Frequently Asked Question   

What benefits do I get by paying for professional photography?

There are many options for photography. What do you get when you pay a pro the going commercial rates?

The commercial photographer does this for a living, so is good at it. Knowledge and experience mean you will get the pictures you ordered, when you ordered them. You’ll get creative input, not just “snap”. You’ll get proper post-production. Reliability. The photographer also has tens of thousands of dollars of equipment. (look at mine).

To explain, I thought I might share a real example with you.

The shot on the right is from a recent fashion shoot for a magazine front page. Here’s what the client got for his money:

1. •Great preparation: finding and scouting a location; designed shot; packing (see my car on the left).
   

2. •Cameras and lenses worth $25,000 (including ultra-sharp commercial lenses, and commercial cameras which are water-resistant and can save each picture to two memory cards at once).
   

3. •A full portable studio with commercial lights (large battery-powered flashes for outdoor use), light meters, radio controls for flashes, and much more: a pro is prepared just in case. And spares: since things break, a pro always has spares - of everything.
   

4. •Reliable models. A photographer can often help find reliable models, helping guarantee a great shoot. I found the two models here and took care of all contact, payment, and so on.
   

5. •Five people for three hours, plus travel (including the photographer, one assistant, and two models: see the crew in action on the left).
   

6. •Well-thought out props - flowers and fruit, as well as colourful umbrellas (in case of rain). And clothes that were sought out and fitted previously, and returned afterward.
   

7. •Timeliness, including an early arrival to ensure close-by parking.
   

8. •Creative insight - the ability to find the location, composition, setup, props, and lighting that properly shows the autumn feel required by the client.
   

9. •Continued Learning - Photographers spend a considerable amount of time learning the latest up-to-date technologies; they join competitions to stay on top of their game; they join professional associations to learn from others; they constantly update their techniques, their equipment and their software to serve you better.
   

10. •Post-production time: downloading the images - onto a high-end computer equipped with expensive software - then selecting the best ones, professionally finishing them, then exporting those with the exact parameters needed for magazine use.
    

As you see, doing it professionally is worth it - it is in fact the only way to ensure top results.

Visual imagery is important; and if you want it done right, do it well. The effort, equipment, and knowledge involved guarantee quality, consistency and reliability. The money you pay for a professional shoot pays back every time.

Michael