In a world that is saturated with photographers, how do you go about finding the perfect photographer for you? The search can be exhausting, but here are just a few suggestions to keep in mind as you’re on the hunt for your ideal photographer:
First, the photographers’ ‘style’ is the very first thing you should consider before selecting a photographer. If you see a style of one photographer that you like, but decide to use another photographer just for price, or some other reason, you will most likely not be happy with your images. Their style is their trademark of how they shoot and how they edit their images. Photography is art, and the consistency of the style, look and promotion of that art is how the photographer gains their business. Do not hire a photographer with a style that does not match your liking. Also, do not hire a photographer with an alternate style thinking that you’ll just edit their images afterwards. Not only will your re-edits not look professional, most photographers highly frown upon this as it can be illegal to alter their images depending on their policies, contract clauses and copyrights.
Keep in mind that certain photography ‘trends’ will go out of style or become dated quickly as the years go by. Washed out or orange images, for example, maybe the ‘thing’ one day, but they could be horrific to look at just a few years down the road. When considering a photographer always keep longevity of the images in mind. It is an investment and should not be taken lightly. Are you going to change the photographs and their style on your wall each time you re-decorate your home? Sadly, just like the green shag carpeting in the ‘70’s, those charcoal, high shadowed pictures that you think are in style today may not fit your decor in a few years and may not match the new frames that you want to use. You cannot reuse or reshoot those same exact pictures in a new trendy way, as your family is now a few years older. How sad would it be to not be able to use your images in your own home forever?
Second, yet not any less important than reason number one by any means, is the reputation, experience, credentials and communication of the photographer. This category is SO important that it should actually be at the top of this list, however, narrowing it down in this order maybe the fastest for your search. These number two qualities are usually overlooked entirely leaving many people ‘stuck’ with what they’ve got before doing their research. I hear all of the time, this is our second go around with their senior photoshoot, or a family photographer because their first one didn’t live up to their expectations. How horrible is that? There are not second go arounds for weddings and not everyone has such deep pockets to just hire ‘another’ photographer if the first one just doesn’t work out! I occasionally hear that spending a few dollars less was the ultimate deciding factor in the beginning for them, but then they learned the hard way, that saving a tiny bit of money may have cost them in the long run by receiving subpar images, being frustrated because they received poor communication, finding out their photographer didn’t know how to shoot in dark conditions (which is a very, very common problem with ‘natural light’ photographers), finding out their photographer didn’t have back up equipment when their camera or light or memory card etc. decided to fail, or they experienced many other problems that can arise due to these lack of immeasurable qualities. A little research goes a long way.
Third, once you find a photographer that matches your style, and that you’re confident with their reputation and experience level, you can then consider their prices, and availability. Take a close, close, close look at what is included with their photoshoots. Many photographers these days do not include anything with the cost of their session fee! It ONLY covers their time of capturing your images. Then, they may have a get together meeting a few weeks later showing you the images, which are then only available for an additional purchase price, which can very possibly be astronomical, forcing you to spend hundreds or thousands more than your initial investment cost you. Did you know that some photographers only sell print products and no digital images at all? This can be very disappointing for some unaware clients.
Alternatively, other photographers may provide the world (so to speak), and they may sound wonderful, but they may not fit the bill with style, quality, experience or communication (as talked about in reason number 2 above). As statistics go, a photographer that offers a million images for hardly anything may not be your best bet and it is worth proceeding with caution.
In Conclusion, photographers ‘seem to be’ a dime a dozen, yet they can actually vary as drastically as apples and oranges, and they are not all in the same quality or professional category. It is imperative, therefore, that you look closely at your options and the smallest of details about each one prior to making a decision.
We know that you have options, when selecting your photographer. At KDP, our mission is to make a client into a friend and valued customer for Life from capturing each milestone and memory that you have with superior quality and customer service. We hope to see you through the lens soon.