If you’ve recently booked with us, or are considering booking baby or family portraits, then you may have discovered that we have all our clients attend a design consultation.
So, what is a design consultation and how will it enhance your experience with Kingshill Studios? These questions and more we answer below.
What is a Design Consultation?
A design consultation is a friendly and informal pre-portrait meeting that all potential Kingshill Studio clients are part of.
It’s an opportunity for you to meet your photographer, Susan Renee, in person ahead of your portrait session, and to visit the photography studio.
If you’re married, you probably met with your wedding photographer prior to your wedding to find out if you got on well together, if you had the same ideas for the day and to discuss anything that he or she needed to know. This is very similar :)
When and where is the design consultation held?
Your design consultation will be held at the studio.
Once we have chatted on the telephone, we will agree a mutually convenient date and time for the design consultation.
Daytime, evening and weekend appointments are available, and all design consultations last up to approximately one hour.
Who should attend?
As we will be discussing how you may wish to display your portraits, what clothes you should wear to the session and the amount of money you are looking to spend, anyone who will be involved in those decisions should attend.
We will discuss the entire portrait experience and the image viewing and ordering process, taking the time to answer any questions you have and to determine your preferences so that we can fully tailor the session to your needs.
What are the benefits of a design consultation?
There are many reasons why we consider a design consultation a worthwhile event:
1. Meet and get to know Susan
Meeting Susan at the studio in advance means that when you arrive for your session it won’t feel like you’re visiting a stranger.
Here at Kingshill Studios we pride ourselves on our long-lasting relationships with our customers and like to get to know you as much as possible so that we can tailor your session to you and your unique requirements.
The design consultation is also a great opportunity for you to introduce and tell us about the family members who will be coming along on the day of your session, and to let us know anything such as special interests, hobbies or special needs that would help the session to go more smoothly.
2. Familiarise yourself with the studio and be inspired
By visiting us in advance of your portrait session, you’ll also have the chance to familiarise yourself with our beautiful studio. From experience, we know that our clients arrive feeling more comfortable and are better prepared if they know in advance what to expect.
You’ll be invited to look around and to be inspired by the examples of our photography on the walls of the studio. This will give you an idea of the range of wall art products, albums and print finishes we have available, and the sizes that may be suitable for your own home.
3. Ask any questions you have
You’ll be better prepared for your portraits, as your design consultation is an opportunity for you to ask us any questions you may have about the process. We want you to be fully aware of how the session will work, about the next steps and about the pricing and collections we offer.
We want to make you feel completely at ease during your time spent with us, so if there is anything you want to ask in advance or need us to clarify for you, please ask away! This is your opportunity to voice any concerns you may have or ask questions, however small.
4. Design your portrait session to your unique requirements
The design consultation is also exactly that; a chance to collaboratively ‘design’ your portrait experience.
Together, we will discuss your preferences for the photographs and talk through the style of images that you would like us to create for you. It’s important that we discuss your vision for the photos so there are no misunderstandings on the day of the photoshoot.
You may not realise it, but there is a lot to consider. Everything from the colours to be used in the portraits, any props or accessories to be used (or not used), whether you wish to involve other family members such as older siblings, parents, grandparents and how groups should be arranged.
Also, knowing where and how you plan to use the portraits, and the style of your home where they will be displayed, are all important and will impact what we create for you.
Knowing your preferences in advance means that we can be as prepared as possible for the portrait session and that we make good of the full time on the day. Having discussed these things in advance, there will be more time available to make beautiful portraits, which will result in a more extensive gallery of images for you.
5. Get fully prepared for your portrait session
Meeting in advance also allows us to provide advice and guidance about suitable clothing, colours and styling.
6. Plan your journey in advance
Visiting the photography studio for your design consultation will ensure that you know where to come on the day of your photoshoot and you can plan your journey in advance.
If you get lost and arrive late for your session on the day of your portraits, it will impact on the amount of time that we have available to take photographs.
Is the design consultation optional?
In short, no….but it is something to be enjoyed! The design consultation is an integral part of the creative process here at Kingshill Studios.
We recognise that by booking to have your portraits taken by us, you are investing your precious time, effort and money into the process. Therefore, we believe that it’s important to invite you to a design consultation so that we can help you to gain the most possible value from the experience.
Is there a charge for a design consultation?
The design consultation is part of the overall full service at Kingshill Studios.
If you have any further questions about our design consultations which we have not answered here, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.