When it comes to my family getting pictures, I look to other photographers. Not that I wouldn't love to say "Yeah, I took that. Tripod, running, and all!" But it's just a lot easier, stress-free, and when you have kids involved you pretty much need someone behind the camera the whole time making them smile and keeping their attention.
I've had a photographer since my husband and I got married. I worked with her at a dental office, and she was also my hair dresser! How convenient :) She took my bridal pictures and reception photos free of charge because she was just starting her business and wanted some experience. The one I actually hired for my reception baled on me so I was very thankful to have her there! From that point on, I used her every year for our family pictures. Well, all but one year. I had a different photographer do them once because I was looking for someone a little cheaper than what my original photographer charged. I also loved all of the other pictures I had seen from this new one. I also had a different one for my maternity photos because I wanted something more boudoir type, and she then took my daughter's lifestyle newborn pictures.
I have found out after these many times of getting pictures taken that it's most definitely true that you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, I have some photos from these others that I absolutely LOVE, but when I get the gallery from my [favorite] photographer, I fall in love with every single image! She gets the lighting perfect, and knows just how to edit them! She's always making sure during the session that hair is perfect, smiles are perfect, and she captures such sweet real life moments.
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| One of my favorites from my [favorite] photographer |
I get all of these images back on a disc when she is finished editing. There are anywhere from 25-40 images, depending on what the shoot was for. They are all edited, and I don't have to choose which ones I want because she chose the best ones for me. The hardest part for me is limiting which ones I print on canvas for my walls! I pay her upon retrieval of the disc and that's always been perfect for both of us! She gets the disc to me typically within a week of the session, so I don't ever wait long! There has been one time that I actually waited 3 weeks, BUT her father-in-law just passed away a few days after the session and it was terrible timing to edit! I completely understood and wasn't in any hurry. That was a rough time for her and I wouldn't want anyone calling me about photos I just took right after a death in the family.
The lady who took my maternity/newborn photos worked in a similar fashion. She did take payment when the session occurred and I actually waited a little bit longer for the disc. However, I didn't have to choose which ones I wanted because she, too, chose the best and put them on a disc. I can't remember how many there were but I do remember that there were A TON of pictures. Too many of the same pose in my opinion. She has a studio with very bright natural lighting so the photos were all very bright. I'm not complaining about that, though. It was just a lot different feel than the others I'm used to.
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| My Beautiful Baby at 1 week old |
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| 35 Weeks Pregnant |
The year I was pregnant for family pictures, I chose a different photographer because I liked her style as well. She always posted such beautiful pictures. When we got ours done I was only 5-6 months along and had a belly that wasn't very big. It was more of the "is she pregnant or just fat" type of belly. At least, in my opinion. She ended up taking a ton of maternity-like pictures. We also had our dog in most of these family photos. She wanted payment at the time of the session, which wasn't discussed beforehand so I didn't have it. She said it was okay but she was going to keep the pictures until she got paid, understandable. About 30 minutes after our session ended, she posted two as a teaser on FB! That was super quick! I made sure I paid her the very next day because I was so excited to see more. When I got the disc back, not only were there the edited photos, but there was also all of the photos she had snapped through the whole session, unedited and all! I didn't like these photos as much as I thought I would, and I didn't like having all of the "negatives". My [favorite] photographer moved after I had my baby and I am still very upset about it! So this year we went with someone else who I've used for other boudoir pictures in the past. I loved those ones, and so did my hubby ;) She does a great job, but this time I wasn't wowed with them either. My mom was! But they weren't what I wanted. It could be that it was gloomy that day. She rescheduled from what was supposed to be the day before, which was warm and sunny, so my husband was upset about that. Our colors were maroon and grey and I felt like the whole set of photos turned out gloomy due to the grey as well. The for this session was that I pay before booking and I get 10 edited images. It was a mini-session. If I was to share the deal on FB and tag with her hashtag, I would get an extra 5 images, and if I tagged 3 people I would get an extra 3. So a total of 18 images is what I was expecting. She also told me the day of the session that she would have them back to me in a couple of days so I could get out "Happy Holiday" cards. It was way to close to Christmas for Christmas cards. That was perfect! We got a sneak preview 5 of them a few days later but that was it. I finally had to message her and ask where they were and she finally sent an email to me today to choose my top 15.. TOP FIFTEEN!! Her reason was an extra 5 for waiting so long. I was supposed to get 18 to begin with because I shared, tagged 3, and hashtagged. This was something that was not discussed beforehand so I'm not arguing. I now have to choose my favorite 15 out of a ton of UNEDITED photos. I don't know how to do that because they aren't edited and I don't like them the way they are! (I won't go into detail about how the boudoir photos were finally given to me, but I should've learned).
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| Sneak Preview |
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| Sneak Preview |
Now I know that a lot of people want any and all photos that are taken of them or their family, and I get that. But when I am PAYING someone to give me PROFESSIONAL photos, I don't want some with closed or half-open eyes.
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