Michelle Nielsen: When a Repeat Client is the Best Compliment

The Silent Approval of a Second Shoot

Michelle reached out for updated headshots, and I’ll admit—it felt like a quiet victory. She’d been in front of my lens before for an interview feature, and here she was again. No fanfare, no effusive praise, just the unspoken feedback photographers crave: You didn’t mess it up last time. In a world where clients often ghost you post-shoot (did they hate them? Are they using them as cat litter liners?), a return booking is the closest thing we get to a gold star.

The Mystery of Client Satisfaction

Let’s be real: most of us operate in a feedback vacuum. You send off the gallery, hold your breath, and… crickets. Then, six months later, you’re at someone’s house and spot your photo framed above their toilet (a dubious honor). Or a stranger mentions, “Oh, Michelle’s been using your shots everywhere!” It’s like hearing gossip about yourself—equal parts thrilling and surreal. This time, at least, the confirmation came quicker: Michelle’s repeat business screamed more of that, please.

CV Shots That Don’t Look Like Mugshots

Corporate headshots are where creativity goes to die—unless you sneak in some life. Michelle needed professionalism, but not at the cost of personality. We kept it clean but warm, with lighting that didn’t scream “passport photo.” (Unless her CV is for International Woman of Mystery, in which case, mission accomplished.) The real win? Knowing these shots will outlive her next job application—maybe even end up on another wall. Or, if I’m lucky, another client’s “hire this photographer” mental list.