Finding the right photographer may seem like a daunting task. Just typing the words “photographers near me” results in pages and pages of websites. How in the heck are you supposed to find the one that resonates with you?
Have no fear! Here are the steps to finding the right photographer for you:
Check with your friends
I know we probably already know this one, but your friends tend to know you and your tastes. Check with them and see if they have worked with any that they have enjoyed working with. Make sure to also check out those who you follow online and see who they tag as their photographer. If they do not live near you or travel to you, you will be able to start building an understanding of the style you like.
Which brings me to…
Learn the photographic style you like
Do you like super stylized images or something that has a more documentary feel? Are you a more a light and airy kinda person, or a dark and moody?
Seek out photographers with this style.
Once you know the style type you are looking for, you can show your friends examples and search online for them. Make sure you check out their portfolio to ensure you like their work!
Read the about me!
How a photographer describes themselves is going to give you an understanding of what is important to them. You will see what they seek out when they photograph someone and whether that is in line with what you are looking for. As an example, I talk about my passion for capturing the energy of someone and uplift them. I want to show people that they are badasses and gorgeous! I tend to be a bit more experimental, playing with different options during a photo shoot to stay creative.
Ensure you are resonating with the photographer you choose.
Read their reviews!
Many businesses have a Facebook page or Yelp page where they can receive reviews from their past customers. Reviews tend to be super enlightening, so check the good and the bad. Reviews with comments are given more rate, since they tend to tell about why they had a good or bad review. Seeing if the photographer responds back to their reviews is also a good indicator of how much they care about their customers.
There are people that go around giving bad reviews to knock down ratings! Normally, these are those without a comment back from the business.
Make sure to ask the right questions AND they answer
There are some things you need to know and see how your photographer answers, and how they do, is important! There really is no excuse for poor customer service, and a difficult photographer via email is probably going to be difficult when they are photographing you, and then when they are sending the images, etc.
Things to ask:
- What should I bring to the photoshoot?
- How long is my photoshoot?
- How many images will I get? How will they be delivered?
- What is the process for getting prints of my images?
- Are there any restrictions on how I can use these images?
Get pumped!
With the searching, it can seem like a ton of work, but it is totally worth it. Having a photographer capture you will give you images that you will love.
Not sure how you feel about being photographed? Grab my free steps to feeling like 1 Million Bucks before your first photo shoot.
What are the questions that you have about scheduling your first photo shoot?
