hiring a photographer

Choosing a professional photographer

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Best reasons for choosing an experienced photographer:

1. Has both creative and technical skills.
2. Has professional editing skills.
3. Reliable, consistent and efficient.
4. Insured.
5. Grace under pressure.
6. Always has backup equipment just in case.
7. Can offer advice to help make pictures more successful.
8. Knows photo reproduction requirements and how editors select photos.
9. Understands copyright law and knows that proper licensing is always required.
10. Knows when releases and permits may be needed.

Best reasons for choosing a cheap photographer:

1. Low price.
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The Cheap Risk

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When you get a haircut, do you choose the cheapest hairstylist? Probably not. Why? The risk that the lowest priced haircut might make you look bad.

When you shop for clothes, do you buy the cheapest? Probably not. Why? The risk that the lowest priced clothes might not be as well made or they might make you look bad.

When deciding on a restaurant, do you choose the cheapest? Probably not. Why? The risk that the lowest priced food might make you feel bad.

So why do some customers choose the cheapest photographer when similar risks apply? Cheap pictures might not be as well made and they might make you look bad.
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Pots, pans and pictures

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Everyone owns some pots and pans yet restaurants don’t view this as competition. Restaurants know that people will still dine out. Eating at a restaurant is about more than just the food.

Everyone owns a camera and some professional photographers view this as competition. Why? Hiring a professional photographer should be about more than just the pictures.

A commercial photographer has to offer something more than what a camera’s “Auto” setting can do. Otherwise, they will have no choice but to compete on price, (always a losing situation), and their photo career may be nothing more than a flash in the pan.

 

How not to run a photo business

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Many photographers struggle with their pricing. This is normal. The best way for a photographer to establish their business is to understand how their business operates and, for that matter, how any (photography) business operates.

The photographer learns to price according to their location, their business plans and their market positioning. This takes time and effort and, yes, mistakes will be made along the way.

And then there are photographers who like to take shortcuts.

I got a phone call today from someone claiming to be an office manager. She said they needed some business portraits. She asked how much I charged, how the pictures would be shot, whether I use softboxes or umbrellas, what type of backgrounds are best, how the photos are selected, what amount of retouching I would do, and how the pictures would be delivered. After I answered all her questions, she suddenly hung up.
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Failing a class

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It’s not even necessary to read the news story. The picture says it all.

In a Grade 2 class photo, all the students are grouped together in the centre. Except one. A student in a wheelchair is off to the side. The child’s father said he cried when he saw the photo.

The picture is not just thoughtless, it’s also bad photography. It shows how not to do a group photo. It shows what happens when a photographer doesn’t know what they’re doing. It shows what happens when a photographer or school portrait company, in this case, Lifetouch, is too busy being fast and cheap.

Lifetouch says, “Our school photographers take their role in preserving memories seriously” and “Our school photographers are committed to making each child feel special and valued.” It seems the company failed this class.
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Budgeting for an investment

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Earlier today, I received a call from a company asking for a quote to produce seven business portraits. After I sent my quote ($1,640 plus tax), the person said they had received quotes from three other photographers.

All four photographers, including myself, had quoted prices around $1,500. Unfortunately, the person continued, the company’s budget was “well under $500.”

 

Everyone has a camera built into their cell phone. Push a button and the picture appears instantly. Photography is seemingly free. This is the downside to digital cameras.
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Business Licence

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Earlier today, someone requested a quote for a few pictures to be used on their clothing store’s web site. So I sent a quote for a few pictures to be used on their web site. The person replied that it was “silly” that the quoted price didn’t include all rights, for all the pictures taken, for all eternity.

Photographers are running a business. The purpose of every business is to make money. Photographers make money either by selling pictures or licensing pictures.

Many photographers would be happy to sell all rights to their pictures. But the price would range from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars and maybe even much higher. Really.
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