hiring a photographer

Hiring the wrong photographer

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Here’s a funny video showing what can happen if you hire the wrong photographer for the job:

 

While this video may seem far-fetched, situations like this do happen, especially when a client shops price only and hires the cheapest photographer.

Some photographers may be a jack-of-all-trades and they can do half-decent pictures of almost anything. But a true professional knows their limits and won’t waste a client’s time and money by trying to shoot a project that’s not within their field of photographic expertise.

A professional photographer knows that doing it right the first time is good not only for the client’s business but also for their own.

 

How to save money when hiring a commercial photographer

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Which is more important to your business: saving money or making money?

While everyone loves “free”, that usually isn’t even on the menu. For businesses that are considering hiring a photographer, here are a few suggestions that will help save some money.

First, congratulations! Hiring a photographer to help with your business, corporate or commercial photography needs means that you know the value of having a professional photographer create original images for your web site, public relations or other marketing needs.

But what if your budget doesn’t quite match your plans?
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A Monkey Could Do It

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A customer might ask: “Why does it cost so much? You just point the camera and push the button. Technology does all the rest. I bet even a monkey could do it.”

Well, apparently there is a monkey doing it. And, posting her pictures on her own Facebook page. And, Nonja the orangutan works very cheap.

No word yet if she’s available for editorial, commercial or corporate photography assignments. So working photographers can rest easy for now. :-)

When it comes to hiring a photographer, you get what you pay for. A professional photographer is not someone who knows how to push a button but rather they know when to push the button. A premium quality photograph gets its value not only from what it shows but also from what it doesn’t.

If your company’s photography needs don’t require experience or creativity, if your corporate image doesn’t matter, if your customers don’t care how your business communicates with them, then even a monkey could do it.

 

Cost of digital photography

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Who started this myth that digital photography is free or cheap?

Last week, two similar sounds passed by my ears:

(i) While chatting with a writer whom I haven’t seen in many years, he remarked that I must be happy with digital photography because it’s free.

(ii) After giving a quote to a potential client, he replied, “Why is it so expensive? You use a digital camera, right? It shouldn’t really cost anything.”

Photographers, feel free to make a loud and heavy moaning sound.

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Sure thing or lottery ticket

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Since I’m on this “cheap” rant:

A while ago, a local Toronto business e-mailed and asked for a quote to shoot some public relations photos to be used mostly as media handouts. I quoted about $2,600 (photography spread over two days, assistant, post-processing, expenses, taxes) and didn’t hear back from that business.

“Oh well,” I thought, “I guess I didn’t get that job.”

Then about a month later, the same company called and asked when I might be available.
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Cheap Photographer

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A couple of months ago, I got a phone call from the photo editor at one of the largest newspapers in Canada. He wanted “magazine-style” portraits of a business person here in Toronto. The photo editor said he required six different looks each with different lighting and a variety of backgrounds.

Best part of all? Not only was he willing to pay $150 but he would also pay mileage!


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