsed through our galleries, liked what you saw, and now you want to get a quote and know more about how it all works. So the first step is to reach out to us, either via a phone call, an email, through the contact form in our web, or a message in any of our social network pages.

Once a communication channel has been opened, we’ll liaise with you to get clarity around what you’re after and discuss options. The following are key elements that need to be considered when defining the objectives for the shoot and designing the best roadmap to achieve them.

Type of session

Are you looking for a nice family portrait ? Or a photoshoot for your newborn ? …or your pregnant wife ? …or a cake smash for your 1 year old child ? Perhaps you need a professional headshot ?

Shoot concept/idea

Maybe you want high quality pictures but don’t quite know exactly what is it that you want ? Or you may have actually thought of an original concept and have already an idea in mind you’d like realized ? Perhaps a humorous approach ?…or a documentary style to portray your character ?

Location / background preference

Do you want the photo session to take place in your home ? …or in our home studio under controlled light conditions, or with a nice backdrop ? Or you want to head outdoors for an environmental portrait ? Have  a preference for a beach, a park, a garden ? Maybe by the river ? …or you rather shoot in an urban setting ?

Final product / intent

Are you after a digital collection for online sharing only ? Or you also want some prints ? Of what size ? Maybe you want a few frames for your shelf ? …or a big canvas to hang on the wall ? A combination of a few of each perhaps  ?

After clarifying the above, we’ll send you a quote and offer alternative packages that suit your preferences and budget.

You’d hopefully have decided to go ahead and book a session with us. At this point, you’ll pay a non-refundable retainer fee to secure our time for your session.

Your photo session has been booked and now it’s time to prepare for it.

In order for us to design and plan for a collection that portrays you truthfully as you are, we want to build rapport and get to know you better, so we’d like to hear about your interests, your activities, etc. You’ll spend a couple of minutes filling-in an on-line a questionnaire to help us out through this ‘getting to know you’ process.

With the concept for the shoot defined and the objectives clear, a few critical decisions need to be firmed up.

Exact Location

The exact location needs to be set in stone. We’ll discuss with you the various options from a convenience viewpoint (travel time, parking, etc), but also in terms of what they offer for image composition and background. If you’re thinking of getting a picture as an addition to your home decor, the colour scheme of the intended display zone should be carefully considered when selecting a location for your shoot.

Date and time

Arguably, dusk and dawn are regarded as the best periods for photography as the rich hues and tones that can be captured are of unmatched delicacy and beauty. Likewise, if a silhouetted image against a nice background is the objective, having low sun light is pretty much a requirement, which constrains the time window for the shoot (sun rising or setting).

In any case, photography is all about capturing light, and light changes throughout the day, so we’ll explain and discuss with you what are the best times to shoot your session, depending on what the objective of the shoot is, the mood that wants to be evoked, and the intended final product.

In the great majority of cases, though, it is possible to find suitable light conditions to shoot during ‘normal’ hours, so in all likelihood we will be able to accommodate a date and time slot that suit you.

What to wear

Clothing color choice needs to be assessed in the context of the background selected for the shoot, and the colour palette of the area where the photos will end up (in case home decor is in mind). Reach out to us and we’ll be in position to assist you when picking out the perfect combination of outfits for you and your family. For further guidance, check out our blog post on clothing tips.

What to bring

It’s important to arrive at the session well rested so you feel comfortable and energetic through the shoot. Bring an outfit change, accessories, a drink, a snack. Ensure the kids are fed and bring along their favorite toy.

How about Props ?

The addition to the scene of a subtle accessory can make wonders for the shot; a chair, a musical instrument, a sporting item, a flower bouquet, a vintage briefcase, etc. It’s important to make sure the photo is not overwhelmed by too much distraction and that the prop actually makes sense and fits well with the concept that’s been designed.

Shooting day has arrived. We’ll collect you at the agreed meeting point, go over a few details on how the session will unfold, and get started.

Duration

The duration of the shoot will depend on the package selected, but typically can range from 1 hr to a 2 hr session.

Number of shots

The number of pictures taken will depend on the session duration, but will be sufficient to ensure plenty of redundancy for the selection stage. Typically, we’ll shoot between 100 and 200 photos in a one hour shoot, however, the pre-selection (proofing gallery) given to the client will contain a choice range between 1-in-3 to 1-in-4. For example, if your selected package was a  collection of 10 images, we’ll give you between 30 to 40 to choose from.

Poses

Typically, we’ll capture a mix of a few posed shots and a few ‘natural’ ones, depending on how comfortable you feel around the camera, what the objective of the session is and the intended final product.

In any case, we’ll be providing you with directions throughout the shoot so we can get the most out of it. Most importantly, remember to have fun and enjoy the experience.

Children and pets

Children and pets can be difficult to manage during the session. At the same time, they can provide the most wonderful shots. The most important thing is not to stress them out and get them bored during the shot, so make sure you are prepared and come with a plan to get them engaged.

Engaging kids

Building up the expectation as session day approaches works marvels with children, as they perceive it as a fun day out and participate actively. You could build together a countdown clock, for example, and use it the preceding week to remind them of the fun day coming ahead. It doesn’t hurt to promise your kids a little something if they are happy and content during the shoot. Any resource is valid!

If you’re worried that your kids may throw a tantrum and render the session a disaster, relax, we’ve all been there, it just happens. If things don’t go according to plan, we will usually know a few minutes in, so we can call it a day and try some other time.

Most importantly, just let them be kids. Play with bubbles, balloons, a kite. Run, jump, hold them upside down. Be free, natural, playful, silly. Those pictures that capture the love and laughter are the most amazing ones you’ll get, so just relax and go with the flow.

Weather

You can’t change the weather, so don’t let it ruin the session…embrace it ! If it’s windy, let your scarves and hair be blown by the wind. If it’s rainy, pull out some colourful umbrellas and stomp your feet in the puddles. Basically, be prepared for anything and just roll with the punches. Maybe, you’ll end up with something you didn’t have in mind, and if you’re open to the possibilities, you may love the result even more!

Having said that, although a passing shower may not be a big deal and not a reason to cancel a session, we do understand that a miserable day can ruin it for everybody. We’ll be accommodating; whether it’s too wet, too windy, or too cold, we’ll contact you to have a final word and confirm the session before we head off to location.  It’ll be up to our discretion to call it a day or not, but you won’t be penalized with an extra charge should we cancel.

After the shoot, the actual images that will make up the final digital collection are selected in a two-stage process:

Pre-selection (by us)

We send first-pass collection for client’s review (proofing gallery)

Selection (by client)

From the pre-selection list, client picks their favourite photos

A chain of creative interventions, from framing to exposure control, from colour correction to the size of the output image, will be applied to produce profound transformations towards the final glorious photograph.

At this stage, the client may or may not want to get involved in the artistic decision-making. We’ll open avenues for customer feedback so clients are given the opportunity to have a say and provide their views and thoughts.

After seeing the images, you might change your mind with regards to the product selected; maybe now you think that ‘this’ photo over here would make a great canvas in the lounge, and that ‘those’ photos over there can be put together as a beautiful collage to hang in the playroom. At this point, we’ll have another opportunity to discuss and confirm the final package.

Depending on individual circumstances, we’ll arrange the delivery medium, which can be in the form of digital download from our website, usb-stick or CD/DVD mailed by post/courier, or physically handed over at either your place or in our home studio in a final review session.

We’d love to hear from you and know whether you were happy with your brand-new photo collection. We also want to know how we did, and improve the quality of our service, so please feel free to get in touch and drop as a line in our social network pages, send us an email, or post a comment in our blog. Customer satisfaction is our main goal so we want to make sure we capture your views.