I’m a professional photographer AMA

bnm

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 9:34 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Cool! Me too, before I went into this myself. I have some really good pictures of my kids from those times.

And sometimes I didn't have great experiences there which is why these days if I'm dressing up multiple kids I want to deal with a human and not a corporation- 'We MUST change the background in middle of the shoot, its required' Well then I always had pictures that didn't match the rest of the shoot and would look weird if hung together.

amother

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 10:30 am

amother [ Birch ] wrote:

Why dont photographers allow clients to receive all the photos from the shoot. Not edited or printed, but just to have

That’s a great question. Some photographers do, I know of a couple. I do not, because the way I take pictures requires them to be edited. Nothing major, just a bit of a polish that makes all the difference. I do not feel comfortable releasing my unedited photos, just like a baker wouldn’t sell raw dough to eat the way it is.

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 10:33 am

amother [ Birch ] wrote:

Why dont photographers allow clients to receive all the photos from the shoot. Not edited or printed, but just to have

The same reason your clothing store doesn’t let you receive all the clothing you want for the coming season. Not altered or pressed, just to have.

Because the clothing store wants a profit.

As does your photographer.

People understand that the clothing shop paid wholesalers for the clothing and won’t give dresses away.

People who lack business foundation knowledge do not understand that photographers do not simply have the photos for “free” to give away.

amother

Denim

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 10:34 am

amother [ Tiffanyblue ] wrote:

She was answering your question. You truly don't have to hire someone above your budget. I don't think she said anything wrong.

I didn't mention anything about my budget, so yeah, didn't appreciate it being brought up when I asked a question about pricing on an AMA thread. That was not part of answering my question.

amother

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 10:38 am

amother [ Denim ] wrote:

I didn't mention anything about my budget, so yeah, didn't appreciate it being brought up when I asked a question about pricing on an AMA thread. That was not part of answering my question.

It seems like you got triggered by my answer. I personally was simply stating that there is nothing wrong with not hiring someone if you think they charge too much.
I apologize.

amother

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 10:39 am

TranquilityAndPeace wrote:

Thank you for chiming in. I appreciate the perspective!

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 12:55 pm

amother [ Denim ] wrote:

Are you in the tristate area? Can you explain why prices are so insane with Frum photographers? Yet non Jewish ones do not come anywhere close for beautiful work? (Ella and Tom for example)

I’m not in the tristate (I’m in Baltimore although I’m from Monsey!) and I’m one of the highest priced photographers in my genre on the East coast.

While I can’t claim to know what other photographers are thinking when they set their pricing, here are some things that influence my business profit plan:

The cost of living for my family, including:
Tuition
Housing in a frum community
Kosher food
Shabbos and holiday expenses
How much time I have available to work
Health insurance for a self employed person
Double FICA taxes the self employed pay
Etc

And then set my pricing accordingly!

Any further questions?

amother

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 1:02 pm

amother [ Clover ] wrote:

As the consumer, what can we do as far as clothing, stance, makeup to assure that we look our best in the pictures?

This is different in every case. A good photographer will be there to give you customized advice. In general I advise to keep the makeup minimal, none for kids. Clothing should be whatever looks and fits best on you and your children. Colors depend on the season. In general stay away from patterns and super bold colors, as you want the focus to be on the person.

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 1:52 pm

amother [ Clover ] wrote:

As the consumer, what can we do as far as clothing, stance, makeup to assure that we look our best in the pictures?

Well-applied makeup will be a huge factor in close ups of women.

Some women prefer to do their own makeup. Other women love when their makeup is professionally applied, and some may not recognize themselves when their makeup is different than their usual.

Solid colored clothing is always a sure bet.

Here’s some of my go-to advice:

Solid, plain shirts photograph best. No stripes, patterns or complicated collars. Textures like knitted sweaters work well. A simple neckline is ideal for both parents, rather than a fussy collar. Plain t-shirts and simple sweaters photograph very well, and are prefered over button-downs, as the collars can cause distracting shadows. If each parent is wearing a different color, make sure that they would match if they were one outfit. For example, do not have one parent wear a pastel color and the other parent wear a neon color; stick with both parents wearing the same tone as much as possible, I.e. both wearing dark colors or both wearing light colors. I generally photograph the parents only from the waist up, so pants/skirts/shoes will not matter. Feel free to bring along an additional shirt or two, as you may want to change for more variety; you may want a casual and an elegant look. I can only commit to one set of clothing; however, we may have time for 2! Bring an extra outfit just in case the baby has an accident and dirties your clothes! Send me images of clothes from your closet, or links to clothing you're considering ordering online, and I'll help you plan a wardrobe that will be cohesive and beautiful!

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 1:55 pm

fiji wrote:

Why does a good photographer need to spend so much time editing? Shouldn't they be able to get it right from the beginning? (When us laymen take pics on iphones they usually come out good with no editing needed)

I’m a newborn photographer, and the majority of newborns have flakey skin, baby acne, and have more red/ magenta/ yellow in their skin than they will have in a few weeks. The moms also typically have dark circles under their eyes that are not permanent, that they want edited away!

amother

Babypink

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 1:56 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What if a person doesnt care to get the raw unedited photos?

I booked a newborn shoot, I was so upset she really didnt do great pics at all.
She would only send me 15 pics from the shoot.
Meanwhile on instagram she does much better pics. Maybe I got her on a bad day...

amother

Cadetblue

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 2:16 pm

amother [ Birch ] wrote:

Why dont photographers allow clients to receive all the photos from the shoot. Not edited or printed, but just to have

Here's my perspective as a professional cookie decorator. I am NOT any kind of photographer, so I might be totally off Wink

I always make some extra cookies, in case of mistakes. Some customers want them, cause I don't have any use for them. But I wouldn't let a customer display an "unedited" cookie, I'm not interested in them showcasing my imperfect work at their Simcha / birthday party.
Makes sense?

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 2:28 pm

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

I’m sorry for your experience.

Did you know in advance that you’d only get 15 images, or was that a surprise to you, after the shoot? It sounds like she hadn’t told you that fact beforehand.

Did you ask her why the quality of your images was lower than those on her Instagram? Had you planned the shoot with her?

Was your baby very fussy?

And your first question- if a client doesn’t care whether their images are edit or not, is the client’s personal choice. I run my business with my rules, and never give unedited images. If someone wants unedited photos, I’m clearly not the right photographer for her preferences.

amother

Babypink

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 4:32 pm

TranquilityAndPeace wrote:

she didnt tell me that upfront.
her images on instagram are much better. her poses on insatgram are much better. she put my baby swinging from a stupid tree limb and one scene with my baby wrapped nicely. I was 6 days pp and too tired to say anything. whatever. I learned for next time....

nope my baby was sleeping the whole time

btw I love ur work and wish I lived in baltimore!!!!! Cool

amother

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 4:36 pm

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

I’m sorry you had an experience like that. It is very different from the way I run my business.

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, Oct 10 2021, 4:43 pm

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

Oy, I’m sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations! Did you ever address it with the photographer? What did she respond?

And thank you! Come to Baltimore with your next baby! I actually have one client from Boro Park who has come to me for sessions three times, even though I always tell her names of great photographers in NY!