Am I the Right Photographer for You?

The first question you should ask when hiring a photographer, should be "Are you insured?" You will be surprised many aren't. What happens if you hire a friend of a friend and she trips, injuring herself or breaking her expense equipment? When facing large bills, people sue easily! You need to be protected.

My business is fully insured. Now you can feel comfortable reading through the rest of this blog to find out more about my business philosophy and whether I am right for you. And perhaps, we will make a great connection and you will hire me to be your next family photographer.

A Louis Vuitton handbag could easily cost you $1,000 dollars or more. But you still want to own one. You might not have the money right away, but you will save up for it. Do you really need a Louis Vuitton bag? The answer is obviously No. Then why you still want one? Because you are seeking quality, craftsmanship and authenticity. You enjoy how it represents your status quo and fashion taste. It makes you feel great! And...because you can only own that many Louis Vuitton bags and you save up very hard for it, when it is time to buy one, you need to make sure it is something you won't regret down the road. You conduct researches, you look around, you think 10 years ahead...until you reach a style that you absolutely love.

Well, this might not be the best example. You probably don't even like Louis Vuitton. But hopefully you get the points. Photography service, believe it or not, is a luxury good. It reflects who you are and what you value. You want to be seen as someone who appreciates quality and understands the differences. You long for personal connection instead of being treated as a number in a mass production line. You want to be valued and cared about.

I have always been obsessed with portraits. You will be amazed how much of my yearly budget goes to professional photography services before I became a photographer myself. Even so, I still hire others to do my family portraits, professional headshots, and glamour shots. I have tried many types and levels of services myself over the years, from retail chain store studios, to home-based private studios, to fine art and high end commercial studios, there are pros and cons to each. But even within the same sector, there are so many choices thanks to an over-saturated market. Which one is the right one for you?

Price is important, but not everything

You will always find photographers and studios willing to offer low prices for their services. And I understand pricing is an important factor in any purchasing decision. But a photographer can only go so low without burnouts because photography service is based on time, and time is limited. This is where the law of supply and demand plays a role. Inexpensive services get high volumes but at the same time quality also diminishes. How easy is it to schedule an appointment? Do you get any pre-session consultations? Does the photographer spend time to get to know you and your family? Does it take forever for him/her to respond your emails/texts/messages? Do you have to wait months to get your pictures? Are you getting a shoot-and-burn job with little or no post processing work, that you simply just hire someone with a slightly nicer camera? Do their services include anything more than just taking and editing pictures: Do they invest in high quality props? Do they offer special themes? Do they blog? Do they issue digital publications? Do they own a professional looking website to present their work? Are they up-to-date with technology? Do they appear to be active and always trying to stay connected with you? Do they seem to carry long term interests and passions in growing their businesses and perfecting their skills? Can you trust them? All these factors build into the costs of running a good business.

I step into this business with a very clear mind where I want to position myself and who my ideal clients are. And I build my pricing and marketing strategy around it. I don't compete on pricing and I don't do mass marketing. You will not see me advertising in any online yard sale groups or offer group buying deals (Groupon, LivingSocial, etc.). I don't even post deals on my own website or social media sites. Instead, I like to keep a small closed group what I called the VIPs and ask them for referrals. My VIP group is by invitation only and continuously being monitored and evaluated for its uniqueness and exclusiveness (when everyone is a VIP, no one is a VIP). It is my top priority to make every single of my VIP member feel special. I don't run free session giveaways and my private discounts are only offered to VIP members and clients referred by them on a very limited basis. I only offer free sessions in the means of giving back to community, and through charity and volunteering works, model calls, and soon to be launched portrait rep program. I add on values instead by partnering with other businesses and cross promote their products.

Understand your photographer's specialty and style

Just like you go to different types of doctors to treat different types of problems, you should understand the differences among each type of photographers when making a hiring decision. This is because each specialty has its own requirements, gears, techniques, and focus. There are various ways defining a photographer's niche, I would categorize myself as a portraiture photographer with a primary concentration in baby (sitter and up) and children under age of 14. I also offer occasional services on newborn and can accept other categories of portraiture inquiries upon careful evaluation. I only volunteer event photography services and do landscaping photography as a hobby.

In a typical full portrait service I deliver a mixture of styles combining traditional, lifestyle, and surreal (special effects and fantasy); and will accommodate clients' preferences by putting more weights on one over others. Here is an example of two recent sessions showcasing my different styles.

Studio

Dancer Glitter Storm

Auqamarine Mermaid Fantasy

Tutu B&W

Window Reflection

Fall Hudson River

Sunset Silhouette

Digital vs. Prints

Today we live in a digital world. Many choose not to receive prints from photographers and instead opt for digital files. Many retail chain stores and online venues offer affordable printing solutions (although there is a noticeable difference in quality comparing to a professional printing lab)and compete each other with irresistible coupons and discounts. And many enjoy sharing pictures electronically. Digital vs. print product delivery remains a controversial topic within the industry. This is an important question to ask when selecting a photographer. Do not expect someone to change their philosophy regarding such matter because of you. That usually leads to unpleasant arguments and bitter the relationship.

I try to offer a solution meeting the middle. First of all, I as a consumer would always want digital files as backup. I feel safe when I have them. Those are my negatives. I am obsessed with family portraits and have multiple sessions done a year. If I have prints from each session, I will be overwhelmed with papers in the house. But, I also fear one day my computer crashes, I will loose all the files. Therefore I make photobook projects and I do print the very nice ones out and hang them on the wall or display them around the house in picture frames.

Provide a set number of digital files with each package along with print release and à la carte print products is my approach. It has been working very well. Clients who understand and value the quality of professional lab prints and the design effort a photographer invest in each print product will happily order prints from me. From time to time I offer professional quality print products as incentives instead of discounting a session. It is important to find out whether a photographer offers print release to avoid any dispute in the future. Good photographers know how to protect themselves and their works and you as the consumer shall become educated.

Understand today's consumer habits, I also invest in a professional looking online gallery (click here to visit) and offer complimentary Mobile APP Album with my premium packages, aiming to improve your electronic sharing experiences.

Your photographer's reputation is also yours

This is more about whether your photographer shares the same values as you. For example, I am more willing to buy products from a company that supports finding cures for cancer because I understand the pain losing loved ones to this disease. I would assume you want to support good business missions and good business ethics. If you are seeking children and family photographers, I would assume you want to hand your kids to a photographer who cares about children's well-beings and even better can serve as a role model. When you proudly refer your photographer to others, and people start checking out his/her profile and portfolios, they will subconsciously relate you with that photographer without even realizing it. Thus, finding a reputable photographer is important in my opinion. And this is the reason I rely on word-of-mouth referrals and value cross promotions through business partners over impersonal mass advertising. One important homework is to find out your photographer's cyber behavior. Do they respect client privacy and follow agreements in the image and model releases? Do they care about your concerns enough to consult you first and give you a heads-up when they are about to engage in a marketing activity out of their normal routine?

Once an image release is signed, my clients would expect me to sneak peek selected images from the session across my social media platforms and probably feature additional images on my website and blogs. If they are sponsored a prop by my business partners and sign a model release, they would expect selected images will be showcased on my partner's social media and website to help promote their products. For those routine marketing activities, I don't usually consult my clients. However, although I am not obligated to do so, I will always get my clients' permission first when I want to try a none-routine marketing activity such as hanging a canvas with image from their session on a venue's wall or to feature them in a digital publication. Whether your photographer respects you is a critical quality to look for.

The last but not least, work with someone who is consistent, professional and reliable. One way to evaluate such quality, is to find out whether he/she has a policy to fall back on. Contract in my opinion might be too extreme if you only want a family portrait but for maternity, newborn, and any special projects I do require a contract so both parties' expectation can be set at the same page. The last but not least, you can find my policy here.

The About section of my website provides more background information about myself. Feel free to explore it. With this blog, I hope you feel more confident in identifying the right photographer for your next photography service need. Any questions feel free to contact me at Karen@musenphotos.com.

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