Top 5 Reasons to Not Hire a Professional Photographer
I've finally comprised this verbal collage of my favorite, DSLR-era, reasons why some of us have not yet returned to a professional photographer. Just in case I don't scare you away, there's an offer to follow...
Reason 5 - I have enough pictures of my kids.
We live in this generation of immediate gratification when it comes to seeing our photographs the instant they happen.
Pang, saw myself, on to the next. It used to be that the whole purpose was to preserve a moment, display it in a physical album for your kids to flip through, smiling at the old version of themselves.
Today: Click, post, forget... Guilty? You're not alone. We don't have time, we're over-stimulated and smart phones didn't come with file management instructions. (though I do have classes planned)
4 - My clients don't care what I look like.
Ha!.. Guess again. Unless your clients are machines, that card you just handed them at networking will be tomorrows head-scratcher. "Is she the one I talked to about?.." "Dang, was this the guy who said he could?.."
Beyond forgetting the faceless business card,, we have just enough human in us to be judgemental. We absolutely DO judge books by their covers. Ask any book publisher!
If you're photo looks like a selfie or an 80's church directory, guess what?.. (client nose wrinkles before recycling). We need to feel that we will connect with the person. If your cover (photo) is not authentic, telling or even up-to-date, at least make sure that it's on recyclable paper.
On my last batch of studio cards I removed my own photo. My thought... That seems egotistical, they want to see my work, not my image.
That was before I realized I wasn't the only photographer in the room. I found myself with 4 cards in my hand after a networking event. One of them I was very interested in working with. Two of them were of the same trade. Crap! Which one to call?.. If you think it's egotistical, get over it! My next batch of cards will have, even if small, my headshot to make sure that I AM THE PHOTOGRAPHER THEY MEANT TO CALL!
3 - I own an iPhone.
EEK!.. I hear a chalkboard scratching somewhere.
Last week I photographed a senior that "got it". He is a photography enthusiast who laughingly told me that a friend offered to do senior photos stating, "I have the new iPhone". Photographers reading this can now hear the same scraping of fingernails across a dry surface... Sorry, but had to!
If you're looking for something that looks like the same five filters of Instagram, I've got unlimited variations pre-programmed in Lightroom. Want something unique!.. I'd love to help!
2 - My camera has a timer for family portraits
Okay, I've done it. Technically - it was phenomenal. As for the content of expressions - I couldn't even find one to label with the dreaded term -"Good enough"
It sucked. Never again. 'Nuff Said. Have someone with a personality that can juggle the varying personalities of your family "push the button". A teen sneering impatiently at dad is NOT likley wall portrait material. Yes, it really is more than the camera that creates a portrait. If you don't agree, please unsubscribe from this newsletter. I don't like clutter, so don't let me add to yours.
1 - I can buy a DSLR camera for less than your portrait package..
Okay, at least a cheap variation of what most professionals use. This misconception that "the camera does it" used to really grind on me. Not because I was desperately missing out on a sale, rather for historic values. We are taking WAY more photos, yet do nothing to get them into the hands of our future generations.
DIY (Do It Yourself) wedding sites of the early 2000's taught budget-brides how to gather up all of the guest photos and call it (artists plug your ears) - "good enough". My 1992 wedding photos were such a bad memory, that I decided I needed to do this for a living.
Like it or not, professional photographs play an important role in holding on to important memories. Monumental events don't happen every year. YES - Snap away often. Remember all the places you've been - wall-worthy or not. Whether you hire a professional or not - just remember to BACK THEM UP!.. Print them, share them with your family. Leave a legacy for the next few generations.
No desire to leave a visual history for your future family?
Not concerned about your clients remembering you?
Still believe that "the camera takes the picture"?..
...Seriously, I'm not your guy.
Why?.. Because I'm going to create something to prove all five of these notions as myths. As fair warning, I will badger you with questions if I need to know you better before we shoot. You will not walk out with everything I shoot. You will only leave with perfected versions of the ones you really want to say - "that's me!"
Just in case I didn't scare you away, I'm offering $100 just for making it this far... ($200 in portraits, for $100)
Buy one $100 Gift Card, get a second one for free!
• (no expiration on useage, but the Buy One Get One FREE Offer expires on 12/31/14)
• You may use TWO of them per session for a guaranteed savings, just by using them for yourself! (it's okay to gift to yourself - you deserve it!)
• Great way to save on gifts for staff, family, friends or to stash for future sessions with us.
• Gifts are 4x6 in size and delivered for free to the purchasing address. Ask us about shipping your gift directly if desired.
CLICK HERE to BUY NOW
PASSWORD = gift100
BONUS OFFER - Brian's first-ever TBT
(throwback Thursday for you non-Tweeters or Facebook usuers)
Here I am with my Portrait Guru, Artist Extraordinaire, Lois M. Ver Baere. The man that made me care about all things above. Circ 1989. He was 70, me, I was 12 (ish)...
Ah... A little blast from the past! I've never done a "Throwback Thursday" photo, so I decided to bury my first at the end of a post where I try to scare people away from me... You may never see it, but I did it!
This reminded me that we used to actually remove those big hunks of glass before a session!
We had people stop by their eye doctor to borrow a duplicate pair of glass-free frames, or to have them remove the glass. Gotta love our Anti-Reflective coatings and Photoshop to make life easier in the modern photo studio!
Now THIS is a great use for an iPhone. Pictures of pictures that only land on the web!
