Most people don’t hire photographers every day and have formed an idea of what working with photographers means based on movies and maybe a cousin who is into photography just as a hobby. Very often those ideas are completely wrong, so here is where this compilation can help you to set your expectations right and make the processes smooth and enjoyable for both you and the photographer:
Why the photographer won’t give you all the photos
I will start with the most common misconception - believing that the photographer will hand you over all the RAW files. Even if you can edit them yourself (which most of the time is not the case), it makes no sense for the photographer to hand you over all the photos. Consider the situation - you go to a restaurant and go to the Chef in the kitchen and ask him to hand you over the RAW ingredients and you will cook your food yourself. This is basically the same as asking for the RAW files. Even if you can do it yourself you are paying for the finished product which is the edited photos. Most photographers (myself including) will also edit additional photos free of charge if they see that they have a couple more that are actually good. We photographers do not hold out on you, we want you to receive the best end product always. You also have to consider that a large part of all the photos taken during a session is scrap or just double or triple takes of the same pose just to make sure everything is technically perfect (sometimes the camera sensors might get confused).
2. Why do the prices seem too high for “just taking photos”
There are a lot of hidden costs that the photographer has and since at the end of the day this is business there needs to be also some profit on top of the costs. Costs can vary widely from project to project, but some of the most common are - camera equipment, monthly editing software payments, editing PC, travel costs, location scouting, portfolio costs (e.g. models, time spent, etc.), website costs, ad costs, seminar costs, etc. If you take out all the costs that go into one session you will actually see that the typical hourly rate for photographers isn’t actually something insane.
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3. Why can’t you take the same photos with your iPhone
Whether it is an iPhone or a Samsung with the 108 Megapixel camera, a phone camera will never match on a technical level to pro photography gear. That aside (I am a firm believer that a good photographer can take awesome photos with any camera) the biggest difference is not the camera itself, but the operator. Don’t feel bad, it is just based on experience. A photographer spends countless hours refining his skills and to “train his eye” to capture great photos. So when it comes to covering important life events it is always better to rely on a photographer than your friends/relatives with a phone.
4. The “Pro” part of a Pro Photographer doesn’t cover only the photo quality
Most people don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera, so one of the most important skills a Pro Photographer needs to have has nothing to do with photography, but more with human psychology. A good photographer is able to read people easily and have the needed knowledge of how to make them feel comfortable and since people are so different from each other, the latter is a fairly wide skill set. A good photographer knows how to handle any personal insecurities someone might have and make them feel comfortable with who they are in front of the camera. Shortly said, part of the “Pro Package” is also the professional treatment.
5. Why is it taking so long to get the photos
Everyone is excited to see their photos as soon as possible, but in reality, a photographer’s schedule for work does not allow them, most of the time, to start working directly on the edit of your session. Edit sessions are usually left for evenings and nights, as the day is used for photo sessions. In general editing, sessions are scheduled in between shootings, and depending on the season this time can be really limited. For example, wedding season is really heavily booked from morning until evening and most wedding photographers tend to get as many weddings booked as possible and edit them when the market need slows down. Another thing is that the photographer you hired might already have a couple (or even more) sessions in the pipeline waiting to be edited, so yours will have to wait. My advice here is just to ask to get a realistic delivery deadline.
6. Why you should get your prints from the photographer
One of the biggest concerns a photographer has is accurate color reproduction during printing. During a photographer’s career, one must go through a lot of different printing services providers to find the one he/she likes working with. By liking, I mean that the photographer is satisfied with the quality (print detail, paper quality, color reproduction, etc.). It is worth mentioning that most photographers do some pre-printing preparation of the images in order to achieve the best results, but this knowledge is attained through trial and error, so trying to prepare images for printing without knowing which will be the printing company is hard as every company uses different types of printers, inks, software, and configurations. You can always go to your local supermarket and use the photo printing booths, but it is guaranteed that you will not get the same result.
Another point worth mentioning is that because of the fact that a photographer has stopped on a certain company for printing, that means he uses their services often enough to most likely enjoy nice discounts which can be passed on to you as well (*this depends on the photographer).
7. Why do you need to pay close attention to the photographers’ portfolio
Every photographer has his own style and that is the main reason why you need to pay attention to the portfolio. You should hire a photographer because you like his style and his/hers vision. Sadly a common mistake by customers is just skipping over the portfolio and saying yeah nice photos, but this is what I want and show something totally different from the photographers’ style. Of course, they can try to reach the customer's needs, but the photographer will not be performing at his/hers best level, since this is not aligned with how their vision.
8. Communication is everything
Communication is king when it comes to having a smooth experience. As good as the photographer might be, mind reading is sadly not in the skillset, so if you have a side that you don’t like, are worried about something or you want something to be emphasized you should say it. Communicate your expectations, wishes, and needs and this will lead to a pleasant experience leaving you with the photos you wanted.
What I usually do (if my schedule allows it) is to have a non-binding meeting with the client for this purpose, to ask as many questions as possible so I know what they expect, but not all photographers have the opportunity to schedule non-binding meetings due to tight schedules. Even if you have such a meeting it is important to communicate during the session, if you are not feeling comfortable or there is something you don’t like this will dramatically improve the end results.
9. Pre-event bookings are more important than you think
Pre-even bookings might be something that changes the outcome of covering a very important life event. What I mean by that - no matter how good the photographer is in reading people and making them relax, there is always a little bit of stiffness in people when working with a photographer for the first time (with a particular one or in general). So when you add the stress of an important life event such as a wedding, this might lead up to you not having the best outcome. A great solution for this is to book the photographer for a small session prior to the event, just to get to work together without additional stress, this will make things for you much easier during your big event e.g. instead of wasting time on explaining posing, etc. the photographer will just say “Remember what I showed you during our last session”. You might think this will not have much effect, but the time savings for the photographer are so big, that this might be the differences leading to getting those amazing photos that will hang on your walls for decades instead of just the stiff straight-up “drivers license” posed photo.
10. The sky is the limit if you can cover the costs
Last but not least, we have to talk about budgeting. Yes, you can see amazing stuff in a photographer’s portfolio, but you have to know how much some extraordinary photos cost to set up. After describing your ideas to the photographer do not get surprised if the price quote they give you is vastly different from what you were expecting. Around 90% of the costs of a photographer stay hidden, so unless you work often with one, you will be shocked at how much money you need to spend for sets, lighting, crew, special gear(not all photographers can afford to have everything on hand so the more expensive or rarely used gear is usually rented), etc. You have to keep in mind as well that this quote ain’t the end of the price negotiations, now the ball is in your court and you just have to figure out if you are willing to pay up for what you want or you can skip somethings e.g. less crew may lead to slower work.
I hope this article was informative and will lead to a smooth and happy photography experience! Feel free to drop your opinion in the comment section below.
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