You got engaged. You reached a milestone. You’re starting a business. You have an event coming up. You just want a few professional photos of your family (or yourself!). Whatever it is, you need a photographer. You do a search on Google for photographers in your area and the results give you an array of options. Who do you pick? How do you know if they’re the right one? Why does something that sound so simple all of a sudden feel a little more stressful? It’s starting to overwhelm you and you have no idea where to begin.

I’m here to help you!

I have a few useful tips to guide you in finding the right photographer! It’s not a step-by-step process, but it will clarify what you actually want to look for and lead you in a direction to find a photographer you’ll love!

Is there such thing as a “wrong photographer”?

Yes, in a sense. It’s not that the photographer is wrong; it’s the fit that is wrong. Photography is all about the experience as well as the results, and interacting with the photographer is a huge part of that experience; from the second you send off a message to book all the way through the actual session and even after you receive your photos, you’re going to interact with the photographer. You’ll be spending time with them so you want to make sure you’ll enjoy that time and it starts with having the right fit with the photographer!

What does it mean to have the right fit? You want to have a photographer you’ll get along with who will also make you feel comfortable because taking pictures isn’t always comfortable! If you don’t get along with your photographer, you won’t have a good time at your session and you probably won’t like the pictures because of all the negative associations with the photographer and your session. The best fix is to find a photographer you like and get along with from the beginning!

You’ve never met this photographer before. How do you know you’ll get along with them?

Take a look at their website. What kind of content do they post? Do they mostly post their work or do they include bits about themselves? Do they blog, and if so, what about? Usually, photographers include bits and pieces about themselves in their bio/about me page. Some photographers (like me!) post about their personal life and work on their blog so both are good places to learn more about the photographer! Social media is also a great place to learn more because most photographers post about themselves in addition to their work. Nowadays, you’ll find Instagram is the platform all photographers hang around, but be sure to check their Facebook page too!

Once you get an idea of who these photographers are, start narrowing down the list with those you have in common with and whose content you enjoy the most! Every person writes their posts differently; you’ll find some prefer a sense of humor or sarcasm while others prefer to be completely open and raw and you’ll often find yourself tearing at their posts. You’ll naturally gravitate towards a certain kind of person whose characteristics are reflected in their writing and in the images they take! These are your kind of people, the people you would probably get along with!

Finding the right style

Do a quick audit of who you follow on Instagram. I say Instagram instead of Facebook because you generally don’t friend strangers on Facebook, but you may follow an influencer (who is technically a stranger) or a blogger on Instagram. Besides friends, do you see any patterns in editing style of the people you follow? You’ll see that you tend to follow people with a similar editing style. I have a light and airy style, and I’ve noticed that a lot of photographers I follow are also light and airy photographers. I also follow a few people who don’t shoot light and airy because I like their content, but the rest are light and airy! Sometimes you have to rule out the people whose content is the only thing you like and look at the people you follow for aesthetics. I admit, sometimes I follow people just for the pretty pictures! Look over those people’s feeds and find out what style you are drawn to!

Here are a few Instagram feed screenshots of other photographers I follow! I’m definitely drawn to the light and airy style ;)

There are other factors like budget, but you’ll see, like most services, the more qualified and experienced photographers charge more; on the other end, you’ll find new photographers who are just getting started or building up their portfolio charge less. You’ll also find people in between with varying degrees of skill level and price point. I know photographers who have had just as much experience as someone in the higher end, but price lower because it’s their side hobby and don’t depend on it for income. For some, it is their only source of income for their family or they have high overhead costs because they own a studio. Every photographer is different in how they do business and what goes into their overhead; bottom line is you’ll always find a photographer in your budget!

One last thing to consider is consistency. Are most, if not all, images on the photographer’s website and social media consistent in style? Or is there a mix of different styles (e.g. some are really warm and have a lot of contrast while others are lighter and saturated colors)? Also look at how the people are posed. Are there arms dangling awkwardly by their side or do they look natural? Find a photographer who produces images that are consistent in style because the results you see are what you will receive for your images!

This isn’t a five-step process on how to find a good photographer, but I hope these tips will help you find the right one for your needs so you have an enjoyable experience and beautiful pictures that will preserve time! Happy searching!