Be it a wedding, your family portraits or the birth of your new child, you may find yourself looking for a photographer. Well, this may be a strange topic to write about since well….I AM a photographer but I think it’s a good topic to write about anyway. I am not soliciting business, however! Just educating. So, I was meeting with a potential client recently and was sharing with them my business philosophy on how to choose a photographer. As I was sharing it, I thought about how passionate I am about it and so of course…that meant I had to blog about it. So here I am.
When I first started my business, I was a photography blog-stalking CREEPER. Ok, not really because we all know that blog-stalking doesn’t count as real stalking. Duh. Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves so that we don’t feel weird. Anyway, stalked I did and in the plethora of photographers out there, I found a certain few that stood out and I kept coming back to their pages. There were about three or four of them and I began to realize that they all had one thing in common. That was that their personality came out strongly on their blog and in their work. It was in the way they shot, what they wrote about and especially the way they wrote. Basically, I wanted to be their best friend. I wanted to make friendship bracelets that said BFFL. Now before you start thinking I’m a crazy person, let me explain how I think this is super important and not psycho…
First of all, there are a LOT of photographers these days and a lot of them are very talented. If you are in the market for a photographer, you will quickly find that you have several options, obviously varying in the size of city you live in. However, what kept me coming back to their blogs was not the quality of work that they were producing, although that was part of it. What I loved about these photographers and what made me love their work was because of WHO they were. I felt like if we were to meet up for a cup of coffee or even do a photo shoot, I’d feel completely at ease. If there is one thing I have learned in my years of photography, it is that being photographed does NOT feel natural and the best way to make it natural, is to be photographed by someone you enjoy and trust. I cannot emphasize this enough. I especially believe this to be true when picking a wedding photographer because the photographer is with you more on your wedding day than anyone else and honestly, often times in the most intimate situations. Weddings tend to be naturally stressful days and you need someone with you who will not only DE-stress situations but also someone whom you will feel comfortable with in the midst of potential stress. I believe this so passionately that I flat-out tell my potential clients, if I’m not the photographer that they feel the most comfortable with then they shouldn’t book me! Dangerous some might say but I personally think it serves both parties well. This is why I strongly suggest meeting with your photographer before booking them, or at least having a Skype date. Oh, the beauty of modern technology.
So, as you are considering hiring a photographer be it weddings, family, newborn etc., make sure their work is something you like and admire, but also..and maybe more importantly…consider if you trust them and enjoy being in their presence. I promise it will make all the difference.
Happy Friday!
(Since every post is better with a picture, here is one of my favorite shots from a recent wedding. I love the expression on their faces as they make their grand exit. Pure joy!)
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