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There are many things you should consider when choosing a photographer. Here is a list of some things you should keep in mind.
You get what you pay for. How much does the photographer actually know about photography? Is the photographer concerned about making you comfortable, and working with you, or are they pushy and demanding? Does the photographer offer services/photo packages to suit your needs? Are they willing to makes changes to their services/packages to suit your needs? When hired to photograph a wedding, how many photos will your photographer take? Beware of "hidden charges". Do they offer high quality prints? You get what you pay for. While it is frequently the case that the most expensive photographer in the area is not always the best, it is usually true that the cheapest photographer is the cheapest for a reason. Usually it is because they either don't do good work, or they have little or no training and/or experience. You will find that my prices are about mid-range as compared to other photographers in the area. I do photography because I love it, so I don't believe in over-charging my customers. When comparing photographers, beware of their "hype". For example, one local photographer says they are "licensed". There is no "license" for photographers; no agency that gives photographers a "license" to do business. It is just a false statement on their part to try to make you think they are somehow more legitimate than other photographers. I believe my work speaks for itself, and I would never try to mislead someone to get business. How much does the photographer actually know about photography? Unfortunately, there are no standards a person has to meet in order to refer to their self a professional photographer. Anyone can buy a camera and claim to be a professional photographer. Being able to take great photos is not simply a matter of just buying a good camera. It takes a lot of time and effort to truly be a professional photographer. Even when a person knows the technical aspects of shooting good photos, it still takes a lot of time actually shooting photos to become really great at it. It is even more difficult to shoot great photos when you only have one chance to get it right, such as at a wedding, concert or sporting event. This kind of photography requires special knowledge and a lot of experience in order to do it well. I have loved taking photos all of my life. That is why I went to college to study photography in order to become a professional photographer. I have been a photographer since 1994. In addition to shooting many weddings, portraits, pets and senior photos, I have also worked as a band photographer, shooting photos at concerts. I have had photos published in 2 magazines. Is the photographer concerned about making you comfortable, and working with you, or are they pushy and demanding? Many times when I have shot photos at a wedding, I have had people comment to me about how much they like they way I get the photos I need to take and I go about it in a nice and friendly way. They tell me that most photographers are pushy to the point of being rude when they tell people where they need them to stand, how to pose, and in trying to keep the wedding guests from inadvertently getting in the shot or causing the photo shoot to take longer than necessary. It is my goal to always do my job professionally and to do so without being intrusive or disruptive. I believe in making my work a good experience for everyone involved. If everyone is relaxed and comfortable, the photos naturally turn out better. This is the approach I take when doing all types of photography, whether it is a wedding, portraits or any other type of photography. Does the photographer offer services/photo packages to suit your needs? Are they willing to makes changes to their services/packages to suit your needs? Many photographers are very limited in the services/photo packages they offer to their customers. As a result, their customers may end up paying for services and/or photos they don't really need. For example, some photographers may only offer their services to photograph a wedding at one set rate, i.e. they charge X amount of dollars for 6 hours of photography. If you only need them for 2 hours, they will still charge you the same rate. I offer a wide variety of services and packages, and I am also willing to make adjustments to the services and packages I offer to suit your needs. When hired to photograph a wedding, how many photos will your photographer take? Many photographers will only shoot the exact amount of photos that you get in the package you have hired them for. For example, if your wedding package is for 50 photos, they will only shoot 50 photos. Even if they are a great photographer, is it highly unlikely that all of the photos will turn out good, and if any of them aren't good you are stuck with them. When I shoot a wedding, even if the couple is only getting a package with 50 photos, I usually shoot about 250-300 photos. I shoot many photos during the ceremony, as well as several photos of each key point in the ceremony (exchanging rings, etc.) so I can be certain to have good photos of everything. I also shoot several of each pose/grouping after the ceremony. Before presenting the photos to the couple, I edit them, eliminating any that are not suitable for printing (such as photos where someone is blinking or moving for example). I make any necessary adjustments to the brightness and contrast, and then the couple is presented with a proof CD of the photos so that they can choose photos they want equal to the number of photos in the package they purchased, and they also have the option to purchase any additional photos they may want. Beware of "hidden charges". Always find out what is and isn't included in your session fee/package up front. A photographer may have a low price for their session fee, but surprise you with very high prices on their packages once the photos are taken. They may offer only the most basic services, and do no editing to their photos even when some minor editing could greatly improve the photo, or charge high fees to do any retouching on the photos. Some also charge extra for clothing changes or to have friends in any of the photos with you. Most photographers only allow you to chose 1-5 poses for your Senior or portrait package depending on the size of the package you purchase. I always do any necessary adjustments to brightness/contrast before my clients see their proofs. With all Senior and Portrait packages, I do limited retouching (retouching a few blemishes, etc.) for free on the photos chosen for their package, which is all most clients ever need. I don't charge for clothing changes or friends in the photos. I just tell my clients to be aware that the more clothing changes they make, the less time there will be to take photos, and they can include friends for free. I am very flexible in allowing my clients to choose multiple poses for their package. For Wedding packages, I do free retouching on all enlargements. At one wedding I shot, the bride got a rather large and noticeable bruise on her arm shortly before her wedding. This was quite apparent in the photo she chose for her enlargement, so her mother asked me if it would be possible to edit the photo to remove the bruise, which I did. When they received the photo, her mother was amazed and very pleased with the results, because not only had I removed the bruise, but she couldn’t even tell that I had done anything to the photo. I have extensive experience in digital photo editing and graphics, so I am able to offer a lot of services other photographers don’t. I can do everything from something as simple as removing a bruise or blemish to advanced graphics such as combining multiple photos into one (for examples see my Graphics Gallery page). Do they offer high quality prints? If a photographer uses a digital camera (as most photographers do these days), and they print the photos themselves, you are almost guaranteed that the prints will not be of the highest quality available today. If the photographer just gives you a CD or DVD of the photos and you have to get the prints made yourself locally, I can tell you from experience that you will probably be very disappointed with the quality of the photos. The technology for printing digital photos is advancing at a rapid pace, and the equipment to print professional-quality digital photos is very expensive. Because of this, I use a professional lab for all of the prints for my customers. They print photos for many professional photographers all over the country, so they can afford to keep up with the latest printing technology, which I could never do on my own. It is always a good idea to ask how long you can expect the photos you receive to last. The life-expectancy of most photos printed locally will probably only be 15-30 years maximum. The life-expectancy of the photos you will receive from me is about 100 years, so these photos can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come.
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