How to hire the right photographer

They may have the same tools but how they use them makes all the difference. With digital SLR cameras becoming so popular, I find many guests at weddings carrying a camera that would be sufficient for wedding photography. I see many entry-level photographers get asked to do their first wedding. "Oh you have a nice camera." I have a few wrenches but you do not want me to do your brakes on your car. Here are a few tips to find the right photographer.

1. Consider the photo needs: "Hire the right type of photographer" -based on type of service

A great concert event coverage photographer may do an awesome job at concerts but do they know the ins and outs of a wedding day? Despite the tools, camera knowledge and wonderful personality; anticipation of the wedding day takes years of time to gain the experience to capture all the great moments as they unfold. Hire someone that has experience in the type of photography you are seeking. Most photographers can make the shutter adjustments, change the aperture as needed and tweak the ISO a bit but that doesn't mean they understand how to pose the subject, move the product or capture the creative angle.

2. Determine your style: Wedding Photographywedding photography, engagement shoot,

The best way to determine your style is to find photos that you like. Google images and Pinterest's are the fastest and best ways that I recommend. I would make a board or a folder of images you would like the photographer to capture. This helps you decided what you ultimately want. When you start looking for photographers you will know that you have found a pretty good match when you find a photographer that shoots photos similar to your style.

3. Determining a budget:

I put this as the 3rd items because I think that if you have not covered the top two items.... it doesn't matter if it was free.....you may not have captured the memories that you were wanting. The wedding day only happens once "hopefully". The 6mth baby photos have a very small window of time to be captured. Many people are on a budget, which I do understand but a cheap hair cut may hang around for a while. Cheap wedding day photos hang around forever. On the other hand, cost does not always determine quality. The goal is to line up a photographer that specializes in your area of photo needs, has a portfolio of images that you love and provides you with a personality that you can work with. When you have all of these things in line, then you sort based on a price point that you are happy with.

4. Referrals:

Who do you know that used the same photographer? Did your friend use the photographer and get great photos along with a great experience? If the answer is yes, then the photographer may be a good fit for you. When 1+2=3 then go 4 it. Many people can shoot an awesome photo. Many people can dial in the right camera settings but when people you call friends get along with other people there is an increased chance that you may get along with them as well. If images quality and price have meet your standard, then a friend referral may be the last need bit of confidence to hire the photographer.

5 Overall Service:

Burn & turn, album, printed products, a canvas and or wall art. Do you want to get the disk and print them all yourself? Do you want to make the wedding album? Do you trust the 16x 20 canvas that you are ordering from an online company that you have never heard of? Some new photographers have not yet figured out the printing side of photography. Others have not mastered the Photoshoping and processing of images. Some just do not want to deal with sorting orders. While all of these sound like legitimate reasons to not provide full services, you may be in that same boat. If you hire a pro, you probably want pro services. I know that when I want KFC I go to the restaurant and order it from them. I could get some chicken, oil, breading and try it myself but I cannot expect it to taste the same or even look the same for that matter. The same goes for photos. If years of cooking have allowed you a skill set to make great chicken...them make it. At the same time if you do not have years of post production on image processing then let the pro take care of it.

Conclusion

If none of the above matter then get out your iPhone and shoot away. Actually, today's smartphones do a great job of shooting great snapshots and with the user-friendly apps for cool post production, many get the digital fix via smart phones. However when it comes to wanting professional photos do your homework. Some photo jobs can be met by a college photo student or a person just starting out whereas other will require an experienced pro with a specialty in that area.