Handy Scripts for Photographers

Not sure how to handle a certain situation or what to say when a customer asks a hard question? Fear not! We’ve built you this handy guide of scripts to help you out. Don’t see the script you need? Email photographer@flytographer.com to have it added! (p.s. Bookmark this page for easy access when out on location.)

Received a question you don’t know the answer to? Just redirect the customer back to the Shoot Concierge team by telling them to either email concierge@flytographer.com or to send a message through the chat box on their dashboard. Our fabulous concierge team is always happy to help!

Before the Shoot

Situation: Recommending specific times in your availability response

Script: “Thank you so much for inquiring with me! I would absolutely love to capture this special moment for you. I recommend that we shoot either right before sunset or right after sunrise, as this is definitely the best time to capture that beautiful ‘golden hour’ look. I can meet you at {example time} or {example time} (and location if relevant to time).”

***Note: It’s best to be specific with exactly which times you can shoot to make it easier for customers to decide, which also means less back-and-forth for you. Example: “I can meet you at 7:30am or 8:30am in front of the Charlie Horse statue in Main Park.”

 

Situation: More people are added to shoot after it has been booked

Script: “I am happy to capture your whole group, but I would like to let you know that the total number of photos, including the number of photos of each person, or different groupings of people, is influenced by the amount of time we have to shoot together. Normally, in order to have time to capture you properly, there is a maximum of X participants for the shoot length you’ve booked. You can upgrade your shoot length by contacting your concierge.” NOTE: For “X”, please add in the appropriate max number of participants depending on which shoot length was booked: 30 mins = max 6; 60 mins = max 10; 90 mins = max 15.

Action: Please message your concierge and let them know the customer told you there would be extra people on the shoot.

 

Situation: Customer calls and says the weather looks like it will be bad

Action: Try to reschedule if possible. If you and/or customer cannot reschedule, the shoot is considered cancelled due to weather. Note that weather-related cancellations do not receive a no-show fee. Contact concierge to let them know about correspondence with the customer (it’s helpful to send screenshots of your conversation) and to inform them whether the shoot is cancelled or rescheduled. To view our cancellation policies, visit Payment FAQ here.

 

Situation: You receive a question about company policies

Action: Please see our FAQ page here, or better yet, refer the customer and their question to the concierge team to let them handle it.

During the Shoot

Situation: Customer is late to shoot – you can extend the time

Script: “I luckily do not have anything booked right after your shoot, so if you would like, I can stay a little longer to extend your shoot. Please note that the original start and end time is already set, as that is the time that was booked. The add-on time is charged at a rate of $150 USD per extra 30 minutes, and you can pay the additional charge afterward online. If you agree, I will inform the concierge who will send you the invoice for the extension.”

Action: After the shoot at check-in, please indicate that customer verbally agreed to pay for extra time. It is very important that it was clear there would be extra charges and they explicitly agreed to them before you begin shooting over time. Please upload all photos to concierge while we wait for them to pay for extra time.

 

Situation: Customer is late to shoot – you cannot extend the time  

Script: “I am already booked right after your shoot, so unfortunately I will not be able to stay later than our scheduled end time. I can of course shoot for the remainder of the time you have booked. Please be aware that when you receive the gallery after your shoot, that the number of photos delivered may be adjusted to reflect the actual time we spent together.”

Action: After the shoot at check-in, please indicate that customer was late and you were unable to extend time, and therefore the number of photos may not be the number in the package (depending how late they were – if possible, please try to deliver the correct amount).

 

Situation: Customer is late to shoot – you offer the extension but they do not wish to extend  

Script: “I will let you know that the add-on time is charged at a rate of $150 USD per extra 30 minutes, and you can pay the additional charge afterward online, but I understand if you do not wish to extend the shoot. I can of course shoot for the remainder of the time you have booked. Please be aware that when you receive the gallery after your shoot, that the number of photos delivered may be adjusted to reflect the actual time we spent together.”

Action: After the shoot at check-in, please indicate that customer was late and that they did not wish to extend, and therefore the number of photos may not be the number in the package (depending how late they were – if possible, please try to deliver the correct amount).

 

Situation: Customer is late to shoot – they will arrive after their shoot was scheduled to end and you can extend the time

Script: “Thank you so much for letting me know. I luckily do not have anything booked right after your shoot, so I can wait here for you to arrive. Please note that the shoot extension fee is charged at $150 USD per 30 minutes. You can pay the additional charge online after the shoot; the concierge will set it up. If this is agreeable to you, please let me know when you think you will arrive and I can wait. The other option is to book another shoot through the Flytographer concierge, although last-minute availability is not guaranteed.”

Action: Please message concierge to let them know what happened. If they requested that you wait, at shoot check-in, please indicate that customer verbally agreed to pay for extra time. It is very important that it was clear there would be extra charges and they explicitly agreed to them before you begin shooting over the scheduled time. Please upload all photos to concierge while we wait for them to pay for extra time.

 

Situation: Customer calls last-minute to reschedule – you are willing and able to do so

Script: “I’m so sorry to hear that you need to reschedule. I hope everything is all right! I am happy to try to reschedule this shoot, so please tell me how long you will be in the city and I will see what I can do.”

Action: Alert concierge that shoot has been rescheduled to new date/time.

 

Situation: Customer calls last-minute to reschedule – you are unable to do so

Script: “I’m so sorry to hear that you need to reschedule. I hope everything is all right! Unfortunately, I am not able to reschedule – I am only available for our confirmed shoot time. If you are unable to make it, you will need to rebook through the concierge for another shoot.”

Action: If they cannot make the shoot, alert concierge that it has been cancelled last-minute.

 

Situation: Customer wants to extend time – you are able to do so

Script: “I luckily do not have anything booked right after your shoot, so if you would like, I can stay a little longer to extend your shoot. I will let you know that the add-on time is charged at a rate of $150 USD per extra 30 minutes, and you can pay the additional charge afterward online. If you agree, I will inform the concierge who will send you the invoice for the extension.”

Action: After the shoot at check-in, please indicate that customer verbally agreed to pay for extra time. It is very important that it was clear there would be extra charges and they explicitly agreed to them before you begin shooting over time. Please upload all photos to concierge while we wait for them to pay for extra time.

 

Situation: It starts to rain and customer wants to reschedule

Action: Once the shoot has started, it is company policy for the shoot to be completed as scheduled. (You could, for example, find a covered location to complete the shoot.) If you agree to reschedule and continue the shoot at another time, it is at your discretion.

 

Situation: The customer wants to end the shoot early

Action: If the customer wishes to end the shoot early, please get their verbal agreement that the shoot was completed and they ended early at their discretion. Always let your concierge know in your shoot check-in that the shoot ended early at customer’s confirmation.

***Note: It is very important that a photographer does not make the decision to end the shoot early! It must be up to the customer. It is company policy that we shoot for the agreed-upon time (30 minutes, 60 minutes etc), regardless of whether a photographer feels they have enough photos. Customers are not only paying for quantity of images, but also time spent with you.

 

Situation: More people than expected show up at the shoot – you don’t have time to extend shoot length

Script: “I am happy to capture your whole group, but I would like to let you know that the total number of photos, including the number of photos of each person, or different groupings of people, is influenced by the amount of time we have to shoot together. Normally, in order to have time to capture you properly, there is a maximum of X participants for the shoot length you’ve booked. As I do not have time to extend the shoot length, I can add extra people into this package; however, there is an extra-person charge of $75 each to be billed by the concierge after the shoot. If you agree and wish to have these extra people join the shoot, I will inform the concierge who will send you the invoice for the add-on.” NOTE: For “X”, please add in the appropriate max number of participants depending on which shoot length was booked: 30 mins = max 6; 60 mins = max 10; 90 mins = max 15.

Action: After the shoot at check-in, please indicate that customer verbally agreed to pay for extra people. It is very important that it was clear there would be extra charges and they explicitly agreed to them before you begin shooting over time.

 

Situation: More people than expected show up at the shoot – you have time to extend shoot length

Script: “I am happy to capture your whole group, but I would like to let you know that the total number of photos, including the number of photos of each person, or different groupings of people, is influenced by the amount of time we have to shoot together. Normally, in order to have time to capture you properly, there is a maximum of X participants for the shoot length you’ve booked. You have two options: either you can pay for extra people and the booking length and package remains the same, or you can extend your package time and photos. If you wish to extend your shoot time, the add-on time is charged at a rate of $150 USD per extra 30 minutes. If you would rather pay for extra people and keep the package the same, we charge $75 per extra person. I will inform the concierge about your choice and they will send you the invoice for the upgrade after the shoot.” NOTE: For “X”, please add in the appropriate max number of participants depending on which shoot length was booked: 30 mins = max 6; 60 mins = max 10; 90 mins = max 15.

Action: After the shoot at check-in, please indicate that customer verbally agreed to pay for either extra people or extra time. It is very important that it was clear there would be extra charges and they explicitly agreed to them before you begin shooting.

After the Shoot

Situation: Increase chances of receiving customer feedback

Action: In your post-shoot message to the customer, feel free to specifically ask them for feedback – often customers feel more compelled to do so if they are asked (especially when it comes from the photographer as they’ve met you in person so there’s already an emotional connection).

Script: “Thank you for such an incredible shoot! I hope that you love your photos as much as I do. [Add something personal about them or the shoot here] I would sincerely appreciate your feedback and your thoughts on your shoot experience, as this greatly helps me improve my work and build my portfolio. Please fill in the quick feedback form that has been sent to you in the email along with your gallery.”

 

Situation: Customer texts you and asks for any of the following: raw files; more photos; re-edited photos

Script: “I hope you love your photos – it was so great to meet you. For any photo-related questions, please contact your concierge and let them know what you are looking for. You can also find lots of helpful details on Flytographer’s FAQ page at flytographer.com/faq.”

Action: Please notify your concierge that a customer contacted you with a photo-related request. Your concierge is here to help with any customer issues, so please let them manage it. Once they have handled the customer’s issue, they will contact you again if necessary.

 

Situation: Customer asks for your Instagram/Facebook account 

Script: “I’m happy to have you follow my account [if you are], but please remember if you share any of your Flytographer photos on social media, please tag @flytographer only and not my personal/brand account.”

Note: As these customers are Flytographer customers who came to you through our marketing, we don’t want them to post your brand and have their followers then contact you directly – this is would compromise our business. For more information on this and other photo-sharing policies, please visit this page.

Header photo by Kimon in Santorini

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