Using a good Photographer.
With the global explosion in digital photography over the last ten years you could be forgiven for imagining that anyone with a good compact camera can call themselves a photographer. And with good reason, some good brand compacts with more than 10 megapixels can be sourced for less than £150 these days and they can produce remarkably sharp and, in the right hands, very good images. However I have long since subscribed to the view that being able to take a picture does not make you a photographer. A good analogy would be if you were handy with a wrench, would you attempt to change your car’s engine?
When it is time to choose a photographer for a corporate or personal project, you have to establish some ground rules. Firstly you need to decide how much you want to spend and find out whether this is realistic. Studios all have different pricing structures so you must find out what you will get for your money. It is not unusual to find photographers offering “free” shoots; this usually means the finished prints will be more expensive than you would pay on the high street. At other photography studios you can expect to pay a fee for the photographer’s time and use of the studio, this way you should find that the cost per print is a lot lower and you may even be able to negotiate a price for a CD copy of images from the studio session. But don’t expect this to be cheap, again no one works for nothing and if you aren’t purchasing any hard copy photographs expect to pay several hundred pounds for this service.
If your images are destined for a website then discuss the cost of this beforehand. If the studio you are using offers a low charge or a free shoot don’t expect a free CD with your images on. Your next step is to find a photographer you feel comfortable working with. Bear in mind the kind of shots you are looking for and see if their gallery reflects this. Ask them questions relating to timescales, costs and styles. Also remember that owning the right equipment is not a qualification. (All the gear, no idea!) Usually a photographers work will speak for itself and is subjective, what one person likes another will not. Most importantly expect to pay a deposit but don’t part with huge sums of cash if you are not happy with the shots. And don’t succumb to the hard sell “that’s the best shot we’ve ever taken” or “you can’t not have that one!” if it feels to expensive, it probably is!
