4 Things to Avoid when Hiring a Photographer
Hiring a photographer that fits you can be tricky business. Luckily, We scored gold with the first photographer, Chris Gharst, we met when we were looking for our wedding, but I know that is rare. Sometimes you don't get a good vibe or are on a super tight budget. Here are a few tips about making sure you don't hire someone you aren't meant to.
They don't make you comfortable.
Your photographer should be someone who you could easily laugh with and feel vulnerable with, especially if they will be capturing some of the most important moments of your life. You should be able to trust them. They should be someone who clicks with you, and you could see yourself starting a friendship with them.
Most photographers are very personable and are very good at making clients feel that way, so if you meet with a photographer who leaves you feeling uneasy, it's probably a red flag that it won't be a good fit.
You have never seen their work.
If a photographer doesn't have examples of their work that are easily accessible to you, especially online, ask to see some of their work. Photographers have different styles, and you want to ensure that you are going to get the style that you envision.
They are the cheapest in town.
Some great photographers under price themselves because they haven't built the confidence to ask what they're worth. Maybe they don't know that their work is worth much more. Others just don't have the experience. Others don't have the technical knowledge. There could be a multitude of things that play into it, but consider all these things when hiring someone. Again, look at their work. Shop around. Look at other photographers and compare prices. Don't just hire someone because they offer the lowest price. Always remember you get what you pay for.
You don't know their policies.
Photographers have expectations, just like clients do. They expect you to be on time. They expect you to respect their rules about editing and cropping after they have delivered your photos. If they don't have anything that they can tell you about what their policies, it might be that they don't have any. So ask the questions you need to be clear about what you expect and what they expect. It's a necessary conversation.
The Degrandes | Family Time | Grinter Farms | Lawrence, KS
Finding a photographer for family photos is mostly something that moms do. Not to be sexist or discriminatory in any way, but it's a fact. In our business we are often taught to focus on the mothers. They're our target. They're the ones we need to reach.
So when Luke contacted me about photos with his kids in the sunflowers, I was so excited. I've known Luke for about 4 years and have watched his kids grow taller and more energized every year. Luke is one of a select few of my husband's friends that our daughter, Reagan, will let hold her. So you could say he is one of my favorites.
His kids, Colby, Ty and Addison, are well behaved and hilarious. A few photos down you'll see the boys photo bombing each other. I wish you could hear the giggles they had while doing that to each other.
I wish more dads-especially single hard-working dads like Luke-documented this time with their kids! I see a new goal in my future. :)
The Murphy Family | Family Life | Grinter Sunflower Farm
I have only known Delaney and her family for a little over 18 months, and they are easily some of my very favorite people. Every time we all get together, we chat and laugh and tell stories. They are the type of family that clicks very well with ours.
They are a true baseball family, through and through. Delaney is on a first-name basis with most of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and her brother Jackson is a baseball player too. It's in their blood. So I knew there would be some KC blue happening during their shoot.
Kelley and I have been waiting for the perfect time for photos, and of course, the sunflowers were it! She is actually the first person who ever mentioned the sunflower field to me over a year ago, and I can't ever thank her enough.
We got some great shots amid crazy traffic, and I am looking forward to some baseball photos in the future!
5 Things I Learned During Mini Session Weekend at the Sunflower Field
If you read the last post, you know that I spent two full days at Grinter Farms last weekend, and now that I am (almost) over the exhaustion of shooting and editing (all done-yay!), I have had some time to reflect on the experience. On things I loved and things I will do different next year.
Every time I go into a new place to shoot or have new clients, I try to soak it all in and fully embrace the newness. It's always a good learning experience because it is all very fresh and sometimes anxiety-provoking. I seem to thrive on a little bit of anxiety. It's a sometimes flawed part of my personality.
The Grinter sessions definitely taught me a few things.
- When on mini-sessions, always pack a cooler of drinks and snacks. On Saturday, I brought along one bottle of water. Pretty stupid considering I normally drink 3-4 bottles per day working in an office, not even doing physical activity. Let's just say by lunch, I am dying. Thankfully one of my sessions cancelled right before I had a scheduled break so I took the opportunity to go get a drink. And lunch because for some reason I didn't think I would be hungry. Again, stupid. I am starving too. On Sunday, I had learned my lesson and packed a cooler full of water and snacks to hold me over. Since Sunday was far warmer than Saturday, I was patting myself on the back for that.
- Sunscreen. Even when you don't need it, you really do. I spent half of each day in the shade and still managed to come away with a good burn/tan. I am definitely keeping a small sunscreen in a pouch in my camera bag in the future.
- Use your down time productively. A few sessions cancelled at the last minute, which can be disappointing (mostly because I had people who were on a waiting list - but whatever), but I used the thirty minutes that I would have been shooting to do other business tasks that needed to be done. I updated my Facebook page, culled a few previous sessions, and even booked a session. So a shoot lost wasn't really time wasted.
- Network! Sunflower fields are popular photo spots, judging from the 20+ photographers on the Grinter property at all times over Labor Day weekend. It was a great opportunity to meet others that I never would have met before. From Lawrence and KC, even one from Wichita.
- Cookies make everything better. Just what I needed on Monday. Thanks Kelley!!
The Most Beautiful Place on Earth
Last weekend was the busiest I have ever had as a photographer. I knew going into it that I would be tired, and I was. But I also think I was running on adrenaline most of the time.
By the time Monday rolled around, I was exhausted and sneezing from sunflower pollen, but I was still soaking in the pure satisfaction of a weekend well-shot. I had a lot of families, a few with surprises, a college senior, a few couples, and some parents that just want pictures of their kiddos. It was a good mix of people and personalities, and even though there were a LOT of people at the sunflower field and traffic backed up for miles, there was a lot of patience on everyone's part. That, I truly appreciated.
If you live in northeast Kansas and have never been to Grinter Farms, it is a must-see. But go during the week. Weekends are apparently always crazy, and it was so busy this year that the sheriff came in and shut the place down because traffic was a mess and accidents were backing up traffic on the two-lane highway. Luckily I missed the traffic Saturday and Sunday, but I made up for it with a 45-minute stop-and-go wait for Monday's session. Totally worth it though.
It is breathtaking. And peaceful despite so many people.
And now I am happy to get to share some of the shots from the weekend! I'll be doing some individual posts later of each session, but there can never be too many sunflowers in one place so hopefully this will fill your day with a little sunshine.