You're looking for a professional photographer? Here are some tips to help you choose the right one

Pennie Withers | Professional photographer Reading

As a professional photographer based in Reading, I am often asked how a business knows what photographs they need and also, how do they go about choosing a professional photographer?

The first conversation I usually have with clients is…..what exactly is it you’re looking for? Headshots? Website Photos? Social media photos? Event photos? Location-Based photos? Studio photos? the list is endless! But, by asking a few of the right questions, we can usually whittle it down very easily and get a plan together. Hopefully you've decided to have some of your own photographs taken, rather than using stock photography. If so - the next step is to find the right professional photographer.

While anyone with a camera can technically refer to themselves as a professional photographer - don’t forget the old adage….if you pay peanuts….you get monkeys! The right commercial photography is never just about the quality of the photographs - it’s about an end objective which usually relates to your brand, your vision, your target audience and many other factors. So, it is vitally important that you find the right photographer for the right job - don’t just judge photographers based on price.

To help…..here is a list of things to consider when looking for a professional photographer near me....

Studio/Location - are you looking for studio shots with a set background/lighting set up or do you want your images to be location based? Some photographers do both, but equally, some just do one or the other. Ask that question right at the beginning. This also relates to specialisation - if you are looking for something specific like product photography….double check they have plenty of experience in this line. It is extremely technical work, so you need to know they are good at it.

Professionalism - will your photographer turn up on time, keep disruption to a minimum and work within your deadline? This is always a tricky one to assess, but you can generally get a good feeling about someone - especially if they turn up late and flustered to your first meeting. See the warning signs! Do they interact easily and politely with others? They will need to have a friendly manner in order to manage others on your shoot. Recommendations/reviews are usually a good pointer here too.

Background/experience - years of experience do count for a lot when choosing a photographer, however you need to check exactly the kind of work that they have actually done. For example, have they done commercial photography before? Perhaps ask them to select particularly relevant photos rather than just show a broad range? That will help you determine if they are the right person for the job.

Passion/Ideas - obviously technical expertise is vital when selecting a photographer - however, they also need to be passionate about their work and engage in the project you are discussing. A good photographer will ‘come alive’ when discussing ideas/thoughts about your project - they will engage in conversation with questions about your brand so they can fully understand what you are looking for. My background is in marketing, so I find this extremely useful in understanding my client's end objectives and I nearly always help them put together the shotlist.

Usage Rights - once you are sent over the photographs - what will the licensing rights be for you to use them? Some photographers will only supply usage rights for certain media/time periods. If that’s the case - make sure it fits within your brief. Other commercial photographers (me included) supply photos with a licence to use them in any media over any time period. Obviously this is much more useful for you.

Turnaround time - do you have a specific timescale? If so, discuss it with the photographer. If they are unlikely to be able to work with you to meet this deadline…..see the warning signs and walk away!

Insurance - does the photographer have professional insurance? They should at the very least have their kit insured against loss/damage but more importantly, they should also have public liability insurance (c. £2m) in case they cause damage/injury on the shoot.

DBS certificate - if your photoshoot is going to involve children - ask if your photographer has a current (within the last 3 years) DBS Certificate. if they don't - again, walk away.

Fees - It is extremely important to ask questions such as what do the fees include? Roughly how many photographs can you expect to receive? Will there be any extras? Some photographers supply just a set number of photographs for their fee. Others supply all the edited photos - it’s always worth checking before rather than after!

And finally - how can you expect to receive the photos ? Some photographers have online gallery links from which you can easily download the photos in different resolution formats. Others, supply them on a USB stick etc… Work out how best you would like to receive them and check you are on the same page as the photographer. I would also highly recommend that you ask for 2 sets - one high resolution and one low resolution so you can use them in different media without having to have to consider file sizes.

So - hopefully, there are a few tips to help you navigate the minefield that is finding a ‘professional photographer near me’. If you would like to discuss your commercial photography requirement with me or are specifically looking for a professional photographer near Reading and the Thames Valley, please do get in touch on 07715 889457 or pennie@photosbypennie.co.uk. Or click here to see some of my work.

Thanks for reading! Pennie