4 Steps To Choosing Your Perfect Photographer
Every year I hire a photographer for our annual holiday card and to update our gallery wall with new printed artwork. I get asked all the time, “How do you choose your perfect photographer?” I know with so many choices out there it can seem super overwhelming, but I promise you it really isn’t that hard when you know what you want. First I do a lot of google, facebook and instagram (#sandiegophotographer) research to find photographers in the area. Then I follow the four steps below when it comes to hiring a professional photographer:
Specialty
Style
Personality
Budget
SPECIALTY:
First ask yourself what type of session you’re hiring a photographer for? Some photographers specialize in just one type of photography and others are diversified in many subjects.
If you’re looking for a family photographer I would not choose someone that is a master at landscape photography and doesn’t have any people portraits in their portfolio (yes, even if their landscape photos are out of this world amazing!) If you want all those cute posed newborn photos then don’t hire someone that only does lifestyle and candid portraits expecting some cute posed photos.
When searching for a photographer to take photos of Travis and me or even my extended family I always make sure they have a portfolio of couples or family on their website which shows they have had experience photographing these subjects. What it come down to is you don’t want to hire someone in hopes they can deliver something they don’t usually photograph.
STYLE:
Whether you realize it or not every photographer has a “style”. Some common styles are: bright and airy or dark and moody. When you are browsing photographers websites, how do the photos make you feel?
I personally love bright and colorful photos because they make me smile and feel happy. I totally respect every photographer and their style, but dark and moody just makes me feel heavy and unhappy. Some photographers lean towards a warm edit and some lean towards a bit cooler temperature edit.
Also is their portfolio full of up-close and personal, feel like you’re there in the moment photos or are their photos more of the overall environment and the subject? Do you prefer one over the other or want a little bit of both? Go with your gut feeling on this. Even if you can’t personally describe a photographers style, you’ll always know how it makes you feel looking at their photos. Narrow it down to the photographers style that makes you feel oh so good!
PERSONALITY:
I think this is HUGE and should never be overlooked. You can often learn a lot about a photographer and who they are by reading their bio or contact page. No, you don’t have to have every single thing in common, but this a good starting point to see if you think you’ll get along. You want to feel comfortable with the person you are hiring to capture your perfect photo. Communication is also very key. Do they respond to your emails or messages in a timely manner? Are they friendly or standoffish? You know what makes you happy when it comes to service, so don’t be afraid to add this step into your deciding factor.
I once reached out to a photographer in Hawaii to see if she could take some family photos of me and my extended family on Christmas day as my husband was in the military and it was the only day we would all be together before he had to fly back for work and my family was landing the day before so they wanted a day to rest before the session. The photographer responded that it was extremely rude and unheard of to ask for a Christmas day session as she had kids she wanted to spend the special day with, but she would consider another day. I was absolutely shocked by this response!! Way to make me feel horrible about the Christmas day request, but also I was super sad she didn’t see my side of the story as a military spouse and having such limited time with our whole family together was a moment I really wanted to capture even though I knew it was a holiday. Needless to say I didn’t even respond back and even though I absolutely loved her photos I would never recommend her to anyone else.
If you start off with bad communication or lack of excitement for the session with your photographer I can’t see you being comfortable during the session to get those authentic photos we all love!
BUDGET:
Everyone has a budget, but I firmly believe this is the last step when it comes to booking a photographer. Once you have narrowed down your top favorites based on the steps above and checked to see if they are available for the dates you need then you can focus on how much you want to pay for professional photos.
I never look at pricing until I have done the above steps. If the price range is way above what I was hoping to pay I have to ask myself if it is worth paying xx more for the session? Often the answer is YES! I just have to budget a few months in advance in order to pay for the session. If I set aside $100 a month that gives me $1200 a year for professional photographs that will be cherished for so many years!! Some photographers even offer payment plans - so it doesn’t hurt to reach out and ask about this too. The older I get the more I realize you really do get what you pay for.
Also, what does the photographer offer for the xx amount? I personally don’t like to pay for pre-made packages i.e. a certain amount of digital files or prints upfront. I want to pay the photographer for their time and talent and then want the flexibility to buy whatever I want. I don’t want to be pressured into getting a package that has some things I will never use such as a print size I don’t want on my wall. Whatever end product you would like from your photo session, make sure the photographer can provide it before booking with them.