Why do I love returning Headshot clients ? There are a few reasons. The first & most important I suppose is that it indicates that I must have done something right the first time for them to come back to me. This is always great for a photographer to have been able to establish a client relationship that is strong enough for them to want to come back to you.
In my particular niche of Headshot Photography, a returning client means that enough time has passed since last time I shot with them to warrant having another Headshot done. That’s important for them but exciting for me. I realized some 2 years ago now that the future was in the Headshot Photography market and that people would soon realize the importance of having a good quality Headshot. I would have said that the average shelf life of a quality Headshot is 2 to 3 years. The fact that people have started returning to update indicates that my assumption is about right.
A returning client is often quicker to shoot and i always find that we get better shots more quickly. Often with a new client there takes a little bit of time to build that trust and often its 20 or 30 shots into the shoot when a client starts to “let go” and trust me. This is because I am teaching them new things about their face and their pose and it doesn’t feel natural first off. Its usually not until they see themselves on the big screen that the penny drops and they realize that even though it feels weird it looks good.
A returning client often feels like a continuation of the first shoot. Its usually lighter and more fun and there isn’t as much pressure. Its quite easy to slip into the shoot rhythm. The client is usually more confident and will make suggestion about looks and clothes. This is important for me because for me to do what I do and develop and encourage the expressions that I get in a Headshot session i need the client to buy into the whole process. A returning client has already bought in once, 2nd time round its a blast.