Tips on how to pick a photographer

Now you have decided to get family pictures done! You have thought about all the reasons you want to do it and all the reason why you may not want to. But in the end you have decided it is time for your family to FINALLY have their pictures taken! Wonderful! But now the hard part; how do you pick a photographer?

Back in the day, when I was a kid, I remember my mom getting my sister and I all dressed up to go to Kmart to get our Christmas pictures taken. It was a very different process back then. You could just show up ask if they could take pictures right there and if they couldn’t they would ask you to come back in 30 minutes. Next, you would stand or sit or even kneel in front of a backdrop that was either a plain color like blue or black or white. Or be in front of the backdrops that we’re very colorful like balloons or flowers and the list could go on. Then they would put you in 3 or 4 different poses, the photographer always tried to make you laugh and then who ever paid would pick one from the huge old school computers. You would pay up front and wait for the prints come to back to the company and you would go pick them up.

Looking back that seems so much easier for clients then it is now. Today, there seems to be so many photographers to chose from and you don’t know who to choose! Here are some things to look at while choosing a photographer.

Friend of a friend: everyone seems to know someone who “does” photography. I will promise you this is not the way to go! It is wonderful someone knows someone who is interested or just starting a photography business, but when you are taking the time out of your busy lives and paying a very big investment for a great product you are deeply wanting. I promise you, you do not want to be someone’s trial and error. It’s different if you are modeling for them and it does not cost you anything. That way you do not have high expectations. But you spent so much time trying to convince yourself and your family to do this session. You want to feel confident in your photographer that they know what they are doing and you can trust they will give you exactly what you need.

Price: I will start off by saying, “you get what you pay for.” If you find a photographer who’s prices are extremely lower than others then there is probably a reason for that. Majority of the time more seasonal photographers charge more mostly because they know what they are doing. Like I said before you are making an investment which is why you don’t want to just settle for anybody! You always do not want to spend all your money. If you know when you want to have your session done, many photographs sometimes have specials during the holiday seasons. Also, it never hurts to ask if a photographer will be having a special soon. Who knows? Some may even consider a deal just for you!

Social media: have you looked up photographers in your area and seen what feels like a million photography pages? Whether it is on Facebook, Instagram or even yelp so many photographers now are trying to grab your attention. I will always recommend reading reviews. Reviews share so much of not only what other experience, but gives you an insight to how you may or may not want your session to be like. Sometimes even the littlest thing that may have bugged one person may not bug another person.

Referred by someone you know: again this is sometimes your saves bet other than reviews. We, as people, love to ask the people we know and trust who they would recommend. This is peoples safest choice they make. If you can’t trust your best friends word then who can you trust?

Whoever you choose to be your photographer make sure you always feel comfortable with them. There are so many times I have heard clients say, “Our pictures were okay, but we didn’t feel comfortable with the photographer.” Many times this happens at a wedding. If you feel uncomfortable with who you are working with will show in your photographs and that is not what you want! Also, trust your photographer. As I stated before, trusting your photographer to make your family and yourself look great in your photographs is a huge trust fall many people do not realize. You, as the client, have no idea what you look like behind he camera when your photographer puts you in certain poses. You are putting more trust in them, probably more than you realize, and are hoping the end product is even better than what you could ever hope for. Lastly, try to have fun! Everyone gets nervous about getting their picture taken especially if it is your first time. The more nervous you are the more it will show in your photographs. Try to remember to relax and have fun! In the end while some clients love to be posed in very big smiles everyone smiling at the camera at once photographs others like the candid shots that are real and unique all at the same time. Let your the photographer you pick show your story through the photographs. Overall, you are wanting unique photographs that tell a real, authentic story of your memories that will last a lifetime.