Questions to Ask Photographers before hiring
See our answers
Who to Chose?
All professional photographers have DSLRs (aka “Big Cameras”), but which ones have the other important pieces of equipment AND are capable of producing amazing pictures of you?
Following are some questions/considerations when choosing a photographer.
Remember that you are hiring an individual and perhaps an assistant. It is important that you are comfortable with them, but they should also have the equipment, talent, and photo gallery to prove that they are professionals.
Pricing
Question: How is your pricing structured? What are my options?
Answer: At Capture Me in Pictures, we offer you two standard options for personal photoshoots. The first is a studio/landscape session at our location lasting up to 2 hours with up to 5 wardrobe changes. You will receive 2 professionally edited images from the shots you select.
Upgrade to the bonus on-location experience and we will add up to two local locations of your choice that capture you in your favorite places or the context of your activities. You will receive 2 additional images for a total of 4 beautifully retouched pictures.
We will ensure that you comfortable in front of the camera.
How do you work with new customers?
Question: What is your typical process for working with new customers?
Answer: At Capture Me in Pictures we always start with an interview to get to know you and what type of images you need or want.
Upon arrival for a first-time photoshoot, we will make you comfortable in a relaxing setting, discuss important details, and coach you on posing techniques.
During the session, you will get to see your pictures in real-time.
At the end of the photoshoot, you will review the raw images on a large screen and select the ones you like.
The selected images will be professionally edited and placed in a cloud folder to download.
Types of
Customers
Question: What types of customers have you worked with?
Outdoor family group shot with 5 lights and large modifiers
Answer: We have worked with individuals, couples, small business owners, and families (group shots).
Our clients have a wide variety of uses for their images, including professional headshots, social media, business promotion, and even dating sites. Great images are often cherished for decades.
We specialize in session photography experiences
Specialities
Answer:
Our genre is Individuals, Couples, Professionals, and Family Portrait sessions including:
Headshots, Studio and Outdoor Photoshoots, Engagement, Senior/Graduation, On-location, and In-home Photoshoots. We also offer portrait parties for small groups of your special friends.
Describe a recent
Project
Question: Describe a recent project that you are fond of. How long did it take?
An outdoor shot in strong backlit sunshine with reflector fill
Answer: Truthfully, we have enjoyed all of our projects.
Our favorites are individuals who come with various ideas for their wardrobe and the setting they want to be in.
A typical session is 2 hours, plus time for you to review and select your favorite images.
Studio setting with custom hand-painted full-length canvas backdrop
Advice
Question: What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a portrait photographer?
Answer:
Look at the photographer’s gallery of pictures. Do they meet your expectation for style and quality?
Ask if the photographer has full-length backdrops and large softboxes/light modifiers.
Are they capable of transporting and setting up multiple lights for on-location shoots?
- Any decent photographer should be able to take ambient light pictures, but may not utilize reflectors or diffusers which add that professional touch.
- Most good photographers can produce a decent headshot, but
- You want a professional who can produce full-length portraits in studio and location settings supplemented with off-camera lights and large modifiers.
If they can’t, then select someone else.
Other
Considerations
What questions should customers think through before talking to professional photographers about their project?
Answer: Customers seeking portrait photography should decide on the image of themselves that they want to create.
Consider your clothing, makeup, props, and the setting for the picture.
Insist that the photographer uses off-camera flash, as appropriate, with large softboxes and-or reflectors. They should be capable of providing professional quality post-processing in Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.
