Sometimes you book an outdoor session and everything lines up perfectly. Mother Nature cooperates to the fullest, the pups are raring to go and no one is already camped out in the perfect backdrop. But nobody really wants to hear about those experiences.
What is more interesting is what happens when things don’t line up perfectly. When it rains just as the session gets rolling. When one or all of the models just isn’t being cooperative? The equipment fails. You see an image after the fact that you would like to explore further?
What you could do and what I am not afraid to do is book a reshoot. I think there are many advantages to doing this. The dog, for example, could be a lot more relaxed the second time around. He or she would start to equate that strange clicky box thing with treats. The dog’s pawrents could also be more relaxed. Everybody wants their dog on his or her best behaviour and it can be nerve-wracking when they are not. I can’t be certain but I also wonder if the pawrents are concerned I might be judging their dog. For the record, I am not. You have one and I don’t, I am just happy to be spending time with yours.
It is important to try to avoid getting worked up or frustrated during the session. The more agitated you are the more your pet will pick up on it and he or she will get more uptight as well. If your dog is worried about you, he or she isn’t going to engage with the camera and the end result will not be as strong.
But most of all the reshoot, is a second opportunity for me to deliver images guaranteed to make the type of portraits you will enjoy looking at for years to come. That is my mission and I do accept it. If I feel like I haven’t got it, if to me the image doesn’t wow, I will recommend a reshoot.
This is a case where although I was happy enough with the initial images from our session along the lake front, I knew that I still didn’t have what I was looking for. I contacted my client and we booked another date. We went back to that same location and I got exactly what I wanted. I was thrilled, the client was thrilled and the dogs got another treat filled session. It was a win-win situation, all round.
