Contemporary Wedding and Portrait Photography

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I don't have one specific specialty, I shoot everything from families to horses. However, from June through September I shoot lots of weddings.

Also, I've been really surprised by the popularity of boudoir photography over the last couple years. I shoot an artistic style of boudoir, often on location, that is really different than your common pin-up style. I want my clients to feel empowered by a shoot. By that I mean, they should enjoy the experience and it should build confidence in a way that traditional pin-up does not. In my boudoir, I want to depict women as sexual individuals, not objects. The best boudoir shoots are when the client is doing it for herself, regardless of wether she ever gives the pictures as a gift to her husband or boyfriend. Although, no man has ever turned that down.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Get a consultation to plan a photo shoot. A free one. Great photography takes planning, and lots of it. Everything from the location to wardrobe, and even hair and make-up if necessary should be well planned. If you just call up the photographer and set a day and time, the shoot will be quick and easy for you, but the pictures will look quick and easy too.

I always give free consultations for all my clients because I want to work with them almost more than they want to work with me.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. If I was a customer, I would want to know more about the technical side of photography, like equipment, image file types, and such.

As a photographer, I try to keep everything very simple for my clients. I do my best to stay away from lingo or terminology that might be confusing for my client. For example, instead of "high-res file" I use the term "printable digital image." You can debate the definition of "high-res," but I think "printable digital image" is much clearer for the lay-person.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. You should ask any photographer you are considering to hire how many pictures they look at each day.

The most important part of being an artist is to generate inspiration. For me, this is best done by researching other great photographers. I look at images each day, not so that I can copy them, but so I can see what they saw and use it to inform my own work. This will also show you how dedicated a photographer is to making something great for you.

You'd be surprised how many wedding and portrait photographers are only in it for the money. They are making you a product, not a personal piece of art. My clients do best when they approach me as if they are commissioning a piece of art.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Budget. You want to make your budget clear from the get go so that you and the photographer can get money out of the way and concentrate on making great images.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I approach each client as if they are commissioning a piece of fine art instead of a product. My background as an artist and my two fine art degrees (MFA and BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design) force me into that frame of mind.

I am not a self-taught photographer who is really a business man making a product for his customers. I would rather do a shoot for free than to make something low-quality and impersonal. Don't get me wrong, I do charge an ample amount for my work, but I guarantee my clients get a better value and more personal attention than any other photographer around.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. Collaborating with others. I approach each photo shoot as if it were a collaboration with the client to produce something great for them.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. I have a Q&A section on my blog. Anyone can email me a relevant question and I'll answer it in detail on my blog. If you have a question, chances are I've already answered it there. If not drop me a line and I will. So check out www.nathanlarimer.com/blog for answers.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. I was working on a personal project a few years ago when my light meter broke while shooting in Texas. I was shooting a car that was in the middle of a pasture on a very cold day in December. It was about 0 degrees. It was so cold in fact, my light meter's batteries died while walking the 500 yards or so from my car to the middle of the pasture. Luckily, I had remembered the "sunny 16 rule" that all photographer's are taught in their first photo class. This rule helps you determine a good exposure when you don't have a light meter. In the end, the picture turned out great and I still exhibit it today.