Picking a Photographer: Value vs. Worth

Today, I am going to share about something near and dear to my heart. 

At least once a week, I see something on social media (usually Facebook) that goes a little something like this:

Post: "Hey I'm looking for a photographer to do my {maternity, family, wedding, etc.} pictures. Does anyone have any suggestions on photographers that are good and really inexpensive? Thanks a bunch!"


Comments on Post: "My {sister, friend, roommate, etc.} does photography and he/she's really cheap!" times about 20 because EVERYONE seems to know someone that is an alleged "photographer".

When I see something like this happen, I literally cringe. Every. Single. Time. Not because people are looking for photographer suggestions on Facebook, but because of the following:

1. Photography is an art form and should be treated as such. When people use the word "cheap" in the same sentence as photography it takes away from the artistic value that photography is supposed to bring into your life and home. When you have your pictures taken, you're essentially asking for artwork featuring you and your family to use to decorate your home, pass out to loved ones, and show to all you know. It is important to remember the significance of what you're asking for and beware of cheapening the quality of the artwork that you are asking for. 
2. Value and Worth are two different things in the photography world. I have spoken to countless brides that have had near nightmarish experiences with their wedding photographers, and multiple new mommies that have been disappointed with the pictures that they get of their brand new baby. Typically these individuals had chosen to go with the cheapest possible option for their photography, and forgot that really great photography takes real skill and experience. The biggest problem for these individuals however is that there is no recapturing the events that they chose to have captured by someone who was not qualified to record them in the first place. You only get one wedding day, your babies are only newborn once, and your family will only look the way that they do in a given year in that specific year. With life moments being so priceless, it's amazing to me that people will sometimes only look at the price tags when picking a photographer and forget to look at the real worth and quality of the work they'll be receiving. 

With that being said, it can be hard sometimes to know what to look for when picking out a photographer for your special family events. Thus the reason for this post. I have been studying and practicing photography for the past nine years. This is what I studied to do all throughout high school and college, and since then I continue to keep myself updated and in a constant state of learning to keep up to date with everything. Because this is a topic that I have had a bit of experience with, I figured I'd share a few tips and things to look for when looking for a photographer to capture your own special stories. Your photographer doesn't have to be me (this isn't meant to be a sales pitch), but I hope that by sharing some thoughts from Photographer to Client I can hopefully educate and help avoid any photography regrets.

When Looking For a Photographer....

1. Make sure that your photographer is technically sound. I can not emphasize enough the importance of this step. Look at the galleries/portfolios of potential photographers. Are subjects in focus? Are the subjects' faces well lit? Can you see the light in their eyes? Are skin colors natural looking (no yellow or blue looking skin due to color issues)? Is the sky in the pictures stark white or does it have some color? Do photos have a lot of harsh looking filters to try and compensate for lack of skill? Is the quality of work from picture to picture consistent? All of these are questions to ask yourself while looking through a photographer's gallery. This is the first step because it will help you separate the experienced photographers from the self-proclaimed DSLR camera owners that don't have the technical experience to be charging people for pictures. Even if a photographer's prices are what could be considered "cheap", they won't be worth your time or money if they don't have the technical skill to give you high quality pictures. 
2. Is your photographer's specialty the type of session that you are looking for? Most photographers will advertise that they do all sorts of photography sessions (we don't want to push possible cliental away by only limiting ourselves to one type of photography), but typically a photographer will really shine in a specific "genre" of photography sessions. If you are looking for a photographer to do your family pictures, look at their family portfolios to see how that specific style looks. If you hire a photographer that specializes in newborns to shoot your wedding, your pictures will probably look good (given that you've followed step 1), but your best bet to getting great pictures will be by matching up what you're looking for to that specific gallery in your potential photographer's portfolio.  
3. Does your photographer's style with editing/posing match the style you're looking for? Once you've been able to wean your choices down to a technically sound photographer that fits the type of session that you're looking for, the last thing to keep in mind while looking is whether or not that photographer's personal signature and style matches what you like to see. Do you like pictures that are closer in to the subjects (head shots) or pictures that have much more of the nature or background in the frame? Do you like more classic traditional studio posing, or do you prefer more of a candid, lifestyle "in the moment" approach with your pictures? Whether you've got a strict style you prefer or you love a mix of ideas, it is important to choose a photographer that will match that style so that your pictures can really fit your personality and preference. 

I really hope that this post is able to help people out there. I know that some of the things may sound somewhat harsh, but I can PROMISE that if you'll just follow these few simple steps when choosing a photographer, you'll find that you'll be able to find photographers with the skills necessary to give you really valuable photos that you will love for years to come! The most amazing part about it is that typically these photographers aren't that much more expensive than the ones that could potentially cause you heartache and picture regret! Do your homework, value the artistic value of what you're looking for, and you really can't go wrong! If there are any additional questions at all please feel free to email me or comment! I'd love to hear what you have to say and help in whatever way I can! Also, to read more about my philosophies with my personal photography work, feel free to visit my website to read a little bit more. 

-Lots of Love! Chelsea Elena Pett-