Questions You Should Be Asking When Searching For Your Photographer
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Hi, there! I'm excited to toss out a fun and different post for you today! it's been HOT here in sunny south FL, but the afternoons during shoots are SO comfortable and nice! Our home is very near the Indian River so we get the breeze off the water to keep us cooler than inland. It's still stifling, sometimes, though!
So, while we're baking down here, I started reflecting on the elements of this year's weddings so far, my own anniversary last month, and upcoming weddings in the Fall. When inquiries roll into my inbox, I aim to be clear, concise, and as helpful as possible because hey, choosing a photog can be hard! There are a lot of things to consider, and now-a-days, a lot of photographers to choose from!
While the two main deciding factors are price and style, I'm here to give a few more tips on how to consider which photog is best for you. You know, because there's more to it than just photos, right? Let me put it this way, Would You Rather Have: a) a crabby, grumpy photographer that gives you good photos, OR b) an eager, hard-working, joyful photographer that gives you average photos? For some it's an easy choice, for others it's a hard choice. What would you dish out the lettuce for? What would you settle for if you had to? There's SO MUCH to consider! But while it seems like right now, those questions seem a bit overwhelming, I'm actually here to help. :)
As part of the wedding and portrait industry, I have a little insight into why photographers share what they share about themselves. Why they do the work they do. So, I'd like to present a new approach to choosing your photographer by sharing some more eloquent questions besides, "How much does she cost?" or "What pictures do I get?" LOL.
So, here we go. Here are some questions you should get ready to ask yourself while you're looking for that one special camera-wielding ninja.
Do I know this person? Let's face it. Pre-exisitng relationships are the bomb. There's just this level of trust that is already there. It's kinda like that first sip of coffee in the morning.
What do others say about them? Guys. READ THOSE REVIEWS. There's a reason they are there! (Or quite frankly, maybe there's a reason you don't see any reviews...) Yikes! Reviews are often going to highlight that person's highest qualities, and you can see if those qualities are what you want in your shoot/wedding day.
What are their business values and core beliefs? Many folks don't care about this but in my opinion, they so should. And on the flip side, many photographers don't really have values/beliefs either. While you can have a spectacularly successful business without them, to me, it shows where their hearts lie. If they have values, they really care about their clients and how they can serve them. If they don't have a strong set of values or beliefs, they really care about the wallet and profit. Plain and simple. I can truthfully say, from the perspective of a photographer behind the camera, if the photog doesn't have a manifesto/mantra/beliefs/values system nailed down, then they're in it for the cabbage and nothing more.
So, there are probably a million more questions that you could ask but I feel that these are a great start. Perhaps stow these away or save them for your own search for a wedding photographer! When you can foster intentional relationships around your special day, the love that flows is never-ending and unreal! <3 Here at KTP, one of my core values is hospitality, which leads me to foster relationships and situations that result in belonging, and feeling at home. #ilovemyjob
What types of questions would you ask?
