There's something every experienced photographer knows that almost none of us ever say out loud to clients. We probably should.
The first twenty minutes of a portrait session are almost never the best photos.
That's it. That's the thing we don't say. And because we don't say it, clients show up expecting to feel natural and relaxed immediately, and when they don't, they assume something is wrong with them. They get more self-conscious trying to fix it. The session starts in a hole.
Here's what's actually happening. A camera is a pressure device. Most people don't have one pointed at them regularly, so when they're suddenly in front of one, they shift into some version of performance mode. They think about what they look like. They think about whether they're doing it right. They try to produce expressions instead of just having them. None of this is their fault. It's a completely normal human response to being observed.
Photographers know this. We've seen it a hundred times. We have tricks and conversations and movements designed specifically to work through it. We're not worried. But the client doesn't know we're not worried, so they feel the awkwardness and assume the photos must be coming out terrible.
The fix is absurdly simple. Tell them ahead of time.
I send a note before every session that says something like: the first few minutes of most sessions feel a little awkward for everyone. That's completely normal. Don't worry about looking natural right away. We'll get there. Just trust the process and give it a few minutes.
That one paragraph changes the energy of the session. The client shows up already knowing that awkward is part of the process, not a sign that something is wrong. They give themselves permission to warm up instead of trying to perform relaxed from the moment they step out of their car.
For seniors this is especially important. Teenagers are already self-conscious about almost everything, and walking into a photo session is basically a self-consciousness festival. Telling them in advance that the first few shots are basically warmup shots takes an enormous amount of pressure off. They stop trying to nail it immediately and start actually being present.
For families with young kids, the same idea applies in a different way. Kids are not going to cooperate on command and parents need to know that ahead of time so they don't spend the first fifteen minutes stressed about whether their four year old is ruining everything. They're not. We account for that. The best family shots are often the ones where someone gave up trying to wrangle the kids and just started laughing about it.
Tell your clients what to expect. Tell them about the warmup period. Tell them the first look at their photos might feel strange because seeing yourself from the outside is weird for most people. Tell them what the session will feel like before it happens. The more informed they are walking in, the more relaxed they are once they get there.
It's the simplest thing. We just forget to do it.
Every client I work with in the Fort Worth, Springtown, and Azle area gets a prep email before their session for exactly this reason. The more you know going in, the better the photos coming out.
