Let’s face it, in the world we live in today, everyone is a “Photographer.” The little tiny camera you have in your pocket can snap a picture, and if you add a cool filter – it’s pretty much the same thing that a professional Photographer can do. Right?! Not quite.
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Photographers = Chefs
In understanding photography, what Photographers actually do – I like to equate it to being a Chef. Unless you are on an extreme diet, fasting, or something along those lines, there is a good chance that you prepare meals for yourself on a daily basis. You may even be the person in your household that prepares meals for the entire family. You’re pretty much a Chef. Right?! Not quite.
If you give a world class Chef an egg and tell them to prepare their best rendition of a hard boiled egg – there is a GOOD chance that you may not be able to tell the difference between the egg they cooked and an egg you make every week. There is, however, a 99.9% chance that they will not mess it up. I will be honest and admit that I’ve set out to boil a few eggs, got distracted, and completely destroyed breakfast.
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The same goes for photography. If you give someone with an iPhone a really good lighting situation and a nice background – they may be able to take a picture that looks pretty good. I may take a picture with my DSLR and you may not be able to tell a huge difference. Where Chefs and Photographers earn their keep is when you give them more than just an egg to boil.
What Type of Food Does Your Photographer Cook?
Just like Chefs, Photographers have specialties. In general, a Chef can probably cook MOST things decently. A professional Photographer is the same way. They are going to understand light, camera settings and how they apply to various situations, etc. But putting a 3 day old baby in front of a Photographer who specializes in weddings can be like putting sushi in front of an authentic Mexican style Chef. Just because they know how to cook, doesn’t mean that they can cook EVERYTHING. It doesn’t work like that for Chefs and it definitely doesn’t work like that for Photographers.
I shoot 15-20 weddings a year and am comfortable in almost any situation that may come up on your wedding day. I haven’t had any “bride-zillas,” never had a Bride/Groom not say “I do” when prompted; and so this is why I say almost.
I can’t say the same for newborn portraits or architectural photography… I’ve had newborn sessions where I just knocked the session out of the park. But I have also had newborn portraits where it was difficult and I’ve vowed to never do another newborn session again.!That’s because I don’t shoot a lot of newborn sessions; and it is just something that I do not specialize in. I’m upfront and honest with people who inquire about this.
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Advice: do not go to an Italian restaurant and ask for a cheeseburger 😉 There may be Italian restaurants that actually serve cheeseburgers (though I have never seen one). But I am almost certain that this is not something that they specialize in.
Photographers are the same way. Most wedding photographers will be able to also shoot families, maternity, and engagement portraits. That is because a lot of the skills that are required to be a wedding Photographer also apply to other portrait session. If you ask a wedding Photographer to shoot a building, chances are they wouldn’t even know where to start; and they probably do not have equipment and the proper lenses to do it either.
Do Your Research
If you are like my wife and I, you may try a new restaurant based off of what others have reported and what their reviews say online. Sure, there may be a small percentage of people who have had bad experiences at “5 star” restaurants. But until robots are completely operating restaurants, no service is going to be perfect. Reviews are a great way to evaluate a Photographer. If the Photographer that you hire for your wedding is going to be around your closest friends and family for 8-10 hours, PLEASE make sure that you do a cursory review of them 🙂 Meet with them and get a feel for them. Ask them questions. Do your research.
