15 Steps To Finding The Right Photographer

Congrats!

You have decided to get some new professional portraits. As part of getting ahead and closer to your goals, both personally and professionally, this is an important step. But how do you find and select the best expert that can take exactly the photos that you want and need?

The key is to find a photographer whose work and style you like and someone with whom you have a good connection. You want to be able to trust them fully and match on both a professional and personal level.

Obviously, you also want someone that does great work; They should have the necessary technical knowledge (which leads to the right quality) as well as artistic and creative vision (which will get you unique and one-of-a-kind photographs).

It is easy to find "a" photographer - but how do you find the right photographer?

Here are my 15 crucial guidelines for choosing the right photographer:

BEFORE THE SEARCH

1. Listen To Your Gut

You want the facts - but don’t let numbers make the decision for you; The amount of followers on Instagram, the number of reviews on Google or the years he has been in business can, of course, be taken into account, but they don’t tell you if (s)he is the right photographer for you. Whenever it comes to professional relationships, make sure to also open up to your intuition. Trust your heart - not only the details.

2. Like Their Style

Even if you like them as a person - in the end, the priority is not to become best friends but to be able to sustain a professional relationship that gets you the photos you need. If you don’t like their work and hope they will create photos for you in a completely different style, you might be in for a surprise. Yes, every professional photographer has to be able to respond to specific requests, but they still have a certain signature. Do they mainly take photos outdoors? Or do they shoot inside a studio? Do they keep their portraits unstyled, raw and natural, or do they polish them, removing skin imperfections and eye bags? Let the photos speak to you and go for the photographer whose work you keep being drawn to.

3. Do You Care For Budget Or Quality?

Is your main concern to get good-quality portraits, or to have some portraits that have a low price tag? Since you are a professional, too, you know, that ‘cheap’ and ‘good’ are like the positive and negative sides of a magnet - they repel each other. Be aware of your priority, as it will be your best indicator for which photographer to pick - the cheap one, or the good one? In photography, it’s either one or the other: Good quality comes at a price, whereas a low-budget-photographer will probably not be able to give you the quality, results and value that you are looking for.

4. Know What Kind Of Photos You Want

There are two types of photographers: Specialized ones and General Ones. Although specialized photographers could often apply their knowledge and skills to any field in photography but choose not to, be cautious about photographers who offer everything from Business- and Branding, over Maternity- and Baby-, to Wedding- and Real-Estate-Photography. You want to be able to trust the fact that they know as much as possible about the topic that you need them for as in most cases, specialized photographers are the safer bet. 

5. Contact more than one photographer

It’s always helpful to compare photographers in order to end up with the best choice. You will learn the most crucial facts that help your decision after you have contacted and heard back from the photographers; some might be already booked, don’t offer exactly what you are looking for or fail the “personality” test. Know from the Get-go that you should reach out to your favorite 2-3 photographers.

THE SEARCH

1. Ask For Recommendations

Ask your friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs from your network, or peers from social media groups you’re part of if they can recommend a photographer. Then see if you like their work and have a chat with the respective photographer. Just because your friend loves their work or enjoyed working with them doesn't mean that they are perfect for you, too - but in some cases, they will be, and you might just have found an amazing shortcut to your photographer. 

2. Reach Out To People Whose Photos You Like

Look online and on Social Media for photos that you like, and ask the portrait subject who their photographer was - you might have already come across someone online whose portrait or brand photos you love.

3. Search By Keywords

The first place to hit when you look for something is usually Google, Bing or Ecosia; search engines are a great source to search for a photographer. Make sure to not just look for general terms such as “Photo Studio” or “Professional Photographer”, but to make it as specific as possible to narrow down the results and end up with the right ones.

For example, my clients would search for “Personal Brand Portrait Photographer” + “Your City”, “Studio”, “Mobile” or “Styling”. Make sure to expand your search and not only look in your area or city - just like me, most specialized professional photographers offer mobile photography services and are happy to come to you and not the other way around.

4. Search By Hashtags

As you know, Instagram, LinkedIn, Xing, Facebook, and Pinterest all recognize and link their content and users to Hashtags. Search on these platforms by using specific terms or hashtags. For example, in my case clients would look for hashtags such as #personalbrandphotographer #professionalbrandheadshots or #brandportraitstudio.

5. Read Their Website

Social media is a good indicator and often shows their work, but the core of a photographer’s online presence is their website - here you will find the most important information about themselves, their services, and what they can do for you. Be careful if they only share a portfolio and don’t provide any text or details; these photographers might lack professionalism or work only by their own standards without taking your wishes, worries or values into account. You will also have to work twice as hard to get the information you need and find clues about the photographer’s personality or way of working.

AFTER THE SEARCH

1. Do You Like Them?

Even though you love their work, you can never be 100% sure if you should work with them until you have had an in-person conversation with them. A consultation talk before the actual photoshoot is indispensable. Meet them in person or talk to them on the phone or via video chat. Is it easy to talk to them? Are you on the same page? Are they trying to get to know you?

2. Consider Their Response Time

After you have reached out to a photographer, you should expect a reply (or at least a notification that they have received your message and will get back to you) within 3 business days. You want to make sure they are reliable and responsible. You want to know that they are there for you and respect your time as much as theirs. 

3. Make Sure You Can Trust Them

Do they do what they say? Do they deliver on their promises? Are they responding/calling back in time? Do they answer all your questions with full honesty? Are they open about their prices and are not hiding any costs? Do they stand behind their work and give a guarantee?

4. Do You Share The Same Values?

A real photographer, who cares about you and what they can do for you, will do everything they can to meet you where you stand, and not try to apply the same standard to all their clients. If you don’t feel confident that they can represent your personality and your brand in the way you envision them, they’re not the right person for you. Even if you like them personally, ask them about their work philosophy and see if you agree. In my case, those anchors would be balance, creativity, sustainability, integrity, honesty and trust. Values go deeper and often say more than words or behavior, especially when it concerns someone you don’t yet know very well. 

5. Are They A Real Professional?

Make sure you hold them to the same standards as you would your employee, business partner, or a colleague. Do they communicate clearly? Do they keep a positive attitude? Can they answer all your questions? Do they admit if they don’t know something? Are they organized? Are they punctual? Do they inspire you, provide help and make recommendations?

Extra Tipp: If you have reached out to a photographer and you find out that (s)he can't deliver what you need, is already booked up, or doesn't serve your area, ask her/him for recommendations. They usually know their field and their expert photography peers and can point you in the right direction.

Know that every photographer is human and that no human is perfect. But if you consider only a few of the steps above you will find a photographer that will give you photos that will make you proud of yourself and help you achieve the results you are aiming for.

The goal is for you to feel good about your decision so that you can relax and just show up. Know that the right photographer will take care of the rest.

Are you looking for a Personal Brand Portrait Photographer right now? Message me today or directly book a free consultation talk!