WHAT IS OUR PROCESS? OUR 13 STEPS TO CLIENT SATISFACTION
In my previous post I discussed test shoots, and if you haven’t read that post yet and wish to you can access it here. Test shoots are a key step within our process and are also perhaps one aspect of our service that helps to differentiate us from some other photographers. But that then gives rise to the question “What are the other steps in our process?”. Our process actually contains twelve additional steps that are all equally important when it comes to delivering value to our clients. So, if you are interested in having us help you with a photographic need then please read on to gain an insight into what you can expect from our Bakers Dozen image creation process.
STEP 1: INITIAL INQUIRY
This is the first and most basic step, which focuses on us receiving an inquiry regarding our capability and/or availability for a photoshoot. An inquiry can be received in numerous ways, such as:
Via our website form.
By email.
Through one of our social media channels.
Through a phone call, which is the medium by which we receive most of our inquiries.
The inquiry could also be in response to cold pitch communication, although we prefer to avoid this form of marketing wherever possible. When it comes to marketing we are more in favor of networking and building relationships.
If you choose to reach out to us by phone, we will keep this initial call high-level, simply obtaining the most pertinent information from you such as the type of product you require us to photograph, timescales, and follow-up contact information. At this stage, relationship building is far more important to us than attempting to immediately extract detailed project information. We understand that there may be projects where time is of the essence, but we still don’t wish to overload you with information or make you feel as though you’re being interrogated.
Our intentions from this initial engagement are:
Reassure you that you are discussing your project with a competent photographer.
Making a decision on whether your project is one that we can execute successfully.
Deciding on whether we have the capacity to meet your project timescales.
Deciding if it is something that we are interested in pursuing.
And explaining the next steps in our process, although if you have read this post, you will have visibility of that already.
Of course, you will also have a decision to make following this initial conversation, but one thing we do not wish to do is keep you waiting on our thoughts as to whether we are interested and capable of taking on your project.
STEP 2: CONSULTATION CALL
The next step is to start filling in the blanks, from both our perspective and yours. A follow-up call provides us with an opportunity to obtain the more detailed information that we need and also enables us to educate you on who we are, our process, and how we are able to execute your project. Our main goal of this call is to understand exactly what your vision is, and what will please you when you view your final images. During this call, we should also have a brief conversation regarding your budget, which will help determine whether we are a good match.
Conducting this call is another element within our process that helps set us apart from the rest, as well as setting expectations for the remainder of our process. While your initial inquiry and our subsequent conversation may have been unexpected, scheduling this consultation call enables us both to prepare questions in advance of having a more in-depth discussion.
This call will provide an opportunity for both of us to explore project details, discuss potential shoot dates, and for us to understand your exact needs. This is critical as these calls help build relationships. They’re an opportunity for us to get to know you and introduce you to our business. Our aim is to determine how we can help you with your specific business needs and provide solutions to any photographic issues you currently have.
If you are located close to us, or at least within a reasonable driving distance, then we may suggest having an informal meeting as opposed to a phone call.
Regardless of whether the meeting is in person or through a phone call, our aims of this step are:
Understanding what you need us to photograph and how many images you need.
Understanding the image details (lifestyle, white background, etc.)
Start compiling a shot list.
Collect additional pertinent project information.
Determine the shot location and required logistics.
Decide on your budget and understand what the image usage is. This will determine whether licensing applies to your project.
Understand your brand messaging.
Explain how images will be transferred.
Understand your likes and dislikes.
Understand your expectations (both what will satisfy you and what will wow you)
STEP 3: TEST SHOOT
This does not necessarily apply to all projects but does often apply to product photography, which differs from many other genres. All products differ in some way, and many reflect in different ways. Glasses and bottles reflect light, as do jewelry, chrome, and even silk rugs. They all have unique quirks when it comes to photography. For some, we can get away with presenting the finished image as a single frame. Others may dictate multiple frames being required, which are then blended together in post-production. Many products must be lit differently, so unlike some genres such as portrait photography, knowing one or two light setups is insufficient. It’s a case of understanding each product’s intricacies, understanding light and essentially being lighting engineers. It’s akin to understanding the intricacies of a foreign language.
If you need us to photograph a product that we have no prior experience with, then that presents us with a challenge in assuring you of our capability to execute your project as you need us to. To address these situations, we use test shoots. Depending on the subject matter, this may be conducted either in our studio or on-site. The intent of this session is to learn lessons, both from the perspective of what works and what doesn’t. For those shots that work out well, we can collect a lot of data on camera and lighting setup. For those that have some failings, it helps us to understand which approaches should be avoided, as well as helping us identify solutions to those issues. Again, invaluable information that would help us during the actual photoshoot.
STEP 4: CREATE PROPOSAL
By now we have a good understanding of your project. The major details have been defined, although some of the more minor creative input may still be required. For instance, both of us may still be working on the mood board, and the exact shot list may still need to be pinned down. However, enough is known to be able to prepare a project proposal, which is a written document. If you prefer this information to be in the form of a slideshow presentation, then we can accommodate that as well. Regardless of whether you require a presentation or not, the aim of this activity is to produce a document that showcases all the project details together with underlining our unique value and highlighting details that will eliminate confusion later. This proposal will include:
Covering letter.
Project introduction.
Project description.
An overview of what can be expected from us.
An explanation of image licensing.
An explanation of copyright ownership.
An image credit request for images posted to social media.
An overview of white background photography should that be required.
An overview of how we provide Image archiving.
A pricing overview.
An example of our service contract.
STEP 5: PROPOSAL FOLLOW-UP AND REVISION INCORPORATION
Now it’s time to get back on the phone again, or even have a follow-up face-to-face meeting. This next step is to confirm you agree with our proposal. If you need to suggest changes then that’s fine, we expect you to, and so this is the time that we should capture them before we move forward with the photoshoot. We will document all revisions in writing. If they are simple and straightforward then we can simply capture them in an email, but if they are more in-depth then it may be wiser to revise our proposal, as doing this allows everything to be captured in a single document, which is far cleaner.
At this point, if you have not already done so, you need to finalize your budget. This is also the time to dial in the visual look and feel of your images.
STEP 6: CONFIRM THE SHOOT DATE
The final piece of information needed is the date of your photoshoot, which due to project constraints and subject matter availability can often result in the shoot being difficult to schedule. Sometimes what seems to be the simplest activity can represent the highest hurdle!
STEP 7: PREPARE TERMS & CONTRACT
Once we have locked down your photoshoot date we will compile all the project information and send you a service contract for your signature. Our system allows you to sign the contract electronically.
STEP 8: PHOTOSHOOT
This is where the magic starts to happen! We will conduct your photoshoot as planned using tethered capture, obtaining all your required images. Ideally, we would like you to approve each image as we capture it. At the end of your photo shoot, or at the end of each session if it’s a multiple-day shoot, we will back up all data to an external HDD. Before breaking down the setup we will also collect setup data as needed, which often includes:
Camera settings
Lighting setup details
Camera angle, tripod height, and distance from subject.
This is invaluable information in an event where we have to repeat a particular shot.
Our world is full of vibrant colors, as are some of the products that we photograph. As such, the accuracy of the colors in your images is critical, so we utilize color management tools and software to ensure the colors in your images are completely correct. I’m not going to go too far in depth about this during this post, but I will be writing more about it in a future post, so please check back soon if you would like to learn more about exactly how we capture color-perfect images.
STEP 9: POST-PRODUCTION
This is where the magic continues to happen! Post-production is the process of enhancing your images through retouching, compositing, color correction, and enhancement, among others. We first cull all the captured frames, choosing those that best meet your requirements and then we subject those to our post-production process. This process utilizes the enhancements that best suit each individual image, and may include one or more of:
Lens correction.
White balance adjustment.
Highlights and shadow adjustments.
White and black levels adjustment.
Compositing.
Localized exposure adjustments.
Curves adjustments.
Dodge and burn.
Color and contract adjustments.
Sharpening.
Saturation adjustment.
Cropping.
This editing process can be lengthy and involved, which is why our photography and post-production charges will be detailed separately in our proposal. Once we have completed the image editing, we will export each image to convert it to a JPG, which will be watermarked for the draft image delivery.
STEP 10: CREATE AND SHARE PROOFS
We will upload all edited images to a secure password-protected online gallery within three days unless an alternative timeframe has been agreed to. All images will have a watermark applied to them indicating that they are simply initial proofs. If an online gallery is not suitable then we will deliver them using WeTransfer.com.
This provides an opportunity for you to review your images and suggest minor editing revisions. At this stage, if you do not love your images and we are unable to find a suitable solution for you then we will not proceed any further, and you do not need to pay us. That is our satisfaction guarantee.
STEP 11: RETOUCHING AND FINAL EDITS
If you are satisfied with your images we will incorporate your suggestions wherever possible and remove the watermarks. You will then be able to download the whole package online from the same secure gallery. Again, if the online gallery is not suitable then we will deliver them using WeTransfer.com.
STEP 12: FINAL INVOICE
Once you have received your final images we will forward an invoice electronically, which may also be paid electronically using the link on the invoice. Alternatively, you may forward a check to us. Although check delivery takes longer, we actually prefer this option, especially as it helps avoid electronic payment processing fees.
STEP 13: LONG-TERM IMAGE STORAGE & BACKUP
We also provide long-term photograph archiving and image access. We wish to cultivate long-term business arrangements with all our clients, so ensuring that you will have access to your images for a long period of time is an important aspect of our unique selling point and adds client value.
All photographic files will be stored on our office storage media for a period of at least three years and are also stored on off-site media for additional security.
After three years, we will verify that all images are still safely stored on the off-site media, and providing they are, images on our personal storage media may be safely deleted should we need to reclaim storage space. If you need to access any images after the three-year period we may no longer have them in our personal storage, but we will be able to obtain them for you.
WRAP UP
In future posts, I'm planning on taking a deeper dive into post-production and color correction, so if you are interested in these particular aspects of our process, please keep an eye on our blog and check back for these future posts. And here's my usual end-of-post reminder, True Images Photography provides professional beverage, food, and product commercial photography that gets your business noticed. Feel free to book a free 30-minute consultation here. But if you are located close to our studio you may find we suggest conducting your free consultation there. And we are not strict about the 30-minute duration, it can take as long as it needs to.
Do look around the rest of the blog here for more helpful posts, and if you have any questions please reach out. I’m happy to advise. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn where I always answer messages with a detailed reply.