I do not sell sixty minutes of photography. I make a portrait.
That distinction may sound small, but it changes the way I work. Some people need very little time to feel at ease. A dog may want twenty minutes just to explore the room. Sometimes everything falls into place quickly. Sometimes it does not.
Time serves the image
A clock is useful for planning, but not for looking. If you spend a portrait session thinking about everything that still needs to happen before the hour ends, you start directing faster, ticking off poses and accepting images simply because they are technically sound.
I would rather leave room for the moment when someone stops thinking about the camera. That is often when things become interesting.
Not slow for the sake of being slow
This does not mean a Greycard Commission goes on indefinitely. I work efficiently and know what I am looking for. The duration simply is not the product.
With dogs that matters even more. An unsettled dog does not become calm because the schedule says we should start. Waiting, walking or doing nothing for a while often gives more than another command.
The result is what matters
After the photography, the attention shifts to selection, finishing and ultimately to the work you want to keep. That is what you came for: not a number of minutes, but a portrait that feels right.