Chosing the Right Photographer

You've probably found yourself on my site, well, because your looking for a photographer, right? Well you found me, one of many! The photography market seems to be a saturated one. Instead of sitting here and complaining about competition or trying to reel you in, I am wanting to offer you some solid advise when choosing your photographer. I feel like the photography market is just like any other market. You have your choice of grocery stores, car sales markets, pharmacies, fast food restaurants, gas stations and just about anything else......YOU have a choice.

Everyone is a photographer since the availability of cameras in phones. You pick one up become addicted to taking those selfies and pictures of other people. You think you like it and start taking pictures of others. Of course, you do not want to hire someone who is a cell phone photographer. While I have saw some pretty nice images produced from a cell phone, they are just not able to produce the quality images of a DSLR. I use Nikon just because it is a personal preference. The make of the camera really plays no difference. Canon, Nikon, Sony really doesn't matter. The camera make doesn't matter. The lens quality will MATTER. Without quality glass your pictures will not be sharp and crisp. That's why a DSLR has interchangeable lens. The glass I use depends on what I am shooting and what I want my final product to look like. A good photographer well have a good camera and a good piece of glass to go with it, not just a kit lens, and they will know how to use it.

Now how can you tell a photographer is good? Well that simply depends on YOUR eye. Most colleges offer courses in photography but few really offer degrees in photography, some do offer certificates. Your degree would be in Arts, not photography itself. Photography is an art much like drawing or music, not each artist will have the same style. Most photographers are self taught or have trained under a seasoned photographer. You really want someone who knows how to work their camera and not someone who picks it up and shots. There are classes, webinars, and training courses with other photographers. I have trained with a seasoned photographer for over a year, took I don't know how many webinars, studied child safety ( most of my college classes were Early Childhood Education), and posing guides and I still don't know everything and probably never will. But I like learning and hope I never run out of things to learn. Cameras like any other technology are always changing and getting better. So choosing a photographer who has took college classes isn't a must. What YOU must DO, is look over their work and decide if YOU like their style of photography, their ART. Ask to see examples of their work, both in print and digital. Pay attention to details and the composition. Remember that the quality of their work will always outmatch the quantity. Look at it like this would you rather have 10-15 great images in a gallery to chose from or 80 snapshots you could have done yourself. Would you rather have a large steak or a lot of french fries?

Now that you have found a photographer that has a camera and knows how to use it and you like their art. You need to talk to them and discuss exactly what you expect out of your session. Make your expectations known and get their feedback, share ideas. Get a feel for that photographer and their attitude. Make sure they are someone you are wanting to work with. A photographer will more than likely be your shadow or guide for your entire session and if you can't get along with them, you will have a miserable session, and some sessions are long depending on what you are needing.