1st Client: Lynne & Lary L. Family Photoshoot

Hey everyone! I have achieved my first client! During the summer, I haven't planned anything and just expected to have a full break. But, Mr. Sanderl, my photography teacher, referred one of their past clients to me! They were looking to do a surprise family photoshoot for their grandpa's 70th birthday in Kaua'i. I was ecstatic, and immediately accepted the offer. At the time, I didn't have any price list to give to my clients since this was unexpected. Luckily, I was taking an AI learning course called "d'Skills," that taught me how to create ChatGPT bots for any situation. I created a bot to create my price list, and sent it out.

We consistently emailed and I set up a call/contract to make sure we were on the same page with everything. When we arrived at the shooting location, Hanalei Bay, I was a little worried. There were clouds barreling in and it even started raining a bit. Our schedule combined couldn't have called for a new date, but thankfully, the sun came down lower than the clouds and we were able to finish our photoshoot that day. I also haven't touched a camera for a while before this shoot and my photography class, so a lot of my shots needed extreme exposure editing. I made a rookie mistake of consistently shooting without checking the settings at the same time, which resulted in mediocre shots being taken.

​ Throughout the shoot, I learned to adapt to the situations around me to best fit me and my clients. We had to move around many times to get the shots we needed, especially since there were two other family photographers there getting their shots done at the same time.

When I got home, I quickly started editing. With the use of some demos, me and my client decided to create a yellow haze over the photos to enhance the beach vibes of the area. I focused on enhancing the images rather than adjusting them while maintaining the "beachy" style. I increased the clarity on majority of the photos and had to use many masks to create saturated areas and diminish the light in others. Like I said earlier, extensive use of exposure editing and even AI was used in these photos. One of the photos were extremely impressive, but one of the subjects eyes were closed. I used AI to create a new pair of eyes for them, and it worked out perfectly!

All in all, achieving my first client was no easy feat, but it definitely helped expand my vision on what my career may take me.