How To Find The Best Photographer

4 Ways To Find The Best Photographer For You

With hundreds of different Photographers to choose from, how do you find the best Photographer for you? Some Photographers I will share with you 4 ways to find the best Photographer for what you are looking for.

First Figure Out The Style That You Are Looking For

Often times, people search for Photographers solely on price. Pricing definitely matters – but it should not be the first thing that you consider. I believe that finding a Photographer who shoots in a style that you like is VERY important. Because at the end of the day, if they are in your “price range,” but do not shoot in a style you can appreciate – you are not going to be happy with the outcome. For example, many Photographers shoot in a style that is very posed and do a lot of post production to make every image look perfectly polished. Other Photographers shoot in a style that is very candid and focus on capturing genuine moments for their clients. The images may not be perfectly polished – but the moments are captured beautifully. I prefer to shoot sessions in this manner 🙂

You can gauge a Photographer’s style by looking through their portfolio of images. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is to hire a Photographer and then try to get them to shoot in a style that you saw elsewhere. PRO TIP: presenting your Photographer with posing examples from a bunch of other Photographers is not the best idea. They may not prefer to shoot this way; and chances are that the images that you are showing them are not possible to recreate. For example, you may have seen a beautiful sunset image where the sun is vibrant and shooting through trees, etc. While this may be a great image, recreating this at 12 PM in the afternoon will not be possible 🙂 Feel free to let your Photographer know the types of images, in their portfolio, that you like and they can give suggestions on the best time of day and location to get similar images.

Make Sure They Specialize In The Type of Photography You Are Looking For

Perhaps the most important factor to consider is whether or not the Photographer you are seeking specializes in the photography you are looking for. It may surprise you to know that not every Photographer shoots every type of photography. For example, some photographers shoot ONLY weddings or newborns and shoot nothing else. Some Photographers shoot families but do not shoot weddings. And there are some Photographers who will shoot most session types but do not specialize in newborns in the way that another Photographer who only shoots newborns does.

Specialization is a MAJOR thing to consider when looking to hire the best Photographer for what you are looking for. Like I previously mentioned, hiring a Photographer who does not shoot in a style you can appreciate will most likely end up with you not being in love with your images. The same goes for selecting a Photographer who specializes in what you are looking for.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you that every Photographer is at a different point in their photography “journey.” When I was just getting into photography, I REALLY wanted to learn wedding photography but had never shot a wedding before. In fact, the very first wedding that I shot I made $500 and split this with another Photographer that I knew; and I was glad that they did not ask me if I had ever shot a wedding before. A lot could have gone wrong – and luckily it did not 🙂 But at that point in my photography journey, I definitely did not specialize in wedding photography! I had a good idea on what needed to be done – but with Photography, experience really matters.

Find Out What You Will Get

Every Photographer operates their business differently. Once you have figured out their style and specialization, it is important to narrow down what you will receive and how. Here are some of the most common areas that may be different from Photographer-to-Photographer.

• Contracts: Most full-time Photographers will require you to submit an online contract and possibly a retainer fee.
• Prints vs Digital: Some Photographers deliver ONLY prints and others deliver all digital files. Some Photographers may only deliver low resolution digital files and require you to purchase prints or higher resolution images directly through them.
• Number of Images Delivered: A session may be priced REALLY low – but you only receive a few edited images.
• How long it will take to receive your images: Depending on the workflow of the Photographer, it may take several weeks to receive the final images. Even months! Make sure that you get a time frame that works for you.
• Added costs to the session: Some Photographers charge a “sitting fee” – which only covers the taking of the images. Purchasing the actual prints or files is an extra fee. Finding out what is included in what you are paying for is important.

Read Their Reviews

When looking for a Photographer, researching their online reviews is also really important. Taking a look at their overall “rating” and the number of reviews will tell you a lot about the Photographer. This is not to say that it is the only thing to consider. But it is a great indication of who you will be hiring. Steer clear of any Photographer who has too many negative reviews. The best Photographer for what you are looking for should have decent reviews 🙂

Hopefully these are some useful tips on finding the best Photographer for what you need to have photographed. If you are interested in photography, I would love to connect with you. The best way to reach me is through a quick email ([email protected]) or through the contact form on my website. Thanks!