Family Photography: Creating a Successful Business

Building a successful family portrait business takes more than capturing a good image. Not only do you need the tools to create family memories that your clients will love, but you also have to know how to set up a business that will make money and keep your clients and their referrals coming back. Award-winning photographer and international educator Kirsten Lewis returns to CreativeLive to teach all of this and more in the third class in her series on family storytelling photography.

In this class Kirsten will cover:

• The psychology of photographing families and how to really “see” your subjects
• How she collaborates with families and other creative professionals
• How to stay present in the moment to capture authentic and timeless images
• How to set up your business for success and sales

Kirsten will pull back the curtain to show you the nuts and bolts of her business and how she continues to be successful in this unique area of family photography.

• Class Introduction
• What Makes a Picture Successful?
• Technical Tips: ISO
• Technical Tips: Aperture
• Technical Tips: Shutter Speed
• Technical Tips: Focus
• Using Light to Tell a Story
• Using Composition to Tell a Story
• Filling Your Frame
• Capturing Emotion: Identify the Muse
• Shoot What It Feels Like, Not What It Looks Like
• Action Vs Moment
• The Psychology of Photographing Families
• Q&A
• Working a Scene
• Identify What You Shoot Well
• Look For the Cleanest Composition
• Know the POV
• Patience and Anticipation While Shooting
• Shooting Deliberately
• Case Study - Sarah's Contact Sheet
• Challenging Subjects: A Family With One Small Child
• Challenging Subjects: Photographing Teenagers
• Image Salon Post-Processing Overview
• Image Salon Post-Processing Demos
• The Importance of Relationships
• Getting Clients Hooked
• Your Business Model
• Stay in Contact!
• Why Aren't You Booking Sessions?
• Your Website
• Direct Marketing
• Slide Shows, Albums and Prints
• In-Person Sales Work
• Website Critique: Alyssa Kellert
• Website Critique: Amy Thelen
• Website Critique: Margaret Albaugh
• Business Q&A
• Build Community and Find a Mentor
• Keep Shooting: Personal Projects
• Who Inspires Me
• Why Do I Love It So?