Julie Hughes - Children

As a small town, family-owned photography studio, one of our main interests is to drum up new and excited clients, as well as offer new services for the clients we already have. We have a large kids-friendly studio that sometimes sits empty during the week, and on the occasional Saturday. We thought that having tea parties and birthday parties was a great idea. We had no clue what a great concept this would turn out to be. Absolutely fantastic sales, and so much fun!

I have been collecting adorable clothes and teapots in a whimsical area of the studio we call "The prop room." These things I find in consignment stores, goodwill, and online on EBAY. Try punching in key words like Children's Vintage, teapots, costumes, wings, etc., and you will be amazed at what pops up. Most things on EBAY are very reasonable, and you can start building your collection like that. Even yard sales, and auctions can yield fun props. Look for child-sized furniture as well. I buy very few "props" for photographers because of the tremendous expense. Our business was always run on a shoestring, and until just the last few years, we were often pinched for funds to buy things like props. At the end of this article I will supply you with the basics needed for a successful party.

How we got started was to send fun post cards to my entire database saying "It's My Party" with some fun dress-up images, and a picture of a tea party I had already taken for a client. We also now have a Yellow-Book advert, but once you get started, word of mouth will carry for you. Remember the kids are going to spread the word, so make sure it's incredible FUN!!! Don't fret over the mess they make because with the average sale in the thousands of dollars for two hours of mayhem, you will be rewarded for your hard work and patience.

When you first make the reservations with the mum over the phone, do not conceal your enthusiasm. Get very excited for her, asking lots of questions about favourite foods, colours, games, toys, cartoon characters, stuffed animals, best friends, etc. Also make a careful note of dislikes and food allergies. Let Mum know there are usually lots of sugar, and check if she has objections to sweets. Take lots of notes because these will come in so handy in making a party for your young Diva.

Just as a side note, I have always insisted on catering to the children. My office manager Liz is naturally great with kids, so she is a valuable asset to our company. We are extremely kids-friendly here, and we have a toy room with dolls, and GI JOES, riding toys, colour books and crayons, and the legendary toy chest! We have a real chest filled with dollar toys and quarter candies, and lots of cool things for boys and girls. You cannot believe the amount of cooperation we get out of our young clients with tried and true techniques, but then that is another story. Let's just say our young clients will actually beg to come back! You and I both know that if we get the children in our pockets, the adults will gladly follow.

After you book the party with the mum get her to pay all, or most of the fee, well in advance; if you have not photographed the child very recently, get them in for a photograph to make invitations with. The other mums see these and go wild! Where did you get these? Who made them? What a great photo, etc... Design the party totally for each child. If her favourite character is Barbie, make sure you use lots of Barbie themes in the party favours. If her favourite colour is purple use purple cloths (dye them yourself) to cover the table and drape around the party room. Have a beautiful picture framed and sitting on an easel for all the Mums to ohm and ahh over. You can put it in a mat and have the children sign around it if they are old enough to make their mark. Of course all these add-ons add up, including a deluxe birthday album at the end. My advice is to keep the initial cost very reasonable, and offer the mums add-on sales.

The best part is introducing our wonderful studio to new friends and clients. The Moms are blown away, and the kids are begging to come back. This is a win-win situation. Make sure your studio is polished and pristine for the actual party. Put anything breakable or dangerous away from little hands. The children need to feel welcome and unrestricted. Collect addresses and info from all the Moms so they can attend a private screening of the images in your projection room. Of course these mums are added to our mailing list, and most become treasured additions to our studio family.

The party should last for only two hours, no more or less. Most kids are still having fun, and do not want to leave. This is the plan. Leave them wanting more, and they will be sure to come back. Be very strict about the time limit.

The Birthday Girl and her family arrive thirty minutes early, and settle down. The Birthday Girl picks her costume or pretty dress out of the prop room, hair is made up, and light make-up is applied. We have a very glamorous make-up area with lighted mirrors, and lots of clear lip gloss in yummy flavours. Obviously keeping the make-up age appropriate is important, however, little girls love make-up, and a big part of the party is sitting in Miss Liz's big girl chair, and being pampered. Find a student who loves make-up and kids, or hire a stylist who is great with kids. Making it fun and beautiful is the key. You still have to furnish the highest photographic quality you can. The girls must look great, and the clothes they are dressed in must look the part. All the clothes in the photos are clothes I have collected through the years.

As the girls arrive, they are very excited, and love trying on clothes in the prop room. You must have help to keep things flowing smoothly. At least four people are needed for every ten girls. One person needs to concentrate and do just photography, smiling and chatting, and making great images. Obviously you need to state early on, NO CAMERAS OF ANY SORT! We made that mistake on the first party, and consequently the parents were firing away in my studio! Be very up front about this and post signs. Have video for sale also so there are no excuses about the cameras. Simply state to the mum and all the guests ahead of time, no cameras. The birthday girl, and her parents are photographed first, then siblings and best friends follow. Each child is photographed alone, and all of our birthday plans come with a gift 4x6 for everyone who came to the party. Charge according to how many guests there will be, and how elaborate they want the party to be. Have a menu guide with all the party options. They can add flowers, helium balloons, clowns, and even a miniature pony. Make the base plan very attractive, and add to it. We have had clients spend as little as $500 and as much as $7,000 including reorders from the guests. We find the income very similar to a wedding with much less stress,

Do make sure that your time is well managed. Our toy area, and games are a big attraction. Have at least one person in charge of serving and entertainment. Age- appropriate music, crafts, and bubbles are also a big hit. Put a favourite beverage in teapots, and let the girls serve themselves. We do use a lot of real china, and believe it or not, we have had not one cup broken. Girls as young as three are perfectly capable young ladies, and they really enjoy serving the tea. Age-appropriate tea sandwiches, cheese chunks and crackers are also a favourite. Make sure the tea party area is not used until all the little girls are dressed and ready. We hang a pretty ribbon in front of the area until the appointed time, and then we let the Birthday girl cut the ribbon. All of this is photographed of course. Please make sure that there is enough food and drink for adults as well for they are your guests and future clients. Be generous at your party, and make sure each child goes home with a nice gift. Dressy party favours on the table add to the charm. Barbie dolls and stuffed animals are popular over here. Make sure that the children change out of your lovely clothes before the cupcakes are served. This part of the party can be messy. Of course, everyone leaves, and you are left with the clean-up part. Do not let mom or guests help! Make sure to check the party clothes, and have them cleaned and ready for the next Diva Extravaganza!

I hope that these ideas helps you make your clients happy, and put more money in your pocket Please do not hesitate to E-mail questions to abbeyoflondon@bellsouth.net. Also, I would like to hear of any successes you have using our tea-party formula. Best wishes!

The SWPP 2008 Convention was an outstanding success,
we have 192 days to get ready for the 2009 convention - which starts on January 14, 2009

Photo Quote: Searching is everything - going beyond what you know. And the test of the earch is really in the things themselves, the things you seek to understand. What is important is not what you think about them, but how they enlarge you. - Wynn Bullock