Why Choose a Professional?

I’ve been in conference with so many friends and colleagues over this particular subject. It’s a subject close to every professional photographer’s heart. Here are a few myths to get things started.

This post was meant to debunk some common myths about professional photography. It’s not just about pressing a button. Everything needs to be as good as it can get in-camera before the editing starts. That implies training. I have to think on my feet, change the scenario when one isn’t working out well, and get the attention of everyone in a group. That implies experience. I need to pay attention to detail and make a spectacular image. That implies caring.

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1. These pictures are of my child/self, so that means they’re mine.

Okay. All these things are valid questions when you’re picking out a photographer for your family. But let’s debunk this first question right now… “these pictures are of me so that means they’re mine.” Every image on this blog is copyrighted to me. Every image taken with my professionalism and artistry is mine, even if you can’t see a watermark. The only time an image becomes yours is if the photographer signs those images over to you. Period.

But…it’s important to know that you’re getting your money’s worth. Photographers understand and they want you to know that you are going to get the best quality for what they’re charging you. Not every photographer is a shark. Of course, I can’t speak for every photographer out there, but I can speak for myself. I’m not a shark. And it’s important for my clients to know why they pay for my services. I’ve got professional training, I’ve got a great eye, and I’ve been doing this for years. Over those years I’ve been learning and growing.

2. It’s just pressing a button. How hard could it be?

With a few examples, I’d like to show how a true professional doesn’t just press a button or have a fancy camera or software. It’s the experience you have with that photographer, a person you trust and get along well with. And it’s the way that photographer uses that equipment and software that matters.

Maternity

I recommend getting maternity portraits done anywhere between 7 to 9 months. It’s whenever the woman feels comfortable. You want a nice round belly but you also don’t want to be too uncomfortable and swollen either. And the most important thing that women worry about is…stretch marks!

This is me. I’m about 8 months pregnant and my belly wasn’t very big. Despite that, I had tons of stretch marks and an appendectomy scar. Because I’m like every other woman when she’s pregnant. I understand how uncomfortable it could be to show your bare belly. And it’s okay to have a shoot that doesn’t show skin. You choose a professional because they bring out the best in your beauty. They put you in a pose that’s flattering and they always have your feelings at heart in their editing process.

Newborn

You would think that newborn editing would be easy. They have fresh, new, perfect skin, right? Wrong. Newborn photography can be hard. I’ve been professionally trained in newborn poses so that not only does the portrait turn out gorgeous, it is also very safe for baby. After countless sessions, newborns are still my favorite sessions to work with…and among the hardest to edit.

Newborns have very fragile skin. Much like your newborn, It’s not used to being out in the world quite yet. My little girl (above) had tons of flakes on her skin and as a new mother I didn’t feel comfortable putting lotion on her face. Plus, you may not see those flakes with the naked eye. It’s true that a camera hides nothing.

Then there are cases of stork bites, baby acne, minuscule scratches from little baby fingernails, and now and then lint that gets caught on the blanket. All these details are important. Because you want to see your baby as you see her…not how your camera sees her.

Lights & Distractions

Even a perfectly lit backdrop and a controlled setting need a little help at times. A photographer’s hardest job sometimes is to make a shot work. A 6 month old puppy, for example, may need to be tethered. You can’t see my husband on the other end, but you can see the distracting blue lead that’s sticking out of the puppy’s head, and that even the bright lights are a little dim in-camera.

Then there are things you can’t control. Like the sun. Recently, I got to take my daughter to the pumpkin patch. It was the only day we had to do it and this day was cloudy. The sky was moody, cold, threatening rain. The hour was growing darker by the second and my infant daughter is unpredictable. She has also scratched herself under her eye, which every mother will tell you always happens the day (or the hour) before a photo shoot.

But how do you get everything evenly lit while still drawing attention to the subject in a crowd of people? This is what separates a pro from an amateur. I made it as right as I could in-camera and made the image pop with post processing.

3. You just took those pictures, it should only take a day to edit, right?

I work hard for every shot. And then I get these images home, just itching to get them edited. I’m just as anxious to get all of these done as you are to have them done. But I very rarely get a full session edited in a day. It’s because I’m hard at work paying attention to detail and making every image up to my high standards. I don’t rush through your session and I don’t rush through editing. I also don’t “shoot and burn” where I just slap a Lightroom filter on everything and you get every single shot that I may have taken. You get only my best. I understand it could be frustrating to wait. But my images are worth it.

4. I have a friend that has a camera who charges a tenth of the price (or it’s free).

So you have a friend of a friend who has a brother who just got a new camera and is pretty good. He’ll shoot the images at a fraction of the cost (or no cost at all) and then give you all fifty images at no additional cost. Yeah, we’ve heard it a hundred times.

I’m not here to insult someone’s friend’s friend’s brother, because every new photographer started at the beginning…and it didn’t look as polished or as pretty. As professionals, we’ve all had to learn and get better at our craft. I’m also not here to disparage upon anyone’s finances. I’ve been there where I’d rather get something cheap than get nothing at all, and it’s all I could afford.

I just know what I go through to get these images. My pricing starts from the time I got my camera equipment (costing thousands of dollars), to the time and money I spent advertising for my session, to the time I took from my family to take your images, to the work and artistry I put into giving you the excellent images you see before you. It takes into account the cost of continuing to grow and get better and the props you may need to continue to be creative. Most photographers would hope that their quality speaks for itself.

5. My child has a cold, bumped his head, and may actually need a nap…you can photoshop that, right?

Finally, let’s address the last bit of myth. I’ve shown you that I can erase stretch marks, minor scratches under eyes, a distracting anomalies here or there in the image. I can even take that mischievous grin from one photo and put it on that family photo where kid just refused to smile.

But even the best photographer isn’t a miracle worker. If you’re a size 10, we cannot magically transform you into a size 1. If your child is cranky, hungry, in need of a nap, and fully uncooperative, the best thing to do is reschedule. There’s no shame in rescheduling, both your child and your photographer will be secretly thankful. If your teen happens to go through her entire photo shoot with lime green nail polish, we cannot transpose an entire hand of fingers, sans‐polish. That’s why it’s important to know that everything is as correct as it can be in camera.

It sometimes takes a professional to draw that line. A line of care and quality that we will not compromise on. One time in a studio I worked at, I couldn’t refuse service. It was above my pay grade. So, a mom came in with a glassy-eyed little baby that would not for the life of me smile at anything I did. That’s saying something, because us infant and child photographers, we sometimes pull out all the stops and make complete fools of ourselves for that smile.

I looked at the mom at some point and said, “Is there anything at home that he loves that gets him to smile?” My heart dropped in my chest when she said, “Oh, he has a double ear infection, we just came from the doctor…but he’s on antibiotics.” I did the best I could, I got the session over with as quickly as possible so baby could go home and rest, but when the session was all done with, I cried. That should have been a reschedule, hands down! This level of professionalism isn’t because I’m better than anyone else. It isn’t even because I’m a mom! It’s because I’ve had years of experience to learn what not to do.

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In conclusion, I give 110% to my photography. I’m not some random person that decided I’d wake up one day, buy a fancy camera, and become a photographer. I make every image about my clients. There’s nothing wrong with an amateur making their start in the highly-saturated market of photography. But in this industry, you get what you pay for. Make sure your photographer fits your style, your schedule, and your need. For that, there’s not a price too high to fit the quality that you will receive.

TaNeesha
Neeshanoo Photography