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How to Guide Client Wardrobe Choices without making them feel “wrong”
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Client styling is a delicate balance between guiding wardrobe choices and respecting personal preferences to create beautiful, timeless images. We explore how photographers can help clients make outfit choices that align with their brand aesthetic without making clients feel shame or judgment.
Blog: What to Wear, What not to Wear
My Amazon Store: Outfits
My Pinterest Outfit Inspo Board
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Introduction to Client Styling
Speaker 1Hey , mama , whether or not you're trying out your camera for the very first time , or you've been doing this a while and just looking for some creative inspiration , I've got all that and more . I'm here to help you see your world differently , challenge you creatively and find your passion for photography . Hi guys , welcome back to Better Photos Podcast . I'm your host , brittany Porter , and we are going to be talking all about client styling today how to guide client wardrobe choices without making them feel wrong . So if you are wondering what to tell your clients to wear , this episode is for you . So stay tuned . Oh my gosh . So last episode I just recorded the whole entire thing and then realized that my mic was never plugged in , so I'm so sorry about the audio from the last episode . It wasn't that bad , to be honest , but I am very critical of podcast audio and I hate when , like , the intro song is like blaring and then you can't hear the voice , and then sometimes the ad is like so loud . So , anyways , I have it plugged in now and I probably won't forget it next time . Okay , so we are approaching fall and we're talking about how to help your clients show up in photos
Building Style Guides With Compassion
Speaker 1wearing things that align aesthetically with your vision and with their hopes . Okay , so the main thing that we don't want to do is make our clients feel shame at all for what they want to wear . And while I hype so much on I want you to wear this , I want you to wear this , don't wear this , don't wear that .
Speaker 1In my um , when I send my style guides , I put a little caveat at the end and I say , hey , these are just some recommendations . Um , they go best with my editing and my overall aesthetic . But if these don't align with you , these are ultimately your images . So feel free to wear what you love best and I just give them that little . You know , like it's okay to wear what you want to wear or not to feel the pressure to go with my aesthetic , but at the same time , I'm like why would you choose me as a photographer if you don't love the photos that you've been seeing ? And part of the photos you've been seeing is because all the people , for the most part , wear what I've suggested , and I realize this goes back to probably more of like client referrals . You know , like I think some people are just looking for a photographer that will actually show up , that will actually deliver and maybe that's like their only criteria . And their friend said they they used you , they loved you , and so this person has not gone on your Instagram , not been to your website . They just go on and book and that's okay .
Speaker 1I still send them like the style guide and I have clients that like totally ditch everything that I've said and sometimes I'm like are they even gonna like these photos ? Because I don't like these photos ? But it is all because of the style . You know , I can shoot the same exact thing and I'm about to do a carousel like image of I saw this like trending , one of not trending , but I liked it and it was like same photographer , different families , and so it was like snippets of like you know , all all in one four by five post of like sessions with one family and then sessions with another family , and then maybe people can gauge like why do I like this session more than this session ? Is it the lighting , is it the outfits ? Is it the backdrop ? Because most of the time it's like I can love like a photographer and I love all their sessions , um , but like one I won't necessarily love is like if they had like crazy outfit choices , you know , and not like I feel like I stick to like a certain thing and that's just to help people that don't have style or like don't know what they want to wear , don't know what they should wear Like that's just to help . But if my clients have like a style , sometimes I love that more and I'm like OK , like let's do this , especially if it's like warm tones Again , like with super cool tones like purple that I just find that like so hard to edit . But okay , so there is obviously like a heart behind wanting to style our clients , and that's not necessarily for us . It's that you want them to get what you are offering in its whole , and so it's for them that we're offering styling or suggestions . So I have help with chat gbt and we are coming up together with five questions to ask before buying outfits for a session with me , and this can totally
Five Questions Before Buying Outfits
Speaker 1like align with you . You can ask chat gbt in your discussions what questions , um , or what rules you should give to your families when they go buying . Okay , so I'm just picturing like a mom at the mall and she is trying to figure out what to get for family photos , and I've sent her style guides . She's looked at my Pinterest boards and she still feels so overwhelmed because she's in the freaking store and they never have what you need , right , like . That's why we're online shoppers is because we can find what we need , but when we go to the store last minute it is not there . So if she's standing at a rack of clothes and she's trying to decide , then I'm going to ask her to ask herself these questions .
Speaker 1Number one does this color feel warm and cozy ? Okay , and I'm hoping it's a cream , a rust , tan , olive , deep red instead of a cool tone or a neon . Number two does the fabric move beautifully ? This is more like linen , cotton , knit , flowy dresses . Number three will I feel confident and comfortable chasing littles in this ? Like the V-necks dresses , the wrap dresses ? Like making sure we have some sticky tape . What about your shoes ? What about , like , the tightness of your jeans or skirt or whatever you're choosing ? Like do you feel confident and that you can chase little ones in this ?
Speaker 1Number four does it coordinate with my family's outfits without being too matchy ? This can go for anybody you're shopping for . Like we don't . We don't need families to exactly match each other . Coordinating is way better , um , because it just adds like variety and it does something to your eye when you can look around the image and like focus on different parts and it like draws you in . But when you look at the image and it's all the same thing , you want to look away and it doesn't draw like the viewer in . So , avoiding matchy matchy .
Speaker 1Number five , can I imagine loving this photo 10 years from now ? So when you're thinking about like trendy stuff or labels or patterns or , um , you know like there's some classic things that just kind of like stay like polka dots is back in in style and it's like , okay , well , that was like , that's still kind of classic . You know , I try to think of like classic colors and like patterns and wardrobe , I don't know , instead of like super bold , super like time defining . You know like when you see somebody with a picture in the 80s and you're like , oh , that hair is definitely 80s or oh , that's definitely 80 . You know like , do you want to timestamp your photos or do you want to make them last like for a while ? Um , so that is the five questions that mom can ask when she's shopping and , um , I'm going to make a little downloadable checklist and put it in the show notes .
Speaker 1So what we want to do is give her the power to still decide if she's in that , you know , buying and wanting to style her family phase and some things that can also go align with our brand with , like , a little more freedom and not as like , restrictive . Okay , so the next thing I have mentioned before is my style guide , my client closet and things like that
Professional Styling Recommendations That Work
Speaker 1. So , and that caveat in there that says , like these are totally your photos , wear what you love best . These are just ones that I recommend , and words that you can use is just saying like here's what photographs beautifully , and so you can take it in your hands as a , the professional , the um , the one that's being hired , or just like the yeah , I guess , just like the professional in the in the room that you know what photographs well , and so , while someone may look at you know a fitted , tight dress , and say I look great in this , it may not photograph as well when you're asking her to throw her kids in the air or sit on the ground or like you're very limited , you're limiting your um , your family's story with certain outfits , um , and what you can also do is showing um outfits on your Instagram or on your blog , and you can do like before and after , like I'm planning on doing this reel that I've seen another photographer do , but just like her sons that are like in cool tone colors and then them in warm tone colors , and like how it visually looks different , and I'm hoping that , like everyone can see that maybe not just photographers , or like art or like fashion people but , um , like doing more side-by-side things maybe can help your clients figure out like what do they like best ? And maybe you're the opposite of me , maybe you're the one that loves like the bold colors and hates like the neutral stuff , so you can totally spin it and put it into like whatever you love and you want to capture and you think is great for your editing , because maybe your editing like pulls in a lot of color , whereas mine like takes out a lot of color . Um , or maybe you just have a totally different style of shooting . Whatever , you can totally tweak this to you know , like what you think photographs beautifully based on your style , um . So again , like providing um a shoppable style guide , like I do through my like to know it or my links on Pinterest or that style and select , offering a client closet so that they can know there's something available if they don't want to go purchase something or just feel so overwhelmed and stressed on picking an outfit . That is an option and making this decision as , like you want to make their life easier , not harder , by , like , helping with style .
Speaker 1Okay , so now we're going to talk about four different buyer types and how you can market to each of those buyers and help them with their wardrobe decisions
Marketing To Different Client Types
Speaker 1. Okay , so first you have the analytical buyer . This one wants details and logic . So for this buyer , you are going to give them a clear set of rules , kind of like the five step checklist that I mentioned earlier , and you're going to provide examples of color palettes and links to shop so that they can research and compare , know all the things . Number two you have the relational buyer , who cares about connection and feelings , and this one you can share how wardrobe choices create emotional impact .
Speaker 1When you're comfortable , you'll snuggle , snuggle closer and laugh harder and actually enjoy the moment again . This is the like giving grace to your body so that you feel free to sit and not carry a care about a stomach roll , or you can feel free to , you know , lift your arms up to throw your kid and not worry about your stomach showing or reach around and down and not worry about your boobs like falling out of your dress . Um , so just feeling comfortable and how that makes better photos and that variety of images you can get and show mom focused examples where styling supported confidence . So you know those moms like right after birth that they're concerned with you , know you still look pregnant but you're not , and what kind of outfits like look good on , like all types of bodies and help women feel confident so that they can show up better , and it will show through their attitude and their mood . I mean , just think about , like when you come home and you take those stuffy jeans off . I want you to feel like that during the session . Um , okay , the third one is the personal buyer .
Speaker 1This one is status and style focused and wants to look their best . This is probably going to be a hard one , um , so you're going to highlight your client closet with , like your boutique dresses that are like limited , like to buy one . It's going to be like so expensive because this was like an investment that you made for your brand . Um , you can use your like to know it or even like your newly links um for more trendy pieces that still fit your brand and like your warm and neutral aesthetic , and then you can emphasize effortless , chic and looking like the Pinterest board you've been saving . So , if they have this idyllic look , you can help them find outfits that will make them look like , you know , like a magazine or like the person that you've been following on Instagram .
Speaker 1Okay then number four we have the practical buyer , who wants convenience and value .
Speaker 1So this one you're going to focus on the ease of your process , like booking online , borrowing a dress , getting the shoppable style guide guide and just checking things off efficiently .
Speaker 1You can also show side by side what you'd spend buying new outfits versus what's included . In my client's experience , say , somebody wants to buy a new dress , but if they buy your package , it includes the client closet and so they find value in not having to shop for new outfits . So you're going to want to play up more of the what you get included , which means less stress for them and just helping them make fewer decisions . So I hope all of this kind of helped change your perspective on how to guide your clients into styling without making them feel shame , and showing them like your heart for them to show up looking a certain way is really for them to love their photos and for their photos to last
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Speaker 1. So if you have any other questions about client styling or what you should include in your emails or your social media , feel free to reach out and ask me at Brittany Porter Photography on Instagram , and I will see you guys next week . Thanks , bye .