5 Tips for Choosing a Photographer
When you need to hire a professional photographer knowing where to start your search can understandably feel daunting.
Before you begin, consider what you want from the session and your final photos. Determining whether your goal is focused more on the end product (your images and how you plan to use them) or the session experience itself (or both) will help you immediately narrow down your search field. There are so many photographers out there creating incredible work, and it ultimately comes down to finding a photographer that is the best match for you.
Here are three of the most important things to consider when searching for your photographer:
Value (pricing and what's included with your session)
The first thing to do when beginning your search for a photographer is determine your budget! Once you do that, you can immediately narrow it down to photographers in your location that meet your financial needs.
The next thing to look for is what is included in your session fee. There is a lot of variation on this within the photography industry, and there's no right or wrong answer. It really comes down to what fits your needs and budget the best.
Determine their pricing - Are their prices listed and easily accessible on their site? Or do you have to reach out to them to get the details? What is your personal preference - do you want to be able to access that information in a few clicks? Or do you prefer to start a conversation and start relationship-building with the photographer before you can find out?
What’s included? - Once you have the price point, look at the details and language around what is included. Some pricing includes only a session fee, which typically means that the price only covers the time you are in front of the photographer's lens. You will likely be required to purchase your digital images, prints, or print rights afterward for an additional fee. Depending on the price point for the session images, your total cost can increase by hundreds of dollars or more from the original session fee. Are any prints or add-ons included? Some photographers will wrap other costs into their pricing to streamline things and increase the value to you. Added inclusions you may see covered in a photographer's fee could be a studio rental fee, client closet, props budget, travel fees, etc.
Keep your eyes out for things that may sound valuable but actually aren't what you need or want. For example, print credits can be incredible if you know you plan to print your final images. But, if you know you won't ever order prints, paying more for a photographer or a session that wraps a print credit into their fee does not truly add much value for you.
What you receive - Get clear on how many images you receive after your session and how they are delivered to you. Do you receive digital files via email or a thumb drive? Do you receive prints or an album? As noted above, your session fee may not include any images or it may include a small number of digital images or prints. Find out how many final images you can expect to receive and whether or not they are included with the session fee or if you'll be required to purchase them post-session. If a post-session purchase is required, make sure you know those costs before your session so you can plan and budget accordingly.
Style
When it comes to style you want to look at how they approach capturing your images and how they edit your final photos. Looking at their portfolio or social media, are their client images dark and moody, bright and cheery, etc.? Does their website or portfolio include words like film, documentary, or editorial? What draws you to their work? What do you want from your final images? While you may love a dark and moody look when browsing a magazine, if your brand is full of bright colours and vibrancy, someone specializing in dark, moody images may not be the best fit.
If you aren't sure about a photographer's style - reach out and ask! It should be spelled out somewhere on their portfolio or website, but if not, most photographers will happily answer questions about their style or how you can expect your final images to be edited and processed.
My editing policy is readily available, so you know what to expect from my post-processing and editing style. When we work together, you can always expect warm, magickal images edited without any photoshop or physical manipulation of you and your body.
If you love a photographer, but their style isn’t a good match for your needs: Please do NOT book with them anyway. Do not ask them to change their editing style to meet your needs (unless they specifically state this as part of their services). A beautiful part of the craft of modern-day photography is found in the development and curation of unique, personal shooting and editing styles. It doesn't serve anyone for you to receive images you don't love, and it's unfair to the photographer to ask them to step outside of the style they've developed throughout their career.
Portfolio
When looking at a photographer's portfolio, you can safely assume that the images you see are what they consider to be their best work. They are also showing you the kind of work they want to create more of. In your search for the best photographer for you, you should feel excited and lit up as you look through their portfolio. You should feel connected and drawn to working with them based on the images you see and any words or details they share that showcase their unique personality or approach.
Most professional photographers should have a portfolio on their website that you can easily find without too much work. This is where you see the type of work they do and love to do. They likely have service categories or mention their niche directly (portraits, maternity, retreats, branding, etc). Ideally, you should be able to view their portfolio images in a large size in high resolution.
You can consider the portfolio the highlight reel of a photographer's work, but they should also be willing and able to provide a more realistic idea of what you can expect from a full session or final delivered gallery.
There are so many more things I could talk about when it comes to choosing your perfect photographer, but these three things will take you a long way to finding the best fit for you. The best photographer for you is out there, and aligning on value, portfolio, and style will make sure you not only love your images but that you love your experience as well.
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