top tips – insights from behind the lens

Everyone’s a Photographer Series (3/5)

In a world dominated by images and a market place saturated with “professional photographers”, it may seem like a daunting task to find and choose a photographer that’s right for you. This series of articles covers the current trends, and provides some tips to help you in the selection process.

Part 3 Top Questions to Ask before Hiring a Photographer

So, in a world filled with people who have cameras, and therefore by definition have the necessary tools to take a photo, how do you choose who to work with for your photoshoot?

Some of the questions below may seem obvious, but I am often surprised by the number of clients who do not have answers to these questions while searching for a photographer to hire.

I trust that these questions will narrow down the field of photographers who are right for you, and guide you in that decision making process.

What is your budget?
What are you expecting for that investment, and are they realistic?
How important are the images to you?
Does the photographer have the right stuff for your particular photoshoot?

What is your budget?

From the outset, your budget may determine whether you do it yourself, hire a student photographer, a serious hobbyist, or a professional photographer. Typically, we do not expect to purchase a Lamborghini, if our budget will only allow the purchase of a second hand Ford Fiesta. Also, we usually do not ask a major grocery store chain to discount our food bill because we are a start up business with tight cash flow. However in creative service fields, such as photography, clients sometimes have the expectation that they will get the Lamborghini with the discount.

By the same token, I do not necessarily believe in the saying – “you get what you paid for” – that the service/ product quality is always commensurate with the amount spent. There are many professional photographers offering very competitive rates; and there are many highly talented serious hobbyists that can, and are willing to do the work for a much lower fee. However, it is unreasonable to expect to hire a seasoned professional photographer at the same rate offered by a tourist on a working holiday looking for some extra cash before they move on. As outlined in the previous article, professional photographers are running a service-based business with overheads and operating expenses, and are typically in it for the long haul.

Whether it is critical for you to hire a professional photographer or not, is most likely determined by the next three questions.

What are you expecting to receive for that investment?

It is important to have some understanding about the photography process so you can set realistic expectations of what you may get for your investment. I encourage you to delve into other articles on my website to learn more about the technical aspects that influence the costs charged to clients for photography services.

If your budget is about the same as what you would spend on a dinner for two at your local Thai restaurant, you cannot expect the photographer to deliver images looking as though they have been plucked from the glossy pages of a Vogue magazine.

It is important to note that different photographers will include different levels of service in their quotes. When trying to decide between two or more photographers, it may feel as though you are trying to compare apples with oranges (… you probably are). When requesting a quote from a photographer, it is important that you clearly understand what is and what is not included in the service fees.

If the photographer has provided little explanation of what is included in their fee, go back and ask for more detail before accepting the quote. Do not assume that service fees will automatically include a certain number of images or a certain level of post production work if it is not detailed. Just because your previous photographer provided this service, does not mean that your new hire has those services included in their fees.

Seek clarification from the photographer on photography terms such as original images, edited images, retouched images as well as copyright and licensing arrangements. Read more about photography terms here.

How important are the images to you?

If you only need some feel good images to post on your personal social media and probably never look at again, then you don’t need a seasoned professional to do the job, particularly if there are cheaper options on the table.

If the images are going to capture once in a lifetime memories, or are intended to represent your business/ brand and help drive your livelihood, then you will want to work with a seasoned photographer – someone that has demonstrated experience in that genre of photography.

When selecting a photographer, ask for examples of their previous work which reflects their ability to meet your particular photoshoot requirements. Provide the potential photographer with brief description of your requirements and even some reference images or a mood board. An experienced photographer will be able to advise you on what can be achieved based on your budget, if their natural photography style and experience matches your requirements, and they will be able to give you options and explain how they have managed comparable assignments in the past.

Does the photographer have the right stuff to do the job?

Typically, a photographer may provide services in one or more genres of photography. In the next article you will discover how different types of photoshoots may need a different type of photographer. I will not discuss all genres of photography, but the selection will give you an idea of the types of things you may want to check out before hiring your photographer of choice.

Everyone’s a Photographer Series (5/5)

Part 5 Summary – Making the Choice

In a world where everyone is a photographer, what are the critical things to check out before making an investment and hiring a photographer?

There are lots of photographers out there. The marketplace is saturated with photographers with a diverse range of skill, experience and competence. Choosing one that is right for you can be confusing.

There are lots of photography genres, each requiring a unique set of skills, equipment, and work approach. Selecting a photographer should not be based on equipment or price alone. In certain situations, the interpersonal skills of the photographer or creative eye are far more important.

Before selecting a photographer, there are four questions you can consider to narrow down your choices.

What is my budget?
What are my expectations and are they realistic?
How important are the images to me?
Does the photographer have all the right stuff (attitude, customer focus and technical equipment) to do my assignment?

Once you have narrowed down your list :

Check out the photographer’s online galleries and see if you like their style, interpretation and quality of work. Does their work match your expectations?
Read their testimonials
Make sure you fully understand the level of service the photographer will provide for the quoted fee ( every photographer will quote differently). For example, if you are expecting your images to be fully retouched, presented on a pure white background and delivered in a file size that can be used for hard copy printing, then you need to check that this level of post production is included in the service fees to avoid unexpected hidden costs.
If you are uncertain about anything, ask questions. Does the photographer try to convince you based on the equipment they own and using vague technical terms, or do they try to convince you by sharing examples of work they have done and explaining their work flow processes in a way that you can understand. A client-focussed photographer will take the time to make sure they understand your needs, ease your anxieties, and will explain things that are confusing to you.
Most importantly, do you feel confident entrusting this person with your images?

I will finish this series with some sage advice that I received in a former career as a Human Resources Executive. A world renowned expert in interviewing and hiring, Dr Paul Green, said to me : “It is not the interviewee’s responsibility to work out what you need to know for them to get the job, it is your responsibility to work out if their combined personal attributes and technical skills are the best fit for the job by asking the right questions.” Before hiring a photographer, ask lots of questions so you can have confidence that you will be able to make the most from your investment.

^{Insights from behind the lens, is a collection of articles, links and resources to help clients make the most from their photography investment.  We will continue to build on this library of resources and add articles periodically.}

What does it take to be an event photographer?

© Copyright. Dragon Papillon Photography. 2017. From Recruitment International Awards 2017

Walking into an unfamiliar room, cramped with strangers and dodgy lighting can be a daunting experience. It takes courage to instantly build rapport and to favourably capture the people and the action. With all my years of photography experience, event photography is not for the feint-hearted, but it is also a great opportunity to capture real people with real emotion in real unguarded moments. Great event photography has an authentic and genuine feel to it – it can capture that split moment in time of human interaction and connection – moments that tell a much greater story about why we tribally gather to celebrate, to share, or commiserate. With great event photography, the image enables you to connect with the emotions, feel the atmosphere and almost hear the sounds.

With the greatest respect to my friends, when asked why I do event photography, I will often jokingly reply that event photography is my social life … my friends don’t throw the kinds of lavish parties like the ones I get to photograph! When I started out in event photography, I had to take a leap of faith in my technical photography skills and relied heavily on my intuition to “know when a moment was about to happen”. As with most things, diverse experience in diverse situations is the best way to learn to think quickly on your feet, to be attentive to your surroundings and to be ever present in the moment to capture the moment.

There are no second chances in event photography, but there are plenty of opportunities.

Event photography can be exhausting work. Shooting continuously for 4 to 6 hours is not only physically demanding, but to capture great energy shots, you also need to be constantly engaging with the crowd. When shooting events, I find myself in a personal space where all my antennae are on high alert – scanning the crowd and sensing out where the next piece of action or connection is going to spark, and getting myself into a position to capture that moment without disrupting the flow of events.

However, many event photographers shortchange their skills by sticking to a safe zone of “looking very uncomfortable, posed, now smile kind of shots”. In turn they deliver a boring gallery of images to their client that are quickly forgotten. Smart phones are more than capable of taking those kind of photos for quick social media consumption. I strongly believe that the challenge for today’s event photographer is not replicate the kind of photos attendees are taking with their smart phones, but to compliment those images with a more intimate, engaging and unique perspective of the event.

These days, everyone with a smart phone is an event photographer – cataloguing a moment in space and in time. Therefore, professional event photographers need to deliver something different, something memorable, something that sets them apart from all the i-phone photos already submitted to social media sites during the course of the event. To capture those moments, in my view, an event photographer needs to :

have immense empathy to readily connect and build rapport with attendees
have a personal energy that is spontaneous and engaging
be willing to give something of themselves in order to get a connection between camera lens and the subject
be ever present in the moment – simultaneously being able to pay attention to the broader vibe of the event as well as quickly focus in on specific interactions
to be ever ready and attentive, but also patient enough to wait for and anticipate the memorable moments
to smile and laugh often

Tag: top tips

Everyone’s a Photographer Series (3/5)

Part 3

Top Questions to Ask before Hiring a Photographer