Hello my fellow hostesses! I hope you are enjoying your summer and creating lots of great DIY projects with your kids! I’m Jen, your favorite photographer, and you can see some of my DIY projects, along with many of my beautiful pictures over at my website, www.jencyk.com.

Today I wanted to give you some simple, but important tips when it comes to choosing a photographer for your family & event photos! I recently gave some tips on taking gorgeous event pictures, which you can check out right here. Now, I know not everyone has a “good camera,” or is remotely interested in taking their own pictures.

So, how do you choose a professional photographer for your family pictures and events? That’s a great question! So let’s talk about it. Here are some easy steps to follow, to ensure you find the right photographer for your images that will literally last a lifetime!

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Research Your Photographer’s Portfolio

This is the single biggest mistake that I see people make when hiring a professional. A lot of people innocently think that all photographers are the same. I can assure you, this is not the case. Photographers have experience in different areas, and specialize in different things. I personally specialize in maternity, families, and newborns.  So before you sign a contract, ask to see a few separate sessions that they’ve done. This will tell you if they are consistently creating top quality images, or if they are lacking experience and may not be able to provide quality throughout your session. You can learn more about that right here.

Know Your Photographer’s Style

This is probably the single most critical thing to consider when choosing a photographer. Every photographer has their own style. But is that style what YOU want? As I mentioned before, look through your photographer’s work to get a grasp for what their style is. My style is to create images that showcase clients being natural and happy during our sessions (feel free to read more about that here). While you may like that style, is it your preference to hang on your walls?

Understand What You’re Getting

Take the time to have a solid  understanding of what you’re paying for. Once your session or event is over, what will you get back? Will you receive prints from your session? Will you receive digital images only? Does your session fee only include the time & talent of the photographer? You’re paying top dollar to have a professional create some beautiful art for you, so make sure you’re clear as to what you’re actually purchasing.

I hope these simple tips give you a few things to think about before jumping in to hire a professional. Most photographers like myself, truly value your desire to work with us, and we simply want to create the best of everything that we can. So take the time to do a little research, dig a little extra, and I guarantee this will help you come out with gorgeous pictures that will last forever!

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