Where is the value in hiring a photographer?

Have you ever asked yourself what the point of having professional photography is?
Have you seen a friend have photos taken, seen the glorious light in their daughters hair, creamy, rich tones, as if straight out of a magazine. You fall in love with their pictures and wish so dearly you could see your family framed so beautifully on your wall but when you make enquiries with photographers to have some for yourself you nearly fall off your chair when you see the price?

So where is the value in paying someone to take photos of your family? Sadly, if you pick the wrong photographer there may not be much. However choosing a professional who is trained and knows their craft well will prove to be an investment you will never regret.

Ok so how do you know if you are choosing the right photographer?
There are a few things you need to take into account. You need to do some research and make sure the person you chose will leave you with images that will last more than a lifetime and make you feel good that you made the right decision.

Photography is a talent and not something every one can do

I love the sound of someone singing to a guitar, that raw, pure sound just warms my soul. I am lucky enough to have a few friends who can pull out a guitar and just sing the most beautiful songs to the music as they play. They are amazing to watch and can make the most beautiful music even on the oldest, most ordinary of guitars.

That's because they are talented, they have an amazing ability that no matter how I try I will never have it. They hear the notes, can replicate the melodies and sounds in their heads. They play the music, the guitar is just their instrument and even if I went out and bought the most expensive guitar I could, I would never be able to play.
Its much like a photographer and their camera. The photographer sees the images and the camera allows them to record them.

So many times I have people say to me, 'wow, you must have a great camera, those photos are fantastic' 'what sort of camera should I buy to help me take photos like yours?' it sounds innocent enough but what if I said to my musician friends, what sort of guitar can I buy to play music like you? Imagine I asked Shakespeare what sort of pen could help me write such beautiful words? Doesn't work so well now does it?

I make pictures in my head well before I press the shutter on my camera. I see it, I frame it in my mind and replicate that picture through the view finder and capture it with my camera.

My point is that a great photographer is born, not made. Its a talent they have which they can then build on, not one that they decide to try. These days everyone is a 'photographer', the digital age has made it so simple to buy the best camera, take some photos and then progress into charging people money for it but there is far more to it than that and if you know what to look for, before long you can separate the talent from camera.

So here are some basic tips on what your photographer should know.

Can they see the light?

Without light there are no photographs, so to be able to see, understand and use light to create stunning images is a must. A good photographer knows how to use any sort of light to ensure your images are perfect in every way. This may be using light and shadows to frame the subject, to capture those amazing catchlights in children's eyes, catch single hairs dancing in golden sun rays. A good photographer can use the worst conditions to produce a masterpiece.

Its not all about the gear!

Just because they claim to have the top of the line equipment doesn't mean they can take a good photo. There is no limit to who can purchase an expensive camera, so that really makes no difference. For years I shot with a mid range camera, it wasn't top of the line, with the latest technology, it was standard, average and down right embarrassing but it made no difference to my final product because I was using it as a tool, it was nothing more than my instrument. I captured the light and saved it to a card, that's all it needed to do, I did the rest.

Here is a shot I took on my iPhone. The standard camera app that comes with the phone. Its not what I would call a perfect shot but its really not too bad. Because I know how to compose the shot, use the light properly and frame it, it produces an image that is quite usable.

Are they accredited?

Ooh that's a big one. There is one main body within Australia the AIPP which has two types of members, the first is an emerging member and the second is an accredited photographer.
To become an accredited photographer you must put forward a portfolio of images to be judged by a panel of highly skilled and knowledgeable photographers. Your work must be deemed as being of a professional standard before you are accepted as a member. You are then required to attend a number of workshops and seminars to ensure that your knowledge, skills and ability remain at an extremely high level. Looking for the AIPP logo ensures your photographer is backed by the industry and is producing work which passes their stringent judging and critique.

Editing and Printing

When I learnt photography I learned to shoot on film. It was a gamble, you had no idea if each shot would work until you had taken all 36 exposures, you would carefully pull the negatives and develop them, the excitement and anticipation building while you waited for those perfect little images to appear. Once you knew they had worked, that the exposures were all correct and you had captured your images well enough to print, you then entered a world of red lights, smells that still linger in my mind. You had to perfectly expose the light onto the paper to get the right tones, then bathe them in a concoction of chemicals to produce each and every print. It was an art. To produce a great image, you had to carry out each step with purpose and skill.
Fast forward to the digital age and there is a common misconception that suddenly that need to care for each image is long gone. That you press the shutter and the perfect image magically appears, ready to burn to a disk and take down to Harvey Norman to print. Sadly that's so very wrong.
While there is plenty of opportunity to do that (shoot and burn) a good photographer will still painstakingly put all that time and love into each of your images. Ensuring the tones, exposure, colours and sharpness are all perfect enough to create, not just a quick print but a work of art. A timeless piece of history, forever imprinted on the most delicious paper to ensure that in hundreds of years, your great, great, great grandchildren may sift through a box of photos to find that little piece of you, still perfectly written in a picture.

You can see the photo on the left is straight from my camera and the one on the right has had those final little touches added to really make it pop. Photoshop is about bringing out the best in a photo, not saving a badly exposed or composed image.

and here we have not only helped to make the image pop but have helped fix those little spots on parts of Nash's face. Not that he isn't the most perfect little guy already! But knowing how and when to make those little changes brings out the best in not only the image but in you and your family!

Are they an artist or a follower?

Its easy to see an image someone has taken and replicate it, sadly I have people copy my images a fair bit. But is it easy to have the vision yourself and carry it out, choosing the correct f-stop, exposure, shutter speed, ISO to produce an original work of art? There is more to taking a good photo than throwing a camera on one of its automatic modes and shooting away. There are so many factors that have to be perfect. Knowing all of those elements and how to bring them together with perfect composition and original framing is the skill. Sadly not every person calling themselves a photographer has that ability.

Do their pictures move you?

Yup, luck is with most people some of the time, any one could take a camera and if they take enough shots will pull some great shots. But do they move you? Are they consistent? Its your right to ask your photographer to have a look at a full gallery. Yep, all the shots they provided their last client. This will soon show you if they are knowledgeable enough to produce a full gallery of perfect shots. Each shot should be deliberate and have meaning, the colours and processing should be consistent and all the shots should be of equal quality. Some shots should move you. Make you laugh, make you cry. Warm your spirit. They should leave an impact on your soul, even if you don't know the subjects. Professional photographers should be producing images that are far beyond your wildest dreams, otherwise there is no point paying money for them. There should be a marked difference between their shots and those you could take yourself.

Lastly...cheaper is always cheaper.

There is a need in any industry to have a range of prices and quality. Its a healthy market to do so and gives everyone the opportunity to choose the level that is right for them. But like everything, just remember that you get what you pay for. The price will reflect quality so be sure when selecting a photographer you are aware that where there is a compromise on price, there will definitely be one on the quality of both the images you receive and the products you purchase.
We can't really compare MacDonalds to an expensive fine dining restaurant can we? Both give you food but one leaves you feeling a little sick and regretful, the other leaves you feeling warm and somewhat excited and wanting more. Cask wine and a fine French Champagne perhaps? Even Packet hair dye with a hairdresser. Its not just about the product sometimes but the entire experience.

If you made it this far I thank you so much for reading. This is something I am passionate about so can ramble a little. I do hope I was able to give you some help and explain some of the mystery behind professional photography.

I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Have you experienced having a photographer capture your images? What was your experience? Good or bad? I would love you to share!
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