I get it. To some (maybe you), hiring a photographer seems a bit frivolous. Most of us carry a pretty capable camera with us everywhere we go. “Hey, my iPhone 13 Pro MegaMax Ultra Infinity Plus takes pretty good photos,” you might say to yourself. And you would be absolutely correct. That iPhone (and I’m using the term generically here) does take pretty good photos. It also make pretty good phone calls and sends and receives pretty good texts. Many things to many people, that phone truly is a modern miracle.
None of that however diminishes the value that an experienced photographer brings to task of documenting your big day – regardless of what that day is celebrating. Indeed, the value proposition that a photographer offers is one of service, technical competence, artistic vision, documentarian, and historian. The photographer you hire does a lot more than click a button. Allow me to explain.
The service that a photographer provides is – among many other things – just that: a service that requires skill, investment (time, energy, AND money), and dedication to craft. And although we LOVE to think of ourselves as artists, an experienced portrait photographer simply is a skilled trades person/crafts person in the same vein as a lawyer, accountant, painter, or carpenter, or brick mason. Did I lose you there? Consider the following then. Sure … you can represent yourself at trial, but do you really want to? So yeah … while you absolutely can bust out a perfect 45 degrees, up and to the right (duck lips and all) TikTok selfie and drop that in your LinkedIn profile that you’re using to land that first job out of grad school, but do you really think that’s the best approach? No. You leave the sucking chest wound to the trauma surgeon, so leave those engagement photos or that corporate headshot (that you know you need) to a professional photographer who can provide the experience and technical acumen required to help you look your personal best. There really is more to it than simply clicking a button.
Photographers in 2022 must become (and remain) technically adept at a whole ecosystem of cameras, lenses, lighting systems, software, and printing services in order to meet contractual requirements. Camera systems have evolved into highly complex image- and video-capture computing devices with a planned obsolescence rate of approximately once every five years or so. Modern-day digital photographers must stay current on those rapidly evolving systems if they’re to remain relevant. And since most professional photographers don’t use “point and shoot” cameras (especially for portraiture), mastering those complex camera systems is the minimum investment in time, energy, and funds that a photographer must make in order meet customer expectations. The, once the initial act of taking a series of photographs has finished, post processing that must be done (everything that is done to store, backup, edit, and export your images) is a full-time endeavor in and of itself. The work to deliver a given image is barely half complete once that photo has been taken. There is a huge selection of specialized software applications that photographers use to catalog, manage, edit, store, and export your images. Photographers must spend time researching the right software for their needs and then invest in the right amount of time, energy, and training to use that software effectively and efficiently in order to keep pace with their contractual requirements. Remember … that light and airy (or dark and moody) look that you want and love so much doesn’t just happen. A photographer (or retoucher who specializes in post processing work in support of a photographer) did that for you specifically. There really is more to it than simply clicking a button.
It should also be recognized that photographers (and I’m speaking colloquially here) are a vain bunch. As Erykah Badu once said (and I’ll paraphrase here), “(we’re) artists and (we’re) sensitive about our shit.” We like to think that we’re artists busily making art. So use that vanity to narrow your choices when you’re in the market for a photographer. Consider the outfit you’re wearing right now (men … you can probably skip ahead for this particular piece of the conversational pie). You likely took a thoughtful approach to how you put it all together so that (a) your top compliments your shoes, (b) your pants are fit and slimming, and (c) and your jewelry frames your face just right. Take that same thoughtful approach to photography. Unless you’re a photographer yourself, the photos you will take of yourself will (by and large) be no different than the photos everyone else is taking of themselves. Set yourself apart and make a statement with your personal brand. Define, exercise, and deploy that brand! Use the practiced eye and compositional skills that an experienced photographer offers to make your photos unique. Remember … the photographs that are taken of you on your “big day” will (hopefully) last for multiple generations and will represent YOU long after you have departed this mortal coil. Let them be more than just a snapshot that some Cupertino algorithm spit out in a nanosecond because the Insta-tok algorithm says that look is trendy right now. Those photos should accurately represent YOU and who YOU were on that day. There really is more to it than simply clicking a button.
In addition to the technical, compositional, and artistic skills and approaches I’ve described above, your photographer brings a documentarian/historian perspective to your collaboration as well. He/she will document who YOU are, where you were, who you surround yourself with, and how you related to them and your environment on that date. Before you dismiss that as overly dramatic, think of the value that a well composed and exposed photograph will bring to subsequent generations of your family. I’m of a certain age that I have zero photographs of my paternal grandfather. My father freely admits that he finds it difficult to remember what his father (my grandfather) looked like. That is a familial tragedy. Pics or it don’t exist, correct? Today … we are presented with a similar concern, albeit with a modern twist. Because the phones we carry around with us come with a built-in obsolescence date, there is a certain amount of “digital churn” that occurs when we upgrade phone to phone. How many of you still have the photos you took with your very first cell phone? If you don’t, those photos that documented who you were at that age, time, and place are likely gone - never to return. Professional photographers will maintain a robust photo management system and will – in all likelihood – be able to retrieve all photos they have delivered to you today well into the future. So … heaven forbid … you lose your home in a fire, flood, or to some vengeful ex-husband or ex-wife, photos of you and your family will still exist and can be reconstituted. There really is more to it than simply clicking a button.
I hope that I’ve adequately explained the value proposition that a professional photographer brings to your life. Are you ready to discuss that headshot, engagement session, or family photograph that you know you need but have been putting off? Call me and let’s talk.