Why Should I Hire a Professional Photographer? | Norman, Oklahoma and OKC Metro Photographer

Everyone seems to be a photographer these days. If you can take a decent picture on your phone, why book a photo session with a portrait photographer?

That’s exactly what I want to tell you in this blog! Portrait photographers are professionals, and they take higher-quality pictures than any cell phone could. We’re going to look at a few of the most significant things that distinguish professional photographers from amateurs and your phone, including:

• Knowledge and experience,
• Their gear and software,
• Image quality and moments captured, and
• Shooting style and personality.

My hope for this blog is that you’ll better understand portrait photographers and their work! And hopefully, you’ll look into booking a session with one.

Knowledge and experience

Photographers are especially experienced in their field. It may seem like their job is just a click of a button, but that’s far from it! There are so many things that go into portrait photography, from behind the camera to editing and even to the marketing/business side of owning a business.

Behind the camera, we’re juggling several things, including:

• Posing and prompting clients (including little kids!),
• Checking camera settings and focus,
• Finding the best lighting and photo spots/composition,
• Noticing small details, such as outfit/hair mess-ups, and
• Capturing those precious moments.

These are just a few things that happen behind the camera—not to mention preparation and communication before or after the photo session. From the initial inquiry to the final gallery of images, there is so much work every photographer will put into each session to make sure their clients get the best photos possible.

Having the knowledge of best photography practices and the experience putting those things into practice are some of the most important things that set professional photographers apart. This on-the-job experience in invaluable (especially considering the different situations that arise at each photo session).

Business management and editing are two things most people will see the end result of, but not necessarily the work that goes into them.

The social media posts, blogs, website updates, and so many more things go into the business side of photography. (Some photographers even go without social media.) Other major forms of marketing come from word-of-mouth referrals, newsletters, and testimonials.

Each photographer also has their own editing style. If you ever wonder why it takes so long to get your photos back from your session, editing is why!

After selecting the best pictures taken from the photo session, your photographer will then edit and export your pictures. Editing consists of the many ways photos are processed. These are things like color-grading, adjusting lighting, contrast, sharpness, removing distractions from the background, retouching, and so much more.

Many photographers choose to start and find their style with presets, but others, like myself, choose to develop their style through trial and error. This leads to many different styles and preferences (for colors, amount of retouching, etc.) amongst portrait photographers. Regardless, there is so much work that goes into each individual photo you receive.

(Read more about editing styles in my blog, 5 Best Traits to Look for in a Photographer.)

It is a combination of all these things, from the shoot itself to everything in-between, that gives credibility to portrait photographers.

The photographer’s backpack

Photographers use top-notch equipment to best capture your portraits. When you look at pictures from an iPhone, it’s easy to tell they are pixelated, not high-quality or very sharp, and they tend to not be very flattering. Cameras on phones are not capable of taking as high of quality pictures as professional equipment will.

Professional cameras are designed specifically for picture and video-taking. The sharpness, depth of clarity, and detail in every photo taken is unmatched. The bokeh and blur you’ll often see in portraits also come from specific camera settings, the shooting location, and where the photographer is in relation to the subject.

While photographers are posing their clients, they also have to make sure their camera settings work best for their location, lighting, client pose/prompt, and shooting style. On top of that, they also make sure the spot chosen for the pictures has good lighting, composition, and more. (Read more about shooting style later in this blog!)

Photographers also use different camera brands and lenses depending on their style and preference. Brands like Canon, Sony, and Nikon are popular amongst professional photographers for their quality but also for their specific picture styles. Most photographers choose one brand and stick with it. For instance, I have always used Canon, but others may not like its unique features or picture style.

Certain lenses will work best with their same camera brand; photographers also create their own style and art with the lens they use. The lens most well-known as the “portrait lens” is the 85mm, which is what I use in most of my work. Lenses like this tend to compress the background more, making it appear closer to the subject. Wider lenses, like a 35mm or 50mm, make the subject and background seem farther away, which ends up showing more of your surroundings.

I prefer the 85mm because it doesn’t distort my clients (like some wide-angle lenses do) and it makes for beautiful blurred backgrounds and bokeh.

Other things portrait photographers may use could include a flash (on or off-camera), tripod, light reflectors, or props.

Your final images

Photographers deliver the highest quality images to their clients.

I tend to be disappointed by how social media ruins the quality of all the pictures I post, but thankfully, social media quality doesn’t reflect the quality my clients receive.

Resolution is key here. Basically, the higher the resolution, the further you can zoom into your pictures while still retaining the most sharpness and detail. After the edited images are finished in Lightroom (or another photo-editing software), resolution comes in when they are exported. Social media/web resolution tend to be lower than the photos delivered in a final gallery.

The resolution and quality of photos also depend on what type of camera is being used (digital or film), as well as how the pictures are taken. Although film photos can be more grainy and less sharp, they could be seen as better quality than a blurry, out-of-focus digital image—it all depends on context.

Personally, I think digital pictures are much higher quality and look better than film. Others may prefer the look of film, but the high quality of digital images cannot be overstated.

When looking a your pictures, the quality not only reflects the resolution and work put into taking and editing them, but it also shows the special moments captured. Life is precious, and each moment we have (by the grace of God) is fleeting. Freezing these moments in time to cherish forever is such a blessing, not only for clients but for us photographers as well.

Those little expressions, feelings, and memories taken by photographers are priceless. And being able to have them in such high quality to look at, have, and print to hang around your home is so meaningful and important!

Behind the camera

Every photographer’s shooting style is different, but we all have one. I wrote about this in my blog about what to look for in a photographer, but I want to touch on it here, too.

A photographer’s shooting style includes things such as camera angles, how they choose to shoot their pictures, and if they choose to direct their clients into more traditional poses or prompts and more modern, trendy styles. Not only do photographers pay attention to camera settings, lighting, and details of each picture they take, but they also help compose each image (to look nice) as part of their artistic style.

Each photographer will have preferences on angles, poses, lighting, lens/camera body choices, and the contents of their final images. All of these elements, however, will be consistent in a professional portfolio.

Personality also plays a huge role in a photographer’s shooting style. Again, everyone has personal preferences, and a photographer’s personality plays directly into how they interact with and direct clients, what poses or prompts are used, and every other aspect of their business.

A photographer’s personality will be evident throughout their website, messaging, and ultimately their photos.

Not every photographer is going to best serve everyone, and that’s okay. Just like photographers have preferences for style, camera gear, personality, and how they take and edit their pictures, clients also have preferences for different editing and shooting styles.

Rather than just focusing on an editing and shooting style, I would argue that you need to look at the whole person. All of the characteristics I listed throughout this blog are what make up professional photographers, and it’s important to consider the person who will be taking your pictures as well.

The person behind the camera makes all the difference.

Next steps

Booking a photo session with a professional photographer is one of the best decisions you can make. They have the most experience and knowledge to best capture you and this special time in your life, and on top of that, they will deliver the highest quality pictures for you to cherish for years to come.

You can find a photographer that specializes in whatever season you’re in: portraits (for seniors grads, couples, and families), weddings, newborn/birth, and more. These should be very clear from a photographer’s portfolio and the messaging on their website and social media.

Seniors, couples, and families: are you ready to seize the moment and make your memories timeless? Book your photo session today!