Great question! You're investing your hard-earned dollars for an album of artwork and preserved memories. Most people have smartphones nowadays with powerful cameras. Why can't you just use that? You absolutely can. Smartphones can take some amazing photos. In fact, some photographers do use smartphones for their images - I have some within my own portfolio (see if you can spot them!) You can even make some adjustments within the photo gallery on your phone. So again - why should you spend your money on a professional photographer? There are a plethora of reasons: 1) The family photographer is often left out of pictures because, well, they're the photographer. The realization doesn't always hit that someone is missing until years later.
2) A portrait photographer sees you differently than you might see yourself. They will hype you up and strive to make your portrait session an enjoyable experience. 3) It's hard to enjoy an event when you're in charge of capturing images. Sometimes, you forget to take photos altogether because you're so busy hosting.
4) Photographers have more in-depth knowledge of their cameras, camera settings, editing software, and prepping images for various uses. Photographers understand file type, resolution, colorspace, and other variables that need to be taken into consideration depending on the intended use of the images. That doesn't even cover the artistic aspect of the trade!
5) Speaking of the artistic aspect, each photographer has their own aesthetic. Warm and moody, light and airy, bold pops of color, candid, posed, themed, outdoors, natural light, studio lights, backdrops, digital backdrops....you get the picture (pun 100% intended). Being able to apply their aesthetic consistently across hundreds of images is quite the feat.
6) Ever wonder how photographers capture some of their dynamic, captivating works? It involves getting creative with the shooting angle, lighting, and surroundings, as well as being able to make the subject comfortable. Photographers aren't afraid to get goofy, get on the ground, or contort themselves into weird poses to get the desired image. 7) Photographers will take many, many (many, many, many, MANY) photos and cull them for you into a more manageable gallery. Consider how many images you have stored in your Camera Roll at any given time. How difficult is it to find what you want or decide which photos you'd like to keep or have printed? Photographers remove much of the decision fatigue and overwhelm. 8) Waiting for your gallery to be ready is exciting! Where else do you get that feeling of joyful anticipation while waiting for beautiful images of you and your loved ones? This certainly isn't an exhaustive list of reasons for hiring a photographer, but it helps to give you an idea of the benefits of hiring a professional.
Hiring a professional photographer is a big decision. As a photographer, my goal is to make you feel comfortable in front of the camera and feel good about yourself. I want you to open your final gallery and feel amazed by the portraits we capture together.
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