| “I want to take pictures that people feel something from — that’s the whole point.” — David LaChapelle |
Not images that people admire. Not images that people recognize as technically strong. Images that people feel something from.
There’s a meaningful difference, and it has a direct relationship to how your clients talk about you — or whether they talk about you at all.
Who Is David LaChapelle?
David LaChapelle is one of the most visually flamboyant commercial and fine art photographers of the last three decades, known for his hyper-saturated, surrealist imagery that blends pop culture, religion, and celebrity. His work for magazines like Rolling Stone, Vogue, and Vanity Fair defined a particular era of visual excess. But underneath the spectacle is a clear and consistent emotional intention: he wants the viewer to feel something. Awe, discomfort, joy, confusion — always something. Never nothing.
The Business Lesson: Feeling Is What Clients Remember — and Refer
When a client looks at their gallery for the first time, two things can happen.
The first: they think “these are great photos.” They appreciate the technical quality. They feel satisfied. They post a few on Instagram and maybe leave a five-star review.
The second: they cry. They call their mom. They text their spouse three images at midnight because they can’t stop looking. They come back to the gallery every day for a week. They feel something so strong that they physically need to share it with people.
The second client does infinitely more marketing for your business than the first. Not because they’re a more loyal person, but because the feeling compelled them to act. They tell people. They volunteer the referral without being asked. They tag you in their post with the kind of language that other people respond to.
That level of response doesn’t come from technically perfect images. It comes from images that captured something true. A gesture, a glance, a moment, the client didn’t even know happened, but immediately recognized as the truest thing in the room.
Building a business that generates that kind of response requires you to think about feeling before you think about technical execution. What do you want this client to feel when they open this gallery? Work backwards from that. Let it inform what you’re paying attention to during the session.
Real-World Application: Define the Feeling for Every Shoot
Before your next session, write down one sentence: “When this client opens their gallery, I want them to feel _____.”
Fill in the blank specifically. Not “happy” — that’s too vague. “Like this season of their life was actually witnessed,” or “like they’re more beautiful than they knew,” or “like their family is exactly enough.”
Carry that sentence with you during the session. Let it guide where you point the camera when you have a choice.
Take the Next Step
The OTODEO Booking System Playbook includes a gallery delivery framework designed to maximize the emotional impact of the first reveal, which is the moment that drives your best referrals. Get it at otodeo.com/booking-system-playbook.
