What’s stopping people from booking a family portrait photoshoot?
Covid has affected 99% of photographers with 19% of us deciding to change careers.
This is a big deal. None of us get into photography to take over the world or to accumulate vast stashes of cash. We take photos because we love to do it, revelling in the joy of creating an artistic image. Plus, as photographers, we get to geek out using sexy tech every day.
But, it is a business, it’s how I feed my family, so these last couple of years have been, well, how can I say this? They’ve been tricky.
As many of you know, I also produce photos for businesses to use on their social media & websites www.avantcommercial.com and having this extra stream to my business has been a blessing. You can read more about how I saved my business through lockdowns and covid restrictions here:
Are portraits dying?
I’m finding that less people are enquiring and booking portrait photoshoots. To some extent, I get it. Family portraits are hardly a necessity and people have been affected financially by the pandemic.
But people are still buying new cars, having extensions built, improving their homes, loading shopping trolleys at supermarkets and my high street seems as busy as I have seen it. Talk on my social media is of people excitedly booking holidays abroad, many being rescheduled holidays they paid for last year, but had to cancel due to travel restrictions, with no new financial outlay. There's a huge disparity in economic security in this country and a hell of an amount of uncertainty, but fervent spending is still happening. So, can the fall in bookings only be finance related?
What’s stopping people from booking a portrait shoot?
It’s really easy to blame a pandemic, or Brexit, or mobile phones and a culture shift for a fall in bookings. But I don’t think that’s it. I want to dig deeper into the reasons people aren’t booking portraits at the moment and find out if there’s something about my business, or me, that is causing the drop.
In my experience, this is something many business owners are resistant to doing. It is human nature to blame outside influences, deflecting the responsibility to something other than themselves. But, in theses challenging times, I think it is a valuable exercise.
I’ve been a professional portrait photographer since 2002. Even when starting my photography career in the 90’s, photographers I knew were saying that disposable cameras had made the professional photographer obsolete. I laughed. There have always been people who would rather do it themselves, or get a mate to do it for free, or a million other reasons not to pay a professional. This is not a phenomenon exclusive to photographers, either.
I think it could be something entirely different.
When you hold in your hand, a device that in 20 seconds, can create a green screen video of you dueting with The Island Boys, that is going to be liked by 5000 people, sitting in a studio with your family, gurning at a photographer, to create a large canvas print that’s going to be seen by 5 people, doesn’t compete.
Thankfully, this isn’t the experience people have when they book to be photographed by Avant Photographic. It’s a much more engaging and vibrant experience.
In 1896 you sat, physically nailed to a chair with metal rods up your back to stop you from moving, it was a novelty to have your portrait taken. Now, simply seeing an image of yourself is no longer an impressive experience.
To succeed as a portrait photographer, you have to try harder.
My photography tells the story of a family and the individuals belonging to it. A location photoshoot is a wonderfully enjoyable experience for the whole family, that in itself forms an amazing memory - with the added bonus of having awesome photos at the end of it.
There’s real skill and talent in creating an image that captures the personality of a family. The ability to tell a story of a family, evoking an emotional response with a photograph, makes that photographer an artist.
Handheld devices are now capable of creating incredible images. But, a professionally captured portrait that makes that emotional connection, decimates a snap taken on a mobile phone.
Real photographers deliver an incredible experience whilst you have your portraits taken. There’ll be that magic moment when you see the images and you ask yourself, “How did he get that!?” There will be a tug at your heart and a wave of emotions will wash through you when you see in the photos an essence of you all.
That’s the true value of photography.
Do we take too many photos?
This all sounds great, doesn’t it?
But, I haven't answered the question. If it’s so great, what aren’t people queuing up round the block to have portraits taken of their families?
Do we take too many photos? Is it worth going to get more photos taken? Haven’t you got enough photos of your family on your phone? Go and have a look.
What is on your phone? Is it family photos? Really? Truly?
Or is it photos of a burger you ate last week, or is your phone a meme bank? I bloody love a meme. Alongside photos of my family, I have a decent collection of classic memes that give me a chuckle.
Grand tag-lines like “Capture your memories” and “share your life” are used in marketing to sell cameras and phones, but I think they are a little empty. The reality of memory cards all over the world full of blurry, underexposed, flat, dull uninteresting photos, is totally opposite to the fantasy world in the ads, where we are shown smiling faces that are brightly lit, highly saturated images, captured on the technical looking, sleek and attractive cameras.
1.43 trillion photos were taken in 2020. 85% on mobile phones with 89% of people who have taken photos having only ever taken a photo on a phone.
That’s some astounding numbers, right? Just imagine all those bytes of useless photos just drifting about.
Digging further into online stats and seeing what the majority of photos on peoples phones are, it’s piles and piles of chaff. Selfies, gym shots, food and new shoes.
Memories with your family? No.. I think many people do take photos of their families, but on the whole, the photos aren’t very good and most people would like better ones.
I think we are spending less time with our families, too. Organising a time to all come together to have a family photo is tough.
When did you last all spend an hour together doing something?
I think this might be a contender for the main reason bookings are down. The pandemic has changed how we all live. Socialising has dropped hugely and we are all still a little hungover from being locked down with our families for three months. The novelty soon wore off of having quality time together.
But we had fun, didn’t we? The long walks and the forest strolls? They were awesome? Maybe now spring is coming we can make a booking to have a location photoshoot?
There’s horrific news on the telly. Europe is under the threat of war and a photo might not be the first thing you think of doing, but family is, I bet?
I’ve done nothing but think of mine all day. I want them close and I want to spend some time with them, doing something fun. I want to remind them what love really is. Plus, I want to capture it.
I’m pretty sure the experience of having some time together as a family is one of the biggest selling points of a location photoshoot with Avant Photographic. They are perceived as cool and present families that have them as pretty cool, too.
What about Covid & Photoshoots?
Having a location photoshoot was pretty much OK all the way through the pandemic. It was socially distanced, in open space and now it’s even more OK. I test before each shoot and am vaccinated.
Covid lockdowns has resulted in quite a few customers telling me they aren’t having any photos done until they have lost the lockdown weight.
People are drinking more and indulging in comfort eating more, as a treat to cheer themselves up during these tough times.
Perhaps I should encourage people to run about more on the location shoots and double them up as a fitness programme, too?
If I had the definitive answer to any of these questions, I would be a very busy boy. But, I have faced many odd periods in my career and I am certain, a few small changes will ensure I get back to pre-pandemic booking levels.
What do you think? Have you got a theory? Let me know in the comments.
Locations for Photoshoots in Sussex
I regularly shoot at the same places. I wonder if maybe some of my locations are no longer as exclusive? I go to the same woods a lot and the same sections of Eastbourne beach. I love to explore, as do my customers. Perhaps it’s time to find some new places to shoot?
Where do you like to go? Where do you suggest as a location for a shoot?
Family portrait products.
I think I need to shout louder and more often about the products i offer, too. Everyone knows I do digital files, and most people buy a wall portrait, but almost as an afterthought.
Everyone I know who has had one is over the moon with their wall art. I think I need to show more peoples portraits, finished, with them all framed up and looking amazing.
A few years ago, I encouraged people to share pictures of their wall art and it was really popular. I was great for customers to see each others pictures, hing with pride in their homes.
For now, here’s a link to the products page so you can see more of the products I sell.
Please, go take a look at my galleries on here, see some family stories on the blog and think about getting in touch to have your family photographed on location with Avant Photographic.
Want to know more about having your family photographed on location by Avant Photographic?
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