You arrive at your photo session, meet your photographer, you have fun together, the photographer clicks the shutter lots of times, and then you happily go your separate ways.  Job done!  Right?  RIGHT?!

Wrong!!   What happens during the photo session is only a part of the whole experience!  The work begins as soon as the initial inquiry comes in.  Once the booking is confirmed, the pre-shoot work-flow really begins.  The Jolly workflow looks like this:

• Enter client details into system

• Create client file

• Invoice session fee

• Send confirmation email

• Send questionnaire

• Send style guide

• Possible location scouting (can take 1-2 hrs)

• Video consultation to ‘meet’ and discuss everything

• Confirm exact time and location of session

• Complete and sending portrait contract

• Prepare shot list for session (must-have shots, shoot flow, pose ideas, etc)

• Prepare equipment the night before, including: charge all batteries, format memory cards, clean and pack lenses, extra CF cards, pack reflector, lights, toys for young children, etc

And then there’s the photo session itself…  I try and get there early to make sure everything is OK in the area I am shooing in, and to mentally prepare myself and get in the creative zone.  From the time the family arrives until I stop shooting, my brain does. not. stop. working.  Some of the things I constantly have to think about when photographing people are:

• Direction and quality of light, and how the light is falling on the subject(s)

• Background distractions

• How clothes/hair is sitting

• Wind direction

• Hand placement

• Posing/directing/guiding (even though my style is very natural), EVERYTHING is still directed

• Subject expression

• Shutter speed

• ISO

• Aperture

• Lens choice

• Focus

• Metering

On top of all that, I still have to keep the energy of the photo session upbeat and positive!  In terms of the energy I put into a session, it is always 100%.  My heart and soul goes into every.single.session.  This introvert comes out of her shell and does everything in her power to make it a great experience for her clients!

After the session, the post-shoot work-flow begins:

• Upload images

• Back up images

• Cull images

• Complete initial edit

• Schedule ordering appointment, or during this COVID time, upload and create an online gallery to send to client.  This stage always feels like you are putting your babies up for adoption!

• Anxiously await client response (hopefully they will realise all the hard work that went into those images and will let you know if they love them)

• Final edit (can take a few hours)

• Send invoice for payment

• Send receipt of payment

• Prepare images that are going to lab

• Package order

• Write thank you card

• Blog session

• Facebook images

• Close file!

Now, do you understand?  It’s not just a matter of taking a few pretty pictures.  It’s not just a matter of clicking the shutter.  You are not just paying for a 1-hour photo session.  You are not just paying for the paper the image is printed on. 

Each Jolly photo session is at least 11 hours’ work. 100% heart, soul, and energy go into every session.

Where else do you get that kind of experience? :)

If you would love Jolly portraits of your family, feel free to mail sandra@sandrajolly.com and we can chat :)

Peace and love xoxo