Tips From The Pros - Hiring A Professional Photographer

An educational paper to help buyers better understand the art of photography and how to purchase a photographer services for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and other special events.

What is a professional photographer?

Webster's Dictionary defines a photography as the art of recording reflected light. Webster's Dictionary defines a professional as someone that charge or her services. Technically, this definition could make almost anyone with a camera a professional photographer. We need a better description of the person we would like to hire.

Every working professional has started with a first job, but for our definition, a professional photographer is one who derives all of his or her income from photography. A top professional is an artist that uses film, lenses and lighting as a painter would use canvas, brush and paint.

We can change your appearance with lenses and lighting. We can set a mood or even turn a dreary room into a beautiful setting. A top professional photographer is part artist, part technician and part magician. Unlike the painter, the photographer's craft is unique. We must create our art instantly, having the vision to anticipate changes and capturing it all perfectly on film. More details on this subject follow later.

Should I hire a professional photographer?

Although this question may seem silly, the first step in hiring a professional photographer is do you really need one? This is not a question about cost. It is a question of what you really want.

If you like the work of a friend or relative and do not see the added value of a photographer/artist, then you do not need a pro.

If your special event is only going to happen once in your lifetime and you want to cherish those memories forever in pictures, than a professional photographer is what you need. Of course, choosing to hire a pro will present your first major problem. With so many photographers, how can you tell them apart?

How to see the difference between professional photographers:

As you interview potential photographers, all will show you the product of their work. Some are better at their craft than others. Worse, you are on their turf. You will hear stuff from camera formats to portrait packages and sales pitches from "Hire me right know and I'll give you a 5000% discount!!" to "I'll make your wedding story a thing of beauty." Be careful: if you make a mistake, it will be with you forever.

Making your selection is a daunting task. To cope with this, let's approach our job one step at a time.

Initial Contact - the telephone call

No matter how you get the names of potential photographers, first contact is almost always by telephone. Very quickly, you will find the size of your event has a lot to do with the cost. Basically:

Event description..........Number of guests..........Length of time

__________________________________________________________________
modest size....................<100.............................4-6 hours

medium size..................100-250......................6-8 hours

large size......................250 - 1000+...............8-12 hours

outside local area..........doesn't matter...............1 day+ of photographer's time

Use the general description in the table to compare costs. Photographers of different skill levels and experience charge different rates. Most photographers are happy to give out general pricing information over the telephone. This is our first step towards a match: Do the photographer' rates fall within the scope of your budget? Remember that whomever you select, you will be working with this person for a long time. Pick the people you like and make appointments to visit them.

Second Contact - the visit!

Some photographers work out of a studio; others do mostly location photography and maintain a home office. Whichever place you go to, you will be bombarded with many beautiful images. These gorgeous, framed pieces of art are not all the same. It is common practice to display studio photography! Unless you are planning your event in the studio, this is a problem. Ask to see samples of location photography. Now you will see what you will get. One new popular twist to the old studio display trick is the location portrait. These are always done on a day other than your event and represent many hours of work. Ask if the location samples were done at an event or some other time. Now you can start to look at what you plan to buy.

The Photographer's Style

Every photographer has a unique style. We all started by learning to technically use the camera, and then, with experience, use the media and create images. Look at a photographer's work. A less experienced photographer may have quality work but every event is the same. A top professional's work should always look good but each event should be unique. You should see the artist's creativity in the photographs. Your photographer's job is to create images for you. The photographs you see should be images he or she has created for someone else.

Cameras come in different sizes

Three sizes to be exact. The basic sizes are small, medium and large format. 35mm is a member of the small format family of cameras and is used primarily by hobbyists. A professional portrait artist uses medium format size cameras because the larger film negative makes a better quality image. Large format is used for commercial photography or sometimes for very large group photography.

Medium format is actually a group of different negative sizes lumped together under one name.

The smallest, 645 is a little larger than the 35mm format; 2 1/4 square is in the middle and 67 is the largest. The rule is the larger the negative the higher quality the image. The table below lists 1 small & 3 medium format sizes and a relative enlargement ratio number for
comparison.

camera format............negative enlarged

.................................number of times to

.................................make an 8x10 print

_______________________________

35mm.................................6 times

645.....................................over 21/2 times

2 1/4..................................over 2 l/2 times

67........................................over 11/4 times

(To be fair, some 21/4 square photographers offer a square 8x8 or 1 Ox10 enlargement. For an 8x10 print, a portion of their size negative is not used.)

One of the basic costs of photography is the material. You should not pay the same price for the largest negative/highest qualify 67 format and a smaller negative/lesser qualify format.

Film is important, too!

Along with different sizes, film also comes in different speeds. Speed here is defined as a film's sensitivity to light. Eastman Kodak has a wonderful professional high speed film for low light applications such as a wedding ceremony indoors. The problem with high speed film is it holds less detail than a standard film. You have probably seen a 35mm negative made into a poster print. The color is flat and the image has a lumpy (professionals call it grainy) look. Professional high speed film can have the same problems when it is enlarged .

Sadly, a popular trick is to use high speed (more sensitive to light) film. This allows the use of a lower power (& lighter weight) flash lighting systems. This also means lower quality portraits! It is very important to ask What film does the photographer use? Write that down on your contract!!!

Summary

Do the photographer's rates fall within the scope of your budget?

Do you see the artist's creativity in the photographs? You should not pay the same price for an experienced professional and an inexperienced one.

You will spend a lot of time with your photographer -- Pick the people you like.

Ask to see examples of location not studio photography.

Ask if the location samples were done at an event or some other time

As you view the work of different photographers, take note of the quality of the images. Do you see the artist 's creativity in the photographs?

You should not pay the same price for the highest quality 67 and a smaller "lesser quality" camera format.

What film does the photographer use? Write that down on your contract!!!

Questionnaire

There are many good photographers for you to choose from. Most want you to know what you are buying and will try to help you understand. Don!t be afraid to ask questions! The following questionnaire will also help with comparing what you are buying and the costs.

Who will be the Photographer?
Type/size of camera used? Back-up?
Experience at your site?
Extra costs for travel? Multiple locations?
Quantity of photographs taken? Film type?
Cancellation/change policy
When will previews be ready?
Engagement sitting (included/charge)
Negatives (included/charge)
Preview prints (included/charge)
AIbums (included/charge)
Cost of additional prints:

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Bill Meyers Photography was founded in 1988 with the idea that anything that could be done in the studio could be also be done on location. The ability to translate that simple idea into reality has brought Bill Meyers Photography a wide variety of clients through out the Western United States.

This article is for the sole use of Bill Meyers Photography clients and may not be reproduced with the written consent of the author.

Bill Meyers Photography

167 Wyandotte Dr.

San Jose,CA 95123

408.363.3542

Fine Portraiture & Wedding Photography

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