One of the questions we occasionally hear is, “Why do you spend so much time getting to know us before the portrait session?”
It’s a great question. Most people assume the portrait session is where all the important work happens. In reality, one of the most important parts of your experience happens before anyone ever stands in front of the camera.
After your Design Appointment, Beth will schedule your Portrait Planning Call. It usually lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s one of the parts of the experience our clients tell us they enjoy most.
Most people expect us to ask practical questions. What should we wear? Who’s coming? Is the dog going to cooperate?
Of course, those things are covered, but they’re only a small part of the conversation. What we’re really interested in is learning what matters most to you.
Tell us about your husband. What is it about him that still makes you smile after all these years?
Tell us about your daughter. What is it about her personality that you hope flourishes over the next few years?
If we’re creating something with your dog, tell us about the friendship the two of you share. What are the little things they do that make you smile every single day?
We’re not asking because we think every family is the same. Quite the opposite.
Every family has different stories, different traditions and different moments that matter. Before we create anything together, we want you to teach us what you hope you’ll still be smiling about twenty years from now.
Those stories matter because they’re the reason you wanted this experience in the first place.
Years from now, we hope something in your home quietly reminds you of the people you love most.
Maybe it’s the way your husband still looks at you when you’re laughing. Someone else might simply see two people smiling. You see the life you’ve built together, the challenges you’ve overcome and the quiet confidence that comes from choosing each other every day.
Maybe it’s your dog resting their head on your knee. To someone else, it’s a sweet moment. To you, it’s the friendship that greeted you after every long day, the quiet companionship that was always there and the unconditional love that asked for very little but gave you everything.
Or maybe it’s your daughter just before she leaves for college. Every time you walk past that reminder, you’re transported back to the young woman who filled your home with laughter before life carried her into its next chapter.
Those reminders mean something because they’re connected to the relationships that shaped your life.
Those conversations help us understand what you hope never fades with time.
By the time portrait day arrives, we’re no longer meeting strangers. We already know a little about the people who matter most to you. We know who’s likely to crack the first joke, who’s a little more reserved and which relationships you hope to celebrate.
That changes everything. Instead of spending our time figuring everyone out, we can spend it helping those genuine connections unfold naturally. Then, when you return to see everything we’ve created together, we’re not simply looking at beautiful expressions, we’re remembering the stories and the meaning behind them.
That look between a husband and wife isn’t simply a nice moment anymore. That quiet nuzzle from an old dog isn’t just sweet. That laugh from your daughter isn’t simply joyful. Each one becomes a reminder of something much bigger because it represents a relationship, a season of life and the people who helped shape who you are and it means everything to you.
One of my favorite things is hearing clients say, “I didn’t expect to enjoy that conversation nearly as much as I did.”
What they thought would be another appointment often became an opportunity to slow down, tell stories, laugh together and think about the people they love in a way that everyday life rarely allows.
That’s why we consider the Portrait Planning Call such an important part of the experience. It isn’t simply preparation for portrait day, it’s the first step in creating daily reminders of the people and relationships that matter most.
We can tell you all day long why we believe these conversations matter, but our clients probably explain it better than we ever could. In the videos below, two families share what they expected before their Portrait Planning Calls and why they ended up appreciating them far more than they imagined.