Sometimes when I am talking with a client about doing a session with me, they mention being disappointed by a previous photography experience. I am sure it’s overwhelming as the consumer to know who is the best match for what you are looking for. There are a lot of photographers available to choose from now and a huge range of skill and price. Here are a few tips that I hope will be helpful for you as you consider who to hire to capture your family memories.
1) Take time to review their work. Just because you’ve seen one or two images that a friend was tagged in on social media does not mean that all their work will look the same. All photographers put their best work out there of course, but one or two images does not show what you will be getting from them from a whole session. This is one reason I like to blog every session. I am still picking out my favorites from that session, but I try to blog almost every pose from a session, so you can see the variety of images as well as an overall idea of what you will get from a session with me. If a photographer has a blog or social media pages, take the time to go over a lot of the images they post. This will help you avoid surprises down the road.
2) Familiarize yourself with their style. Because there are so many photographers, there are a lot of styles on the market as well. Look over their images and decide for yourself if their style matches what you like. Not every photographer is skilled at every area of photography, so be sure that the kind of session you want from them is something that they do well. If not, there is probably someone who does that would be easy for you to locate.
3) Take the time to look over their website. Read about who they are and what they care about, and go over any material they provide. The more you read what they provide, the better you can decide if they offer what you are looking for.
4) Don’t just ask about price. Of course your budget matters, and if someone is out of your budget, they are out of your budget. But, if you are going to take the time to plan photos, outfits, etc and pay something for them, maybe it’s worth paying a little more to avoid being disappointed with the results. It is generally true that you get what you pay for.
5) Ask questions! If you think a photographer is a possible good match for you, be sure to inquire and ask some specifics. Some good questions to ask are things like: what do you do if the weather is bad? or my child doesn’t cooperate? What products do you sell? How are proofs and final products delivered? Do you have a studio or do you come to me? There is a wide range of what photographers offer for final delivery of images. Some do it all online, some have in person sales where you see your images for the first time. Some sell only digital images, others sell a mixture, and some sell only prints or products. If you know you would like prints and think you may never get them made, then a photographer who only offers digital files may not be the best match for you. Maybe you love having the digital files to share online or print yourself. Make sure you know if you can purchase them, since not every photographer sells digital images. It’s worth finding out the answers to these things before your photo session.
Of course, every photographer is human and even the most experienced or skilled person can make mistakes or have a bad day. Having realistic expectations is always helpful! But, taking the time to consider the photographers work and skill level, as well as how they do business, can go a long way to helping you find a photographer to help your pictures go as smoothly as possible. Any other tips come to mind for choosing a photographer? I’d love to hear them!
I’d love to answer any questions you have about what I offer! Contact me here.
