Hiring a Photographer
If you have a special occasion coming up in your life that you’d like to record as a keepsake and you are looking to hire a photographer there are several things you will want to take into consideration. First, you will have to locate one that has a good amount of experience, does quality work and can nicely fit into your budget. You can look online, but you may not find all of the photographers in your area through a search engine. You can also look in your yellow pages and word of mouth is always an excellent source of advertisement good and bad. Be sure to ask your friends and family members, especially if you have seen pictures of theirs that you thought were really nice. You can read online reviews to use as a type of reference, but you will also need to see some of their past work through a portfolio if available. You want to make sure that you are able to see more than just one piece of the work that they have done. Keeping in mind that if they do a great job at weddings, they may not do the same at taking photos of real estate or family portraits. So while looking at their past works and in talking with them you will want to find out what style of work they do as photography is a type of art and all artists have their own different ways.
It is also very important that you meet the photographer face to face and try to build a comfortable, stress-free relationship with them because how you get along will reflect in the pictures you wind up with. You should be certain that the person you meet is actually the photographer because there have been times where an assistant or somebody you know nothing about shows up and every artist is unique which means your photos may not turn out the way you had hoped. When you meet with your photographer see if they have any suggestions for you or anyone else that will appear in your photos so they turn out a precious perfection.
Make sure that your photographer is going to be available on the dates you’d like your photos taken. You will want to ask them where they will set-up and where they will be located while taking the pictures as well as if you are responsible for any other supplies they will need.
Ask him/her if they will be using film, taking digital photos or both. Photographers who take pictures with digital equipment will have more ability to make any corrections or do touch ups that they or you may like to have done to perfect these photos.
Do not pay in full before your work is complete. You will probably have to make a down payment to secure the job but you should not have to completely pay until the week of or upon the completion of the assigned job. For larger events like a wedding, there should be a contract drawn up that you will both sign and agree to otherwise normally there is just a basic outline of the work to be done.
