How to Start a Client Closet

For Photographers

How To Start a Client Closet as a Family Photographer | Family Photography Business Coach

You know the feeling: you have spent hours chatting with a client about their upcoming family photo session. You have watched the weather, chatted about outfits, selected the perfect location. The day finally comes and the sun is shining, the stars have aligned. You get out of the car and see the family walking towards you and … wait, what? What are they wearing? What happened to your style guide? The mom shrugs at you and tells you she wants everyone to be comfortable … oh, and can you Photoshop her son’s shirt to be less neon orange? After this happened to me a few times, I knew it was time to start a Client Closet. So if you are a family photographer that is ready to scale your business to full-time, read on to learn how to start a Client Closet.

In this blog post, you’re going to learn: 

  • Decide on your investment
  • Purchase 4-5 dresses in sizes XS, M, XL and XXXL
  • Strategic model calls
  • Add to website
  • Dress consultations 
  • Communicate to clients – marketing
  • Set aside 5% of profits every quarter to purchase another set of dresses for season ahead 
  • Could always decide to do one huge investment and start that way

Step One: Decide On Your Investment

One of the first conversations that I have with my coaching clients is the idea of investing in your business. If you are serious about making a full-time income from photography, you need to accept a certain level of investment. If you are on-board with this, it’s time to sit down with your numbers. How much can you commit to investing in a Client Closet to get it off the ground? 

The good news is you don’t need to drop $10,000 (even though you may really want to)! You can launch your Client Closet strategically so that you only have to purchase 4-5 dresses, in a variety of sizes (more on that in the next section). That being said, settle on a rough number that seems reasonable – let’s say $1200. 

Remember, this is a one-time investment that you will see returns on if you market it well. So yes, $1200 is a lot of money but if you make $6000 from sessions booked, that initial investment will be a long-forgotten thought! 

Occasionally, photography business coaching clients will ask me if they should just go ahead and invest $5000 in 10+ sets of dresses. My thought is this: if you can, do it. That being said, be SURE that this is what your clients want. Interview ideal clients, text your friends, do Instagram polls. Do not assume this is what your clients want, make a huge investment and not plan for the return on investment!

How To Start a Client Closet as a Family Photographer | Family Photography Business Coach

Step Two: Purchase Dresses

Once you have decided on your investment, it’s time to go shopping! Word of caution though: don’t rush this step! Now is a great time to do some research, chat with your ideal client and ask your clients about their opinions of certain dresses on Instagram Stories. 

I recommend that you plan to purchase 4-5 dresses, in sizes XS, M, XL and XXXXL to start. This will give you 16-20 dresses which is enough for clients to feel like they have a variety to choose from. These sizes will also cover every body type. You will also likely be able to offer these dresses to pregnant moms as well. 

Another recommendation is to purchase all of these dresses from one brand. Why? You can learn the brand in-and-out and be able to provide that feedback to clients. For example, I know exactly how a Baltic Born medium is going to look on a pregnant mom. This is really helpful if you don’t end up doing dress consultations. It will also help you feel more confident in your closet. And finally, you’ll know how to take care of all of your dresses since brands tend to be consistent in their care instructions. 

Finally, I feel strongly that a Client Closet is NOT having five small dresses for tiny moms to choose from. By offering this and calling it a “Client Closet” you are leaving out a lot of moms that may feel like your photography is not for them. Be inclusive.

How To Start a Client Closet as a Family Photographer | Family Photography Business Coach

Step Three: Strategic Model Calls 

This is where things get really fun: strategic model calls. Once all of your dresses have been delivered, it’s time to get clients in them ASAP! The sooner you have the dresses photographed, the sooner you can market the Client Closet and use it as a brand asset.

How do you do this? Typically, I will put a post on my Instagram Stories, sharing that I have dresses that need to be photographed. I share the qualities of moms that I am looking for (example: expecting moms about 6 months along) and a link to an application. This application asks them basic questions and asks them to submit a picture of themselves. All of this is strategic. First, if I am going to do a model call, I want the model to actually show up. If they can’t fill out an application, they likely won’t show up day-of. This also helps me get a variety of body typese and sizes. 

Select a date for your model calls to happen and begin to prep the dresses by removing tags and steaming them. I like to hire an assistant the day of model calls to help me with behind-the-scenes videos.

How To Start a Client Closet as a Family Photographer | Family Photography Business Coach

Step Four: Add to Website

Now it’s time to add your dresses to your website! I suggest creating your own Client Closet page and then displaying your dresses, ideally in your editing style.

What if you couldn’t pull off a model call? Honestly, my first piece of advice would be to rethink this. But if you still decide you can’t commit to that, you can post images from the website of the dressmaker (giving them credit, of course). I did this when I purchased dresses in bulk and couldn’t get them photographed in a timely manner. The most important thing is that they are on your website so you can direct future clients there.

Step Five: Dress Consultations

Woohoo, your Client Closet is created! At this point, you’ll want to consider how your clients will be able to access the dresses. I recommend hosting dress consultations at your studio. I set one day a week aside for these and clients can sign up for an appointment.

These consultations are a great way to provide your client with an exceptional client experience. Not only will they find a dress they love (why you need to have all sizes available), but they (hopefully!) will click with you. This is a great time to showcase your personality and help them to get to know you without the pressures of a photo shoot.

Step Six: Marketing Your Client Closet

Remember, the Client Closet is only an asset to your business if you are constantly marketing it. Remind clients in emails, blog posts, social media posts, Instagram Stories and Facebook group posts that you provide this unique service. It will absolutely help you stand out from other photographers. Plus, you need to make the most of your investment so do not skip this essential step! 

Step Seven: Adjust Your Pricing To Reflect The Client Closet 

Now that your Client Closet is established and actively being marketed, it’s time to make sure that the added asset to your business is being reflected in your profits. This is going to be unique to each photographer’s situation. That being said, a good rule of thumb is to think about how much you want to invest in your Client Closet each year. Let’s say you decide on $1200 per year for new dresses. Divide that number by the number of clients you expect to use the dresses. If that’s 40 clients per year, that means you want to increase your prices by $30 a client to be able to hit that goal of having $1200 a year for new dresses.

Is that how you have to calculate it? Absolutely not! This is one of those areas where you need to be strategic about scaling your prices in order to scale your business. If you want to chat about your unique situation, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram to chat more! 

Step Eight: Growing Your Client Closet

After your initial 4-5 dresses have gone through a season, you may realize it’s time to add to the closet. This is especially true if you have repeat clients, which you’ll have a lot more of after this process. 

In my business, I set aside 5% of my profits every quarter to purchase another set of dresses for the season ahead. Organizing your business finances is a whole separate blog post and what I spend a lot of time coaching my clients through. What you need to think about now is how can you set aside a certain amount of money each quarter to continually be refreshing your Client Closet? 

If a dress was a dud, don’t be afraid to sell it on Poshmark and add that money back to the dress fund. As your Client Closet grows, you may want to start expanding to other brands, maternity dresses, and maybe even dresses for girls. This is definitely a scaling decision though and not a step to take lightly. 

How to Start a Client Closet: Conclusion

To wrap it up, do you NEED to start a Client Closet to scale your business? Absolutely not. But in a time where a lot of families are trying to lessen their expenses, this is a great way to stand out in a crowd. Clients LOVE the idea of not having to wander Nordstrom the night before their session and have to return a thousand random outfits the week after their session. Hopefully this blog post can be your inspiration for how to start a Client Closet.

If you want to see if a Client Closet is the next right step for you, be sure to check out my quiz: “Are you ready to scale your business?” to find out if this is the best way to focus your resources right now. 

Choosing Sharon As Your Photography Business Coach

You are in the right place if you’re looking for a family photography coach who: 

  • Is all about concrete, action steps
  • Went from a full-time teaching job to full-time photography
  • Has been a stay-at-home mom, a work-from-home mom, a home-daycare- mom, a full-time working mom and now a small-business mom! 
  • Can help you implement strategies to help you grow your business quickly without getting distracted by all of the shiny things 
  • Will push you to try new things in your business to say good-bye to slow season forever! 
  • Want systems and action plans you can implement on your own

Want to see if we’re a good fit? I totally get it! Fill out an application here and we can schedule a no-pressure meet-and-greet to see if I can help you get where you’re going quickly. 

Still not sure? Last year, I wrote a book to document my personal growth journey that helped me (and my business!) get to where it is today. You can check it out on Amazon here. 

"I am so happy to have had Sharon capture photos of my family. She was so easy to work with, from scheduling to planning and coordinating, she could not have made the process more simple. She showed up on the day-of super prepared, with a whole wagon full of stuff just in case, including snacks for my kids! 

Kim

4 / 15

She worked so well with my children: she truly understands that children are going to get bored fast and she worked around their moods perfectly.

I love that she captured my kids' candid smiles, and not just the posed ones. To top it off, the final product was beyond my expectations and delivered in under a week! You can tell that she loves what she's doing and it shows in her work. She is truly a gem and I can't wait to work with her again as my children grow up!"

"We loved how simple and stress-free our son’s cake smash session was—we didn't need to worry about props or set-up. 

Alexis

When we showed up, Sharon had everything ready for us and we got to just be present in the moment. 

The portraits captured all the sweet little details we want to remember from his first birthday, and we were so happy to share them with our family. It was the perfect way to celebrate this milestone!" 

2 / 15

"Sharon was absolutely lovely to work with. I'm not the type of person who particularly enjoys photoshoots, but she is exceptionally adept at putting her clients at ease. Her studio is equal parts tranquil, tasteful and casual so that my wife and I were not in the least bit overwhelmed.

Kevin

Sharon anticipates every possible need and plans accordingly so that you don't have to. 

She is able to maintain the pace of her shoots, moving them forward judiciously without making the client feel rushed or unappreciated. She was completely down-to-earth and personable. It sounds cliché, but talking with her felt like catching up with an old friend – exactly we needed after the hectic experience of bringing our first child into the world. Sharon was more than worth the cost."

3 / 15

"Sharon was amazing to work with during our recent newborn session! She was very responsive with any questions I had before the session, and even offered advice on outfits for my older children. I borrowed a gorgeous dress from her client closet, which helped me feel more confident and comfortable for photos. 

Amanda

I was nervous about how the session would go with two young children and a newborn, but Sharon had everything so organized and prepared, that everything went flawlessly.

She was so calming and kind, and her studio felt so welcoming! The finished photos are all so beautiful, that I can't even come close to picking a favorite!"

4 / 15

"I was first introduced to Sharon in 2024 when I did a session of personality portraits, and I was instantly impressed. A few friends had used her before and raved about her work, and now I completely understand why! Sharon truly works magic behind the camera. She is incredibly organized, answering all questions and planning every detail ahead of time. 

Merissa

There’s never a need to stress about locations, directions, or even bad weather—she has a backup plan for everything!

One of my favorite parts of working with her is the dress consult to help plan outfits. She has such a great eye for style and helps put together looks that photograph beautifully."

5 / 15

"Sharon and Amy were fabulous! Right from the initial booking they made me feel special. I wore three beautiful dresses that Sharon already had available for me to wear from her client closet (I LOVE this feature!). We tried on several dresses until I found one that fit comfortably and I felt fabulous in.

Nicole

Amy & Sharon were great at communicating with me every step of the process.

Amy didn’t go overboard with the makeup, she made me look like myself but a little extra glam. An elevated version of myself. They were so fabulous and I would absolutely book them again. I 10/10 recommend Sharon and Amy for maternity or family photo sessions."

6 / 15

"Scheduling was super easy through her website and Sharon is very communicative. Sharon offers a dress consultation so you can go to her studio and try on multiple dresses that fit whatever theme you choose for your photo day.

Nicole

I've never seen a photographer offer a whole closet of dresses to choose from and this takes out ALL the stress of picking an outfit for pictures.

Another priceless offering when it comes to taking the stress out of family photos is hair and makeup (additional fee). I scheduled with Amy for a few hours before my shoot. Amy was so easy to talk to and did a fantastic job with the look I wanted. I'm already looking forward to another booking and have referred her to my friends and family. I cannot recommend Sharon and her team more."  
 

Kind Words

7 / 15

"We recently had our second family session with Sharon and 

Jenna

we were yet again blown away by the entire experience. 

From her expert outfit planning, to making the journey to join us at our beach for photos, Sharon created a relaxed, fun environment from beginning to end. The photos we received were beyond what I could have imagined! She captured our family perfectly!!"

8 / 15

"I recently had the pleasure of working with Sharon for a family beach session, and she was amazing from start to finish! Sharon's attention to detail and professionalism made the entire process seamless. Her empathetic and supportive nature made a world of difference, and the photos turned out beautifully. 

Alexis

I highly recommend Sharon to any mom looking for a talented and compassionate photographer, who takes the stress out of planning.

Her work is exceptional, and she truly cares about her clients. Thank you, Sharon, for capturing these moments for us!"

9 / 15

"Sharon is the absolute best! We worked with her for our maternity photos, newborn photos, and our cake smash one-year-old photos. Each time, Sharon is so professional and friendly, makes us feel right at home, and take the most beautiful photos. We are blown away every time! The client closet is awesome and Sharon really went the extra mile to find gowns that complimented me. 

Jen

We had so much fun taking all of these photos and can’t wait to work with her again!

We will cherish these photos forever."

10 / 15

"We did personality portraits for the second time with Sharon and they came out so well! 

Kelsey

The kids had such a blast and she really captured their unique personalities!"

11 / 15

"We did both our maternity and newborn photos with Sharon and she made each experience beyond amazing. I met Sharon first at our dress consultation and knew we were going to work well together. It’s incredible that she gives you access to some many dresses and really knows how to make a pregnant lady feel beautiful.

She made my husband (who admittedly did not want to take the pictures) feel so comfortable, got him laughing and even looking forward to the newborn shoot.

Then, at the newborn shoot Sharon was so patient with us (it was our first trip out) she again made me feel so beautiful in her huge selection of dresses and was so good and rocking out baby boy to sleep."

Alexa

12 / 15

"Stop reading reviews and just book your session with Sharon Leger Photography right now. Sharon has been there for my family even before we were an official family. She poetically captured our engagement, maternity and our newborn’s first photos.

I couldn’t imagine trusting anyone else with these precious moments.

I am not an easy client. I am nervous, unsure of myself and overly aware of every physical flaw (especially postpartum). Sharon made me feel comfortable and beautiful every step of the way. We love Sharon Leger Photography, especially the woman behind the lens! Thank you for everything, Sharon!"

Dawn

13 / 15

"Sharon is an absolute gem! It has been 3.5 years since I found her and since then she has captured the most adorable and perfect pictures of my two sons and our family.

From newborn sessions, cake smashes and family photos, not one detail has ever been overlooked. Her process is seamless and she makes everything so accessible and easy.

She offers so many options for photo opportunities and has perfected a style that really is timeless! She was so wonderful with each of my children when they were newborns, that it made the experience so worth it! Couldn’t recommend enough!"

Melissa

14 / 15

"It’s hard for me to find the perfect words to describe what Sharon has given me.

I reached out to her when I was thinking about doing maternity photos, and she quickly convinced me that I would not regret it. She was right. Not only do I not regret my maternity photos but I actually love everything about them. Every time I look at them, all of those amazing feelings I felt while I was pregnant come right back as if I’m still in the moment. They are something I will cherish forever."

Kimberly

15 / 15

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