On-Location Family Photography

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

A. My most common types of jobs are childrens portraits. I have to say, they are my favorite. To capture the innocence of a child, or baby is so precious! Those are moments you never get back.

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

A. Make sure you look at your prospect's portfolios. Look for things like "blown out" spots on photos- where you can't see any details, look for bright photos- not those that are dark and dingy. Black and white photos shouldn't look "muddy" or light gray. Look for the photos that are breathtaking- not just the ones that make you say, "Oh, well, this is ok." Do you want breathtaking photos? Or just photos that are "good enough"?
Make sure your potential photographer has good communication- whether that be through email, or phone- no one wants someone who never gets back to you to answer questions, etc. Customer service means a lot!
Make sure you like the photographer's style before choosing them. Everyone has a different style. Make sure you and your family fit that style. ;-)

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

A. What do you really do with my pictures after you take them back home?
I load them to the computer, had to purchase a program to edit RAW files in, then I adjust the white balance (if you ever notice whites look yellow or blue- this is the WB) then usually brighten, then darken the darks, sharpen, remove noise if there is any, brighten the colors up some, sharpen the eyes, and any other adjustments that need to be made. I NEVER just shoot and put them on a DVD for you. LOTS of TLC goes into every photo for YOU.

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

A. Have you looked at my website? Have you gone through the galleries and know that my style and your style work well together? Do you have a budget? Are my prices within that budget? Do you want quality? or quantity? You usually pay more for quality. Do you want photos IN your home? or outside? at a park? Special location? What idea are you looking for in your photos? grunge type photos? or classy or ???

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

A. I am in a network with over 2000 other photographers so I'm able to keep up with the current "in" things, and constantly getting new ideas to keep things fresh and exciting!

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. What is the one thing that someone says when someone asks them, "What 1 thing would you go back in the house for if you had a fire?" Photographs is the only answer I've ever heard. To be a part of making those photographs that are so dear to everyone.... that's priceless! Knowing that they'll treasure them, literally FOREVER is a great feeling!

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

A. "Do you give away a CD of all the images?" No. I don't give them away, but I do offer them for sale. I prefer to keep the photos that I take, looking a particular way. When I hand over a disk, this is allowing them to do whatever they want with them, and when they print them at a low end, 1 hr lab, that is NOT a proper representation of my photo that I took. So... I prefer not to sell CDs, but I do understand with all the scrapbooking, etc. that goes on these days, many people want them. I do, however GIVE AWAY free, watermarked images for online sharing to every client!

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I think something that is not realized about the photography profession is that there is soooo much more to photography than just having a nice camera and pushing a button.
When you sit down and figure out what you're REALLY making, you have to consider the time it takes for travel, gas, set up, tear down, time on the phone or email with clients, time processing and editing to make your photos look THE BEST they can look, and for starters, I needed to learn how to use my camera in full manual- not in auto. There needed to be more education that just reading my manual too. Then there is time watermarking images, posting them to FB or email themm to clients, putting together a slideshow, ordering the photos, when I receive them, I go through each photo and check them over to make sure everything looks great, then package them up nicely, take them to the post office, possibly order more for other family members, etc.
When you pay a photographer, you are paying for their education, their quality, their customer service, their time, and their professionalism.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I got my first 110 camera from school. (remember those!?!?!) I won it for reading the most books for the MS readathon. I was so proud of my little plastic camera! I don't know how many rolls of film I went through, but.. I thank my parents for putting up with me and developing them all! lol
When I was about 15 or so, I got my first 35mm camera and it was like gold to me. It went with me EVERYWHERE.
Not too long ago, I posted tons of photos on my personal FB page of friends and family, and they were saying that was sooo not fair. When thinking back, I was the only one who ever did have a camera! It should have dawned on me YEARS ago that this is what I was destined to do! ;-)

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. In December of 2010, I did the Dunn County Humane Society fundraiser. people brought in their pets (mostly dogs, a couple cats, and even a ferret!) and had their photos done. Sessions were 15min. each and I think there were 18 owners, so.. maybe 36 animals or so- give or take a few. It was an entertaining and fun day! The hardest part was keeping all the owners and pets straight for the paperwork part of it! lol

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I am on a few forums online with hundreds of other photographers. We share ideas, people sell props, and share photos so I have a place to continuously get new ideas from.
I can also post my work on these forums for feedback on lighting, composition, and other things. If you ever stop wanting to learn new things, you stop growing.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. Pricing is like this....
Every session has a minimum order of $200. That is for prints, digital images, etc.
All prices are listed as a la carte pricing, but if you purchase a package, you get more bang for your buck. The different packages have different discounts. The more you spend, the more you save- on your package and on any additional a la carte items. My packages start at $200- the min. order.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. I would say READ READ READ. LEARN your camera- in MANUAL mode- not auto. it's not about pointing and shooting. Get a prime lens. They are THE BEST! Get on online forums and where they allow, post your work for constructive critisism from other photographers to improve on your techniques. If you REALLY want to grow and learn, you need to get opinions from other professionals- not just from potential clients. They see every photo of their child as beautiful. You need to know technical things too. Allow yourself to open up and take critiquing, and it'll be the best thing you ever do- unless you think you're all ready perfect and dont' need any more help. ;-)