Finding The Photography Studio You Want To Work With Doesn't Have To Be A Car Buying Process

Much like car dealerships, photographers are a dime a dozen. Even right here in Gainesville, one Facebook Word of Mouth request and there's quickly over a hundred replies of people offering their "photography services". But, when you choose to work with a professional photography studio, the process and experience looks quite a bit different. From start to well beyond the end, creating art with Water Bear Photography isn't just "show up and smile". It's a whole experience that puts you in the driver seat while I help you navigate creating epic personal pieces of art.

You Can Expect Quality When You Work With a Low-Volume Photography Studio

Working with a low-volume studio means time, attention, and care is put into your session. Instead of running low cost sessions and hoping for a lot of bookings, Water Bear focuses on the 1-2 clients like you we work with every week to create something truly special. I'm able to focus on helping you create an incredible experience and give you the attention you deserve, not just on the shoot day, but before and after as well.

A Seven Step Process to Work With Water Bear Photography Studio

The First Step Starts When You Reach Out to Me

Unfortunately, I am not psychic and don't have telepathy, so I can't read your mind to know you're interested in a photoshoot, so it all starts when you contact me. In the chaotic digital age, there's so many different ways you can talk to me, but the easiest are by sending in a contact form from the website, calling or texting me directly, sending me an email, or reaching out on social media. You could try carrier pigeon, but the last time that was attempted, the bird had a run-in with the hawk that lives nearby (don't worry, the pigeon was ok and we got it back to its owner, true story!).

If you follow me on social media, you'll see I travel quite a bit, so when you reach out, I'll try to connect with you as soon as possible, but sometimes it takes a day or two. I'm super excited you want to work with Water Bear Photography studio, so definitely reach out and we can get this ball rolling!

Now That We've Connected, the Next Step Is Your Discovery Call

As a fellow introvert and millennial I feel that dread of a phone call. It can be anxiety inducing (for me as well). But as you'll come to learn, working with a photography studio like Water Bear is so much more than smiling for the camera that you'll want me to share as much information as possible.

Your discovery phone call can be as short as 10-15 minutes, or as long as necessary (most end up going 30-45 minutes once we get chatting about life!). If it happens that we scheduled a call, but you didn't pick up when I called, I'll follow up with one quick email or text message, but that's it. There's no salespersons here, you're not going to get spammed with calls, emails, or texts begging you to book a session.

The purpose of your discovery call is for both of us to mutually decide if we're a good fit to work together, and for you to get any questions you have answered. The photography studio you choose to work with is a personal choice and if I'm being honest, Water Bear isn't always the right fit. This call is the chance to figure that out before you invest a significant amount of time or money into a shoot with me.

On the discovery call, you'll have the chance to share more about you as a person and let me know what you're looking for in a photography studio you want to work with. Some things that help me learn about your goals include:

• Some interesting facts about you

• Where you live

• What type of session you're interested in

• What is your motivation to booking a session

• What ideas you already have for your session

Once I've learned a bit about you and your goals, I'll share some info about myself and Water Bear Photography. The purpose is to share how I can help you achieve your goals. Many clients decide right then and there they want to move forward and book. If that's you, we'll nail down your shoot and consultation dates. If you need some time to think, talk to your partner, or you're just not ready, that's ok. I'll send you a quick email with some of the details we discussed and you can reach back out when you're ready to book.

The Design and Planning Consultation Step

The key to making anything a huge success is all in the planning, and your photoshoot is no different. This step is truly where the magic happens! It may sound strange, but this is where we take your goals we spoke about in the initial call, and turn them into an actual photoshoot set.

Planning your session is sort of like choosing a dessert…the more thought, time, and effort you put in, the more satisfying and rewarding it will be. It's like the difference between grabbing a quick pint of ice cream from the grocery store (still yummy), and making your own.

Consultation sessions can happen in-person, or on a Zoom or Google Meet call. Water Bear Photography studio is located 10 minutes West of Gainesville (Jonesville/Newberry technically) and close to the Town of Tioga and Arbor Greens. The great thing about an in-person consultation is you get to see the space we'll work in before you ever have your shoot. This is super important for boudoir so you see it's a safe space and you begin to become comfortable with it.

Consultations typically take 45 minutes to 1 hour. We'll plan every aspect of your shoot from travel details, to wardrobe for you and anyone else involved, to set design, and so more. I want to hear ALL of your ideas and goals, so that we can brainstorm how we can accomplish them.

At the end of the consultation, you'll walk away feeling confident that we've planned a session that you're excited about and prepared for. I'll give you a packing list so nothing important gets left behind, then I'll get busy making sure the shoot space and set is built and ready for your shoot day.

The Photoshoot Is When All the Hard Work Shows

So, we've already planned your whole shoot, so on the big day, you'll know what to expect and we'll both have everything we need. Some sets are simple, and some require days of construction and innovation. The sky is truly the limit when you work with a photography studio like Water Bear Photography. We've turned the studio into a literal jungle, and the pool into a literal garden, more than once!

Because we spent so much time planning, you'll be ready to get started as soon as you walk through the door and change into your first outfit. There's no strict time limit on your session, so we'll make sure to take the time we need to capture all the stunning shots you'll want. This should be the easiest part of the entire process, because you just need to show up and have fun, I'll handle everything else!

The shoot should be as stress-free and engaging as possible. This is how we'll create some magic together. Your photoshoot will be fun! Sometimes they even get a little wild and I'll have to call in a team to clean up (body paint sessions can be quite messy). At some point, after we've gotten through all the outfits and all the sets, we'll agree we've captured everything we need, and wrap it up.

You'll Start to See the Fruits of Your Labor During the Image Review Step

During your session, I'll have taken hundreds of photos. It takes me a few days to filter out all the awkward and unflattering ones and put together a nice gallery of lightly edited images for you to review. Generally, I'll have your gallery to you within 3 days of your shoot.

Your gallery will be hosted online so you can view the photos and select your favorites. I'm sure you'll favorite a ton of them, so after you've had time to look over them, we'll meet in person, or online, and I'll help you narrow the list down to the best of the best. We'll also talk about what you want to do with your images and identify which ones you'll want wall art of, or put into an album.

The edits done to your initial gallery are global light edits. That means they're adjusted for color, exposure, and a few other general things. Otherwise, the photos are pretty much as they are out of the camera. Once you've selected your final images, a full fine art edit will be done for each photo you choose.

It can be a bit overwhelming to select final images, but I'm here to help! During our call or meeting, we'll narrow down together your favorites list and share what can be retouched during post-processing. This is also when you decide what you want to do with the images. You may want some epic art pieces for your wall, a gorgeous album for your coffee table or bookshelf, or perhaps a gallery of digitals to share across social media.

My goal is to help you get what you want from your photoshoot, so there's no salesyness or pushyness to help you decide what your goals are with your photos. Working with a photography studio isn't a "one-size-fits-all" experience. There's no packages or bundles, just an a-la carte menu of stunning wall art, heirloom albums, or beautiful digital images for you to choose from.

Post-Processing Creates True Works of Art

Post-processing is probably the most time-intensive step for me. It's where I retouch your images and take them from out of camera to complete works of art. We will have already discussed your retouching preferences beforehand so I'll know how to create images you'll love. Everyone has different preferences and my goal is to make sure your images look exactly how you expect. No request is too big or too small. If you have an old tattoo that you wish would disappear, I can make that happen (however, I will never remove body art or any other permanent feature unless specifically asked to do so).

The goal is to make sure you're happy and your goals are met. This is why, when you work with Water Bear Photography studio, you'll have a happiness guarantee. I want you to love your photos and will work with you until you do. If you've purchased digital images, I'll send them to you at this step, and if you've purchased artwork or an album, I'll also include mockups. For albums, this means that you'll receive a virtual mockup of your book where you can flip through the pages. For wall art, this means I'll send a mockup of your artwork in a room in the proper scale. No physical products are ordered until you give me the final approval that you are happy with how they look.

The Final Step Is Where All That Hard Work Pays Off

Part of making sure you're happy includes making sure your artwork or album is flawless. That's why all products go through me first for a quality check. Even if you're from out-of-town, I'll never send your art directly from my printer. I'll always receive it first, and review it. Plus, this gives me the chance to package everything as a beautiful gift for you.

If you're local, you'll have the choice to come by the studio to pick up your artwork, or, I can deliver it to you. You can even choose to have my team install your artwork at no extra cost. My hope is that you'll love every piece, we'll take some selfies, and then make plans for coffee soon afterward. <3

When You Work With a Photography Studio You Get a Whole Experience

While it may seem like an involved process, that's the type of service you deserve when you work with a professional photography studio. I'm here to help you create an entire luxury experience and journey. If your goal is a couple of quick images, well, we all have cell phones with decent cameras in them these days. If your goal however is photos that you'll want to look at every single day that make you feel like your best self, then working with a photography studio like Water Bear might be perfect for you. My promise is that if you're willing to go on this journey, I'll be right there alongside you the entire way.