| Working With... A Photographer |
[Jul. 7th, 2008|12:27 pm] |
This will be posted on the Mamapreneurs Inc site next Wednesday, but I thought I'd post it here now.
Working With A Photographer
We all love to take pictures of our kids. That's part of being a mom, right? You snap pictures of them when they're cute, and sometimes even when they're not. (One of my favorite pictures of my daughter was taken right after she'd dumped an entire box of Cheerios out on herself.) Sometimes, though, you realize that you need--or want-- more than just the photos that you can take day to day. And that's when you bring in a photographer. If you search for "photography portland" in a search engine you'll come up with a literally innumerable amount of people willing to take pictures of your family. But finding the person who can accurately document your vision is important, and worth the time to find.
First Things First-- The most important part of your photography experience is something that only you can do: figuring out exactly what it is that you want. That sounds hard, I know. The easiest way is to browse through photography website portfolios and see what jumps out at you. Do casual beach photos make you grin from ear to ear? Or are you more drawn to a composed, traditional setting? This should help you begin to narrow things down a bit. Now dig a little deeper: when you look at those casual photos, is everyone looking at the camera together? Or are the photos more of the interaction between the family? The more that you can pinpoint what your vision is, the more clearly you'll be able to communicate this to a photographer. And once you narrow that vision down, finding a couple of photographers to consult with should be fairly easy.
Talk to Me-- The next step is to meet with the photographer that you choose (or maybe even a couple, if you're completely indecisive like me) for a consultation. Ask to see samples of their work, their products, and get a sense of how a session will progress. Now is a good time to talk about clothing (we'll get there in a minute) and the other minutiae so that when you get to your session, everyone is on the same page. As we tell every person who walks in our door, by the time you finish with a consultation, you should have determined two things: that you love the photographer, and that you love the consistency of their work. If one of those pieces is missing, think twice.
It's all in the details-- While creating beautiful images is our job, there's actually a lot that you can do, both before and during your session, to maximize your experience:
-- Be adequately rested, fed, and if your little one is small, diapered-- I know that that sounds like the most obvious thing in the world, but I often tell clients to treat a photo session like the first day of school. Be sure that everyone gets in bed at a decent time the night before, that they eat well, and that they're in tip-top shape when they arrive at the studio or session location. A tended child is much, much easier to photograph!
-- Think long and hard about what you wear. Again, think about the first day of school. My daughter isn't even in pre-school and I often plan out her outfits for playdates. So, yes, that makes me a little anal. But clothing can quite literally make or break how your images come out. Family members should wear similiar hues: neutrals, earth tones, ocean tones, etc. Pick an area of the color wheel and stick with it. Also, bottoms matter. Legs should be covered if at all possible because any area of exposed skin will naturally draw the eye. And choose similar fabrics: all casual or all dressy; all jeans or all khakis, etc. When all of those legs are piled on top of each other, you don't want one set to stick out. The same applies to shoes. Oh, and patterns! Solids often photograph much more cleanly. But if you must wear something patterned, at least make sure that it all flows. I have a good friend who shot two little boys in plaids, but different plaids. Needless to say, that session became black and white.
-- Pick a location that reflects you well. If it's in a studio, make sure that you've had a chance to see it before you are photographed. If you're an urban family, shooting somewhere like the Pearl or even out in one of the industrial areas can give lots of fun backgrounds to choose from. If you're more suburban, find a park or natural setting that you can be comfortable in. That's the most important thing: that you are comfortable. The more relaxed and natural everyone can be, the more that who YOU are will shine through.
-- Above all, relax. Most photographers that I know build in enough time to ride through a diaper change, a temper tantrum, a nursing break, and any other of the vicissitudes that make up a child's day. We know that you want your child to be a perfect angel. But they're in an unfamiliar mode and we're trained to work with that, ride through it, and create beautiful images, often in spite of it.
It's all about trust-- Once you've decided to utilize their services, trust your photographer. They've had years of experience doing this. Most photographers that I know have had a passsion for what they do for literally decades. They attend workshops and continuing education, they participate in professional organizations, and they continually hone their craft so that the images that they can present to you are fresh, fun, and creative. They also likely spend more money and time than you can possibly conceive of to design the images that you are presented with. There's a lot of people who think that the advent of digital photography made being a photographer a simple venture. I could go on and on about that. But the truth is that it still takes two things: an eye for the extraordinary and a whole lot of equipment.
The Experience Is It-- As one of my favorite photographers says, "Custom photography ultimately is all about is choice and experience (as in THE experience). Think Lexus vs. Hyundai, think Nordstrom vs. WalMart." Making the choice to hire a custom photographer means that you will have access to someone whose sole passion is creating beautiful, lasting, amazing images for your family. And having access to them can literally change how you view yourself and your relationships. When you can look at an image every day that shines with happiness, it gives you a chance to see your world differently. And THAT is a beautiful thing. |
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