5 Things to Look for When You’re Hiring a Photographer
So you’re lookin’ for a photographer ehhhhhh? That’s good. Truthfully I’m partial to photographers, I don’t know why. Ha. Ha. Ha.
With photographers being everywhere, it can be intimidating and hard to choose just one. I’m a big proponent of treating photographers like they’re restaurants. What I mean by that is, you can hire different photographers, for different things! Every photographer has a different style and vision, and I’m a big fan of spreading your dollar. So, if you pick one photographer for say, your wedding, that doesn’t mean that you can’t go with someone else for newborn.
Anyway, I’m hoping these pointers will help point you toward someone that is going to execute your vision, whatever that is.
Yourself.
That’s right. You should look for yourself, and I don’t mean literally your face. I mean — do you see humans that look like you reflected in their body of work? Do you see a wide range of bodies, of colours, or abilities? Or do you see just one type of person?
If you do see yourself, look at HOW they capture them. When you see people living in bigger bodies, does the photographer go out of their way to hide parts of them? Is there clever lighting to diminish parts of their bodies? How is the editing? If you’re Black or a NBPOC, are they able to edit your skin tone? Or does it look really purple? Do the humans that look like you, look comfortable? Would you be comfortable if that was a photo of yourself?
A website or portfolio.
It took me a long time to create a website that I was proud of. The very beginning incarnations of my website/portfolio were just … terrible. But, it was because photography wasn’t my main focus, it was more of a side thing. So I didn’t feel an overwhelming desire to pour my energy into a presentable website. Skip forward to when I started doing this full time, professionally, a good website was at the top of my list.
Having a website or a portfolio is one kind of proof that the person is who they say they are. A website should clearly reflect their body of work, or start to. It should be easy to navigate, and offer an insight into their services offered. A website that feels cluttered, or messy, or chaotic — is an indication that the photographer doesn’t quite have their feet under them. Which isn’t a bad thing, ‘cause we all start from somewhere. But that’s something to keep in mind when you’re booking them.
Social proof.
Or also called… word of mouth. Social proof is the tangible verification from previous clients or peers that you’re good at what you do. This looks like reviews, social shares, or just straight up word of mouth. An established photographer should have something that offers prospective clients an insight into what it was like to BE a client.
So before you book someone, think: where did I find them? Do I know someone that was photographed by them? Do they have a current google listing with a few reviews? Do they have reviews on their website?
What do we do when we are looking for a new dog groomer or skin care line? We ask our friends. Reading reviews is the same thing. Asking the broader community if this person is good at what they do.
Full — and varied — galleries.
This may seem like an odd one, but let me put it in perspective. When I shoot a session, I end up with anywhere from 800-1200 RAW photos. I then cull that down to around 100 and edit those. I want to say like 10% of these photos are totally accidental. Happy mistakes if you will. Photos where I didn’t think about composition, framing, light. They just happened. These sometimes can make for incredible photos, but they’re usually not the full story.
A full gallery (even ONE) gives you proof (again) that they can capture good photos again, and again, and again. Not accidentally. It also gives you an indication of what a full set of photos will end up looking like. Do they edit all photos the same? Is it chaos? Or is it a nice mix of moody and airy? Does the gallery you’re looking at offer a mixture of colour and black and white?
Can a photographer capture amazing photos without PRISTINE lighting conditions? Because honestly… can you really take a bad photo at sunset with a curated wardrobe and an immeasurably adorable family? (I mean, you can … but I’m being hyperbolic to make a point.) What does the photographers photos look like not at sunset? What do they look like inside, in studio or in dim lighting conditions?
I can speak for myself when I say it’s super easy to get comfortable within this art form. Shooting in similar circumstances all the time doesn’t force you to think outside the box or flex new creative muscles. When all of the photographers work is in one location (or one lighting condition like sunset), it should make you wonder what their work looks like elsewhere.
A style or mission you love.
Every photographer is different, and art is sooo subjective. No one person is going to do it the same. Which is why when people say, “ugh, there’s like a million photographers” I’m like: “Ya! Isn’t it wonderful?! Another person to interpret a situation differently”. Your options for photographers are limitless, but because of that it can feel overwhelming to chose. So find a photographer who’s style or mission resonates with you. It’s the same as “going with your gut”.
Some photographers are moodier, darker, and richer (tonally). Some are brighter or airier. Some are conceptual. Some are masters of retouching. Some are portrait wizards. Some are lifestyle, some are more posed. Some want to smash patriarchy with their work. There isn’t a wrong way to do the photography thing, there’s just wrong photographer/client pairings.
So, find someone who you jive with, style wise and personally. (Especially for your wedding, you should SUPER meet the photographer before hand). Think about what you want your wedding/branding/breastfeeding photos to LOOK like. Think about what you want them to FEEL like. Think about what someone would say when they saw the resulting images on a wall in your home.
And hey… if you’re the type of person that’s really just looking for someone to take a photo to pop on a Christmas card so your grandma will stop harassing you for updated photos, that’s fine TOO. There’s a photographer for that, I swear.
