What to Look for When Hiring a Family or Senior Photographer

As a Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake family and senior photographer, I have the pleasure of meeting many new clients each year, in addition to corresponding with potential clients who call or email me inquiring about family or senior portraits. Some of them find me through my website and some through social media, as well as various other platforms.

If you’ve ever been on social media and someone inquires looking for a photographer for their family portraits (maternity, newborn, family, senior, wedding, etc), you’ll often see hundreds of responses within a matter of hours or less. The truth is, that the world is flooded with photographers, and often times clients are overwhelmed on how to go about choosing the right one if they haven’t been lucky enough to have already worked with someone they trust and have built a longstanding relationship with.

I liken this overwhelming task of choosing the right portrait photographer, and what questions and things to look for, to how I felt when I was remodeling my current home last year. I interviewed NINE painting companies to find the right one to repaint the cabinets in my home. It was a huge job and I knew that I wanted pristine results. At first, I honestly was not sure what to look for or what to ask to make sure I hired the right person. Through research and gathering information, I found that there was so much more to the process than simply choosing someone off of Google and looking at their pricing. Who knew that there are various shades of white or that you need to sand cabinets in a certain way for the paint to adhere and not chip long term? I learned about types of paint, sanding and priming processes, the expertise of finding someone who can color match, how the jobs are priced, their efficiency in completing the task, and so much more. There was more to it than I ever imagined and I found it overwhelming the amount of knowledge needed to select the right person for the job.

I am hoping I can take some of the stress of potential photography clients, whether they choose me or someone else, by outlining important key points to look for when choosing a photographer to document your memories.

The truth is, the portraits we have of the people we love are all we have to remember them by once they are grown or even gone from this earth. Children grow so quickly that we will not remember their sweet baby faces if we don’t document them each year. High school seniors only graduate once, and their senior pictures are all we have to remember their youth by. Generational family portraits are heirlooms to be handed down for many generations to come. All of these moments are so fleeting and so precious. The childhood photos are displayed at weddings, senior pictures at graduation, and all of the portraits of those we loved at their memorial services when they pass from this world to the next. The pictures we have are all that future generations often will know us by, so make sure to choose the right person to document your days.

Personal Style

All photographers have a style. My personal style is vibrant rich colors and elegant and classic posing and portraiture. The same way that some people have their favorite store or brand that fits their personality, each photographer should have a distinct brand. If you look through a photographer’s portfolio you should be able to see consistency and get a feel for how they pose and edit. The same way that Walmart will never be able to replicate the clothing or shoes found at Nordstrom, don’t expect to go to someone who can’t display the portraits you are looking for and ask them to replicate something you found online or another photographer’s portfolio. It’s ok to even ask a photographer to see a full session, whether a gallery link or blog post, to get a feel for how an entire session will look. The details are really the most important part of a photograph.

Portrait of one of my daughters styled by me. My style is whimsical and vibrant.

Use of Light

Someone that is skilled at their craft as a portrait photographer will be able to display their knowledge of light. Light is probably the single most important aspect of portrait photography. You can be in the most drab location, but if you have stunning light, I promise, you will have gorgeous portraits. The reverse is also true. Pretty backgrounds with harsh or poor lighting will lend to disappointing results. Look for a photographer’s use of light. The light should be even and not cast unflattering shadows on the subjects. They should have light in their eyes (called catch lights) and no dappled or spotty light on their faces. Since the weather is often unpredictable, you can even ask a photographer for examples of sessions done on a cloudy day, a sunny day, etc. Someone knowledgeable and skilled will know how to photograph in all different weather conditions. I have photographed in light rain (when the session could not be rescheduled due to out of town guests), extreme clouds, heavy wind, and gorgeous golden hour lighting. Knowledge and experience of lighting is key to stunning photography.

It was lightly raining at this family’s session. We could not reschedule due to extenuating circumstances. I found the best light and applied editing techniques to create a timeless portrait despite the rain.

Posing

Look to see how a photographer poses their clients. Do they look natural and relaxed or stiff and uncomfortable? You probably didn’t know this, but in portrait photography the hands in a photo are as important as the face in creating flattering photos. Look to see how a photographer poses their client’s hands. Other standard rules apply also, like not shooting a female straight on, not shooting at an angle that extends the nose beyond the face in a profile, not seeing the soles of the feet or shoes, and many other rules that lend to generally flattering and gorgeous final pictures.

You can see every member’s hands in this family portrait.

Editing

The style and skill of a photographer when it comes to editing is as diverse as the photography itself. All photographers have different methods (and how much time) they will spend editing a final gallery. I personally hand retouch all my photos, which means I take every individual portrait into Photoshop and adjust the tones in the background, adjust individual skin tones of every individual, soften the skin, sharpen the eyes, remove any flyaway hairs, add sky overlays, etc. I will headswap young children or members in a large group portrait if needed. These things are highly dependent upon the photographer you choose though, as some batch edit and their business model is not to individually highly retouch every single portrait. There is no right or wrong way, but it is important to ask their method for retouching portraits if you are looking for a specific style.

This is a before and after. You can see the level of editing that goes into some portraits. This photo was taken right at sunset, but the camera did not capture any natural sunset in the sky.

Assistance with Locations, Wardrobe, and Styling

All of my sessions begin with a phone consultation where we discuss your vision for your session. I then recommend a location based on your vision (area in which you live, urban vs nature, etc). I have a list of locations I shoot at (which can be found by clicking here) that I send to clients to choose from. I also have a blog with wardrobe tips and examples of client wardrobe pieces that can be used from my client closet (click here for blog post). I am happy to help with styling advice through phone call, Facetime, or text if you need help in choosing the right wardrobe for your session. I also have a hair and makeup artist that I will help you book if you desired. These are services that are individual to the photographer though, and not always provided. It is always smart to ask when looking for a photographer if they provide wardrobe assistance and a list of location choices. My personal goal is to take all the stress off my clients and make the experience as stress free as possible.

The mother and daughter skirts in this family portrait are from my client closet. I planned the location and the wardrobe to match the look the client was envisioning. Any of my clients are welcome to use any of the pieces in my client closet.

Knowledge of Printing and Photography Products

We live in a digital age. Often people get their digital files and leave them forgotten on a hard drive. As technology changes, often those hard drives corrupt or the method we use to view files becomes obsolete. This is why it is SO important to print your portraits. I have made the mistake of waiting to print photos for a couple of years and the task is DAUNTING (if I can even find the pictures I am looking for). If you are going to spend the money on wardrobe, hair and makeup, and a professional photographer, then have your portraits printed, and preferably professionally. It will be so worth it when they can be handed down to future generations. Drug store photos warp, fade, and overall lack the depth and color of professional printing. Ask your photographer if they have a relationship with a professional photo lab. They should also have knowledge on how to sharpen and prepare a file for print on different mediums. I give my clients the digital files because I want them to have the option to print them themselves as well (Holiday cards, calendars, etc), but for wall art or albums I absolutely think professional printing is worth every dime. I often say this generation is the most photographed but will have the least amount photos to remember their lives by as they will be lost on hard drives over time.

A professionally printed heirloom album handcrafted in Italy.

Wall of professionally printed canvases in my home office.

Reviews

Don’t be afraid to look up reviews on your photographer. They should have a Google business review listing that has client reviews on it. To see my Google reviews click here. If clients are happy they WILL leave reviews for someone that has done an exceptional job. Conversely, they will also leave reviews if they had a disappointing experience. The same way you look up reviews for hotels, medical professionals, cars, etc, you should be looking up client reviews for your photographer.

Communication, Turnaround Time, and Overall Client Experience

You can assess a photographer’s overall client experience from the point of initial contact. If they don’t respond, or take days to get back with you, the odds are low that they will be communicative and available throughout your entire client experience. Many photographers keep normal Monday through Friday hours, but barring an out of office message you should have a response within 24 hours if you are dealing with someone that has thorough communication. Even if a photographer takes amazing photos, if they can’t communicate quickly and efficiently to an initial inquiry they will often be frustrating to work with.

The same can be said for turnaround time. The photographer should set clear expectations on their turnaround time and should always meet or exceed the turnaround time quoted. My contract states my turnaround time is 30 days but I almost always have my clients’ galleries back within 1-2 weeks, even during extremely busy times of the year.

Referring back to reviews, it is always beneficial to read and and see a trend on what clients say about their experience. You will often see the exact same key words used to describe the client experience.

Pricing

I remember when I was interviewing painting contractors, I couldn’t understand at first why there was sometimes thousands of dollars difference on the quotes I was receiving. It wasn’t until I really delved into the process (and the corners that some of the cheaper quotes were cutting) that I understood that they weren’t all completing the same steps to achieve the final result. Often times, a cheap price tag means someone is inexperienced and/or cutting corners. They either operate on high volume (cutting corners due to time) and low pricing, or they operate on a lower volume model and charge accordingly to provide the necessary steps to do a thorough job and provide an outstanding client experience.

Pricing is one of those things that consumers that don’t know what to look for often times default to as one of the key decision points. While I understand most people have some sort of limit to their disposable income and budgets, it is the last point in this blog post for a reason. Photography is a luxury, which means it is not in the same category as groceries, gas, medical expenses, etc. As with all luxury products it is assumed that you are using disposable income to pay for the luxury. The same way you save for vacations or luxury items, if you want portraits that can stand the test of time and be handed down for generations to come, then you will see a price point attached to them.

You almost ALWAYS get what you pay for. The simple fact is photography is an extremely complicated profession to master and it often takes years to become proficient at a professional level (I often say that learning photography was harder than completing my bachelor’s degree in college). Professional level photography equipment (think the tack sharp 3D images and gorgeous blurry backgrounds you see) and education also costs thousands of dollars.

We save for iPhones, vacations, new cars, clothing, and home improvements. It is worth saving to hire someone who is knowledgeable and skilled enough, as well as low volume enough, to give you the portraits and a client experience that you deserve to preserve the precious memories in your life.

I hope this post was was helpful and gave you some key points to think about when hiring your next photographer! If you think we are a good fit I would love to hear from you! Please contact me here to help you plan and schedule your family or senior portrait session in Dallas Fort Worth.