ChatterClient – Bob Zahn

This is an excerpt from an email I received in 2016 from my client Bob Zahn, whom I first reviewed at Photo Plus Expo back in 2011! At that time he only had a box of prints to show, but there was one particular image that stood out, a wonderful portrait of a couple and I said, “You need to shoot more portraits like this!” And so his “American Gothic” journey began and in 2012 we worked together on setting up a brand new website as well as ideas for expanding the work. Since then both his work and the American Gothic project have come a long way…

When I saw her name listed as a portfolio reviewer for The Palm Springs Photo Festival at Photo Plus Expo, I thought — Bob, you must see or talk with Louisa as she was the very first person to encourage your work as a photographer. Many things have happened since then: I moved to California 9/1/14 because a lifestyle change was necessary to establish myself as a serious fine art photographer, and more importantly, to be close to “Slab City” where the character of “American Gothic II” has been so influential.

Good news — I was published in a full art feature in Issue Magazine, an arts centric publication made in LA — 18 pages, 12 color photographs and an interview with Julia Dean, executive director of the LA Center of Photography.

Louisa, this has been and is a career defining experience. A big Thank You and … smile! Your support was huge, helping to get me where I am today.

Bob Zahn – Calipatria, California

ChatterClient – Debbie Miracolo

My good intuition led me to schedule an appointment with Louisa after attending one of her excellent panel discussions at PhotoExpo. To say the least, it was the right decision. With several bodies of work that seemed disparate along with a minor identity crisis, I couldn’t see a clear way to present myself. Louisa cleared the fog.

She showed me that I didn’t have to choose between fine art and commerce – that it was simply a matter of marketing myself in a way that would appeal to both. In a little over an hour she filled my head not only with inspiration but with brilliant, concrete ideas as well.

Louisa was instrumental in the creation of my website and has been incredibly generous, caring and helpful. I look forward to an ongoing relationship with this sharp lady and recommend her highly!

Debbie Miracolo – Hawthorne, New York

ChatterClient – Debbie Miracolo – Video Interview

A few years ago, my client Debbie Miracolo asked me if I would do a video interview with her at the Ward-Nasse Gallery in Soho, to talk about her latest work that was featured in a group show there. To watch the video click on this link: Debbie Miracolo Interview with Louisa Curtis 1-29-13

ChatterClient – Tony Ventouris

Louisa did for me what I could not do for myself. She edited my images down to a selection that not only made sense but also conveyed our chosen messages to my potential clients. Outcome? Most bookings I’ve ever had. Thank you Louisa!

The long version of the story is that she spent a lot of time listening to me, understanding my goals, browsing my images (over 200 current portfolio candidates were sent to her), and helping rewrite my content to make a unified brand out of me. I honestly felt a new confidence presenting my business to clients after she was done working her magic.

Louisa is a great listener and a great communicator, and she really knows how to get to the core of things and bring out the best. She found connections in my work I had never seen myself. In life everyone seems to have an opinion…my opinion is that Louisa’s opinion is one that matters!

Tony Ventouris – Silver Spring, Maryland

I’ve always said that Client Testimonials are a wonderful way to promote your business, no matter what business you are in. They give your potential clients insight as to how you run your business, and in my case, how I work with my clients and what to expect.

When I read back over my testimonials, it’s not about feeding my ego, instead it reminds me how much I enjoy helping artists and photographers to be the best that they can be, no matter what stage of their career they are in.

Some of them make me feel like a proud mother, who has nurtured her “offspring” before sending them out into the world. My strength is in being able to see where your strengths lie, and how best to present, promote and showcase that.

After reading some of these testimonials, if you would like more information or to book a consultation, please call 646-221-0206 or email me at [email protected]

Thank you!

I decided to do something different in the ChatterClient section featuring a client born under the sign for that month along with a quick profile and sampling of their images. Plus I also wanted to share a little bit with my readers about how I work with each client. For instance, I always ask a new client when their birthday is, simply because by knowing their Astrological sign it already gives me a lot of information and helps me determine how to best to communicate and work with them. So for this month, I am featuring a recent client I have really enjoyed working with, portrait-photographer Bill Bernstein.

Knowing Bill was a Cancer, I knew I could talk as much as I liked and tell him this, that, or the other, but the bottom line was unless he “felt”good about the work, the process and the edits, it didn’t matter. Simple. We knew we were making progress when it simply felt right, the “flow” of the edits worked (very important for a Water sign!) and if there was a problem image, we worked on the edit until it was either fixed or eliminated.

Now, if this client had been an Air sign, for example, then I would have approached things differently. For Air signs it’s all about intellectual communication, so I would use my words to appeal to his/her mental thought process. What also became apparent as we narrowed his image library down was a recurring theme, a magical gift that Bill possesses to make his subjects “feel” good so they in turn are relaxed and take a better picture! Bill is also a devoted father and husband, so “family” is important to him, another trait of the Cancer,and why we see great emotional moments in his Healthcare work, for instance.

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