How to Choose a Photographer
Kansas City has an overwhelming number of photographers, as do thousands of other communities around the country. Every summer I see 3-5 acquaintances do the very same thing I did 4 years ago…. announce they were officially “open for business” and now booking photography sessions. Good for them! There are few things more empowering than owning and operating your own business – especially when that business is successful and in it for the long haul!
This is not a post to moan and whine about how much competition there is in this industry.
This is a post to educate you on the acceptable criteria for choosing your photographer.
The Goal:
Beautiful pictures of your loved ones, that you will display in your home and treasure for generations to come.
Seems like it shouldn’t be hard, right? So you ask some friends on Facebook “looking for a great photographer, that’s reasonably priced“. They tag a dozen people, you take 30 seconds on each website or business page on Facebook, and quickly shoot over a pricing request to half a dozen of them. They respond, and you go with… wait for it…. the cheapest option. You then reply to the others that are running full-service kinds of businesses, and actually took the time to check in with you, “sorry! I love your work, but we found someone cheaper.”
Ugh. I get it. I really do. I’m a bargain shopper – I troll the end caps in Target like a pro, but some things shouldn’t be purchased simply because it’s the cheapest!
Let me tell how this should go.
You ask some friends what photographers they love, but leave the whole “reasonably priced” line out of it. Now make a list of all of those photographers and get digging online…
Criteria #1 – Quality and Style Do your due diligence and actually spend a little bit of time on the mentioned photographers’ websites and/or Facebook pages. Really study their work! Are pictures in focus? Do the colors look good, or are they a little crazy/off? Do they offer a style you love? Because let’s face it – you’re not going to be happy (and your photographer will be less than thrilled) if you’re looking for traditional poses, yet you book a lifestyle photographer that comes to your home, or vice versa. There is a photographer out there for you, that fits your vision and style perfectly – you just need to find him or her, and spending more than 30 seconds on their website will tell you if you’re a fit.
Criteria #2 – Personality You’re on a site, you’ve looked through the portfolio and it looks great – focused, great color, and fits your style – now what? Read through some of their recent blog posts, or check their “About Me” section, or read through recent social media posts. Do they sound like someone you’d enjoy spending an hour, 3 hours, an entire day with (depending on what you’re hiring for, of course!)?
That’s it – those are the two things you should be basing your decisions on!
If you’re in love with their work, take a quick peek to see if they have pricing info on their site. This isn’t so that you can now dismiss the photographer based on price – this is so you can mentally prepare yourself when money comes up. If they seem really out of reach to you in one lump sum, ask if they do payment plans. If they don’t, tell yourself you’re going to budget and save over the coming months, so that you CAN afford them. That’s what we do when we want to take a vacation, or buy a piece of furniture, or a new gadget, right? Photographs will last longer than that furniture or gadget, and just as long as the memories of that awesome vacation.
Now you can email the photographer, and gush about how much you love their work. Done.
Did you catch where I was going with that?
Don’t let the price determine who captures your family memories!
Yes, in this world there are stores that fit every budget, and there are photographers that fit every budget. But if you are letting price completely dictate which photographer you choose, you’re going to regret it at some point, whether it be because the style isn’t “you”, or your pictures aren’t in focus, or the print quality is terrible (because you were just handed a disc and told to print wherever), or the experience was just a hot mess in general. If you’re legitimately working on a tight budget and absolutely must have photos now, I bet with enough due diligence you can find someone just starting out who does fine work but is closer to your price range. The hard part is the due diligence!
Find someone you love, and plan to stick with them for just as long as possible.
I love my repeat clients dearly. It’s not because of the money they spend, it’s because of the relationships I’ve formed with them. They’re more than clients – they are friends.
I love watching their babies grow into toddlers, and into children.
I love watching families increase in size.
I love watching older children turn into high schoolers, and then head off to college.
I love conversing with a new mom about how tired yet blissfully happy she is.
I love when I’m out in public and a small child recognizes me as “the lady who takes pictures” and wants to run over and give me a high five! It’s even more rewarding when that happens with a child who had been really apprehensive about me at their session.
Those are reasons to hire me. Not because I’m the cheapest (and I won’t be), but because I produce quality work and a quality experience. Find someone who will do that for you.