I’ve always felt in my heart that home was the best place for a photo session.

Yes, location shots are beautiful with their stunning, sweeping landscapes and lots of beautiful light. But home? Well, if you are aiming to capture the place where 90% of memories happen, you can’t beat it.

I’m a big believer on shooting people as naturally as possible. So piling them all up on a big rock in the park perfectly, well, that isn’t truly natural to me.

I recently made an announcement to my clients that I would only be offering in-home sessions moving forward. We would also shoot outside the house, on their block and even up the street if there was a spot they would generally congregate as a family, but it would all be personal to them.

I had always done a majority of client shoots at home but I never said ‘no’ when I was asked to do a location. I expected there to be some drop off, but there was virtually none. In fact, there was an excitement and a trust in the process for clients who had been with me for years.

Are you struggling with the fact your heart and passion is pulling you more towards the documentary in-home style, but don’t know quite how to position yourself to sell the idea to clients and potential clients?

Read on for some tips and things to keep in mind that will allow you the freedom to truly shoot what you love:

1. Purge your website.

The very first step you need to do to position your style is to comb through your website for any images that don’t speak to the in-home style and remove them. Yes it’s painful. There are going to be some killer images removed, I’m sure, but what you put out there for the public to see is exactly what you will be hired for at the end of the day. So if it doesn’t fit the in-home, backyard, their street criteria, it has to be removed. As far as your blog, that is a history you don’t want to mess with too much BUT be sure to have your most recent blog posts speaking to this style.

As far as social media? This too is a timeline. No one expects you to stick with a certain style from the second you launch to present day, but again, be sure to start filling that feed with the work in which you wish to be hired for so the message will be clear.

2. Portfolio build.

Here is where I urge you to be patient. Though you may want to jump right into this, so stoked to begin shooting in this genre. If you don’t have a good amount of images that speak to this style that you love, you will need to get some before you are off and running and spreading the word.

Schedule some in-home shoots pro-bono with loyal clients or friends and family to help build this side of your portfolio. You need the ‘meat’ to back up this style. One or two shots won’t fully illustrate the power of the in-home shoot. You want a variety of shots inside and outside the home on your site, Facebook, Instagram etc. to show exactly what this type of session can offer to clients.

3. Develop a dedicated Pinterest board.

With every new inquiry I receive, in my response along with the rate card, is a link to my in-home session Pinterest board. It is emailed so they can see exactly the style in which I shoot and can be educated on this style of shooting. Don’t rely on just your website to educate them. Having a ton of varied examples in various homes, apartments etc. will help the client understand how you can work in any in-home situation and still produce amazing images. Education is key when selling in-home, and seeing is believing.

4. Announce it. Everywhere.

Facebook, Instagram, G+, Twitter, a marketing email blast. Use ALL of these tools to spread the word that you are conducting in-home shoots. When I made the total switch, I also made sure to keep referencing the term ‘in-home sessions’ with every preview and blog post. I did this to continue to hammer the message home so that it was clear to clients and potential clients alike. I cannot stress enough how important a consistent message can be. You can never say it enough in my book.

5. Be at peace. It isn’t for everyone.

Just because you love in-home, please don’t be surprised that others may not. You cannot force your style on anyone, no matter how much you educate or try to sell them on the beauty of it. Inevitably you may lose some clients. Or maybe they will do it once and then move on for a year and then come back to you. The important thing to ask yourself are these questions: do in-home sessions make your heart sing? Do you edit them with a smile on your face and joy in your heart? Then that my friends, is what is most important at the end of the day. The clients will come. Just be patient.

I hope those tips will help you achieve client success when offering the in-home option. I’m a firm believer that we all need to shoot what we love, in the style in which we love.

Don’t ever compromise or try and fit yourself into a style that isn’t you. In the end, those that shine brightest are those that are shining from within, with happy hearts that they are shooting what truly moves them.

xx

– Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman
www.jennifertonettispellman.com

<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always felt in my heart that home was the best place for a photo session.<\/p>\n

Yes, location shots are beautiful with their stunning, sweeping landscapes and lots of beautiful light. But home? Well, if you are aiming to capture the place where 90% of memories happen, you can\u2019t beat it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a big believer on shooting people as naturally as possible. So piling them all up on a big rock in the park perfectly, well, that isn\u2019t truly natural to me.<\/p>\n

I recently made an announcement to my clients that I would only be offering in-home sessions moving forward. We would also shoot outside the house, on their block and even up the street if there was a spot they would generally congregate as a family, but it would all be personal to them.<\/p>\n

I had always done a majority of client shoots at home but I never said \u2018no\u2019 when I was asked to do a location. I expected there to be some drop off, but there was virtually none. In fact, there was an excitement and a trust in the process for clients who had been with me for years.<\/p>\n

Are you struggling with the fact your heart and passion is pulling you more towards the documentary in-home style, but don\u2019t know quite how to position yourself to sell the idea to clients and potential clients?<\/p>\n

Read on for some tips and things to keep in mind that will allow you the freedom to truly shoot what you love:<\/p>\n

1. Purge your website.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The very first step you need to do to position your style is to comb through your website for any images that don\u2019t speak to the in-home style and remove them. Yes it\u2019s painful. There are going to be some killer images removed, I\u2019m sure, but what you put out there for the public to see is exactly what you will be hired for at the end of the day. So if it doesn\u2019t fit the in-home, backyard, their street criteria, it has to be removed. As far as your blog, that is a history you don\u2019t want to mess with too much BUT be sure to have your most recent blog posts speaking to this style.<\/p>\n

As far as social media? This too is a timeline. No one expects you to stick with a certain style from the second you launch to present day, but again, be sure to start filling that feed with the work in which you wish to be hired for so the message will be clear.<\/p>\n

2. Portfolio build.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is where I urge you to be patient. Though you may want to jump right into this, so stoked to begin shooting in this genre. If you don\u2019t have a good amount of images that speak to this style that you love, you will need to get some before you are off and running and spreading the word.<\/p>\n

Schedule some in-home shoots pro-bono with loyal clients or friends and family to help build this side of your portfolio. You need the \u2018meat\u2019 to back up this style. One or two shots won\u2019t fully illustrate the power of the in-home shoot. You want a variety of shots inside and outside the home on your site, Facebook, Instagram etc. to show exactly what this type of session can offer to clients.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Develop a dedicated Pinterest board.
\n<\/strong>
\nWith every new inquiry I receive, in my response along with the rate card, is a link to my in-home session Pinterest board. It is emailed so they can see exactly the style in which I shoot and can be educated on this style of shooting. Don\u2019t rely on just your website to educate them. Having a ton of varied examples in various homes, apartments etc. will help the client understand how you can work in any in-home situation and still produce amazing images. Education is key when selling in-home, and seeing is believing.<\/p>\n

4. Announce it. Everywhere.
\n<\/strong>
\nFacebook, Instagram, G+, Twitter, a marketing email blast. Use ALL of these tools to spread the word that you are conducting in-home shoots. When I made the total switch, I also made sure to keep referencing the term \u2018in-home sessions\u2019 with every preview and blog post. I did this to continue to hammer the message home so that it was clear to clients and potential clients alike. I cannot stress enough how important a consistent message can be. You can never say it enough in my book.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

5. Be at peace. It isn\u2019t for everyone.
\n<\/strong>
\nJust because you love in-home, please don\u2019t be surprised that others may not. You cannot force your style on anyone, no matter how much you educate or try to sell them on the beauty of it. Inevitably you may lose some clients. Or maybe they will do it once and then move on for a year and then come back to you. The important thing to ask yourself are these questions: do in-home sessions make your heart sing? Do you edit them with a smile on your face and joy in your heart? Then that my friends, is what is most important at the end of the day. The clients will come. Just be patient.<\/p>\n

I hope those tips will help you achieve client success when offering the in-home option. I\u2019m a firm believer that we all need to shoot what we love, in the style in which we love.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ever compromise or try and fit yourself into a style that isn\u2019t you. In the end, those that shine brightest are those that are shining from within, with happy hearts that they are shooting what truly moves them.<\/p>\n[tribulant_slideshow gallery_id=”14″]\n

xx<\/p>\n

– Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman
\nwww.jennifertonettispellman.com<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[53,55,54,35],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1106"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1106"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1149,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1106\/revisions\/1149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsycouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}