Need A Photographer? Tips to help you find the perfect one!
I can help you find the perfect photographer to fit your goals! Okay that’s reaching a bit- BUT I can definitely help you narrow down your search to the photographer that's best qualified to meet what you're looking for and speed things along for you.
I’ve done the research for you and come up with a list of tips to help narrow down your list. Then you can start from there and make the final decision for yourself. If you’ve already gotten online and started looking, you know there are SO MANY photographers out there. And all with differing skills and styles! Some are new, some are in between and some are very experienced. You also find that their prices differ just as much as they do! Don’t shy away from those prices though. Cheap doesn’t always mean their work is cheap, just like expensive doesn’t always mean you get your moneys worth! So my first tip is to ignore the prices at first. You can come back to them later and factor them into your final top 2 or 3 choices. Keep in mind though, you’re paying for their quality of work and their time. There’s a lot more behind the scenes to photography than just pointing a camera and pushing a button. So when it comes time, remember you wouldn’t want someone to pay half price for something of value to you, or value your work any less than what you value it at. Don’t expect a photographer to devalue their work to fit your budget. I know- sounds a little contradicting with the whole ‘cheap doesn’t mean cheap’! Some photographers don’t always see their value either. Or they may mark down their work to help those less fortunate. Don’t judge a photographer based on their prices!
I can also tell you- a lot of photographers may not even be on search engines! Example- if you google ‘Buderfly Photography’, google will change it to ‘Butterfly Photography’ and take you to a lot of actual butterflies. That’s obviously not me! But if you change how you word it for instance- ‘Photographers near Bainbridge Indiana’- I’ll be the second one listed! That brings me to my second tip. If you can’t find the right photographer with one search, try rewording what you’re looking for. Maybe include specific words like “family” or “wedding” to help narrow your search. This tip goes hand in hand with my first question. Have you asked friends and family yet? They may know a great photographer that fits your needs exactly. Chances are they have a friend that is in the business or they’ve gotten photos done themselves and can highly – or poorly- recommend someone for you. I’m not saying get on social media and create a post in a group of 10k people asking for a photographer. I promise you’ll be overwhelmed because not only will every photographer post a link to their page, but so will every one of their friends, and you’ll end up with 100+ suggestions you won’t want to comb through. Keep is simple! Stick to physically asking!
Now! What do you want photographer? Every photographer has a different specialty. Mine for instance is portrait. That’s broad because I’m only a couple years into the game. Give me 4 or 5 more years and I’ll have a more specific category like kids and newborn. I do love the littles! But I enjoy photographing portraits of families and kids. So I tend to do those more than sports or weddings. Suggestion number three- find a photographer that loves what you’re looking for. If its weddings- it’s not me! I don’t photograph weddings. When looking at a photographers page, see how many of each subject pops up. You see a lot of maternity photos on one page, but it says they do family, and that’s what you want. That photographer can go to the bottom of your list, they love maternity photos and that’s their specialty. So they may not be the best fit for you. Along with looking at photos- tip 4- what do they look like? Some do all black and white, some do both b/w and color. Some white wash and other use natural tones, or darker tones. Some do candid, some do posed. Which of each of those do you see more? Now you can figure out if you like those photo styles, or you need to move on to another.
Make sure you choose someone you like! That’s why I offer a meet and greet. It’s free, you get to meet me and get a feel for my personality, and it helps me prepare for your perfect shoot. If you find you don’t like the photographer you’ve chosen because they are too uptight, too controlling, to free, or whatever reason- now you know! Most photographers will gladly set up a meeting before hand, free, to meet you and work out any questions you may have. Even if it’s not offered on their page, you can still ask. If you don’t feel comfortable with your photographer, that’s going to reflect in your images.
Lastly- availability! If you’ve narrowed your search and you found the perfect one, and you’ve discarded all others- make sure they are available! That’s why you want to book early! Some photographers will post that they have openings last minute, usually because someone cancelled. Others can be booked out a month to 3 months in advance. So always remember to book early! Don’t put off finding that perfect photographer, it’ll be worth it in the end.
My recommendations: Of course I’m going to recommend myself for all of these except weddings! But I threw in some pretty good ones for you! I can create a style you’re looking for in family, newborn, maternity, kiddos and other portraits!
Weddings: Erika Brown Photography has a classic look to her photos for that timeless feel. https://erikabrownphotography.com/
Family: Buderfly Photography! I do a little of both candid and posed family!
Ann Bartlett does more posed than candid. But also a great photographer.
Maternity/Engagement: Picture me This by Lacie has some great couple shots and she can customize her style to fit what you’re looking for. Like me she hasn’t got a set style yet! https://www.picturemethisbylacie.com/
Newborn: Ann Bartlett seems to have what’s needed to capture a plethora of newborn photos! http://annebartlettphotography.com/