Tips for hiring a photogrpher in 2020

I hear you are in the market for a great photographer. With a quick online search, you find that your options are almost unlimited. It is enough to send your head spinning with all your available options. Well with the right questions you can slim down that never-ending list of photographers in your area. Although you may not be that savvy when it comes to the in’s and out’s of photography, pretending that you are can go a long way. Now don’t run out and take a course solely for this purpose, as more than likely you may never need to hire a professional ever again. So, how do you fake it? Well here are some questions you can ask that will let the photographer know you mean business.

Question number 1: Can I see three complete events or sessions from start to finish with everything that was delivered to that client? Well, there is a reason this is the first question. Photography is often judged by what we can see, right? A smart person will always show you their very best, no matter what business they are in, so will photographers. A professional will not have an issue with this request because chances are they have shoot hundreds if not thousands of events over the years. It will also showcase their work across all kinds of lighting conditions which is very important. You want to make certain that the photographer you choose is capable of handling the entire day no matter what the situation.

Question number 2: Do you have a plan, in the event that you are not able to photograph our event? This is another question that many clients don’t take into consideration when choosing a photographer. The truth is stuff happens and it is never planned for by someone who doesn’t genuinely have your once in a lifetime event in mind. A professional always has your event well planned out including things you may or may not be thinking about, it is their job right, that’s why you hire a professional.

Question number 3: Can we invite you over for dinner or out to dinner? I know what your thinking, why would I invite her or him over for dinner, right? Well here is something that is very important, do you like the guy or gal who is photographing your wedding? This can be huge, I mean who wants to share their big day with someone they don’t like or worse someone they feel uncomfortable having around. It would make the entire day so uncomfortable. I would rather lose $10 and a night with friends than my forever day with that special person in my life. I think most of you would agree.

Question number 4: Do you have backup equipment such as cameras, lenses, and flashes? Again, STUFF happens. Make sure your photographer has at least one extra backup to all their photography gear including cameras, lenses, and flashes. I cannot tell you how many times I have dropped a camera and had the lens or flash snap right off the camera. In which case I simply grabbed another one out of my bag and kept on shooting, to the clients delight knowing that I am not missing a beat. I have also had cameras just stop working for no reason at all in which case I was also ready with a backup.

Well, those are the questions I would most definitely be asking myself if I had to hire someone to photograph something really important to me and my family. I know that everyone has different standards but if you are paying any sort of price for your photography then these questions should also be important to you too.