Is there anything cuter than walking into a family home and seeing stunning family canvas prints? Finding a professional family photographer is essential to creating long-lasting family mementos. But you aren’t here to learn why family portraits are important - you are here to find out how to find the right professional photographer that is a good match for your family in terms of style, types of personality, and price.
With the holiday season coming up, you are sure to be on the lookout for the perfect family photographer for holiday greeting cards, announcements, and of course, social media posts. If you are wondering how to find a family photographer, we have some simple tips for you.
Styles of Family Photography
While all photographers work with cameras, the styles of photography from one professional to the next can vary widely. Before you consider booking a photographer, it is important to consider what their specialty is. Many photographers become experts in just one or two fields of photography. There are many different specialized fields, such as wedding photography, sports photography, yearbook photography, and more. It is important to review the photographer’s portfolio to see if their personal style matches with your vision for the photoshoot. Here are a few of the most common types of family photography and what they entail:
Newborn Photos
Newborn photography requires a special type of photographer! They often work out of studios, specifically designed to accommodate newborns and their families, or they might travel to your home or even the hospital room. You may get to decide on props for newborn photography, lighting, backgrounds, and which newborn photography poses you prefer. You will need to choose outfits for your newborn - and don’t forget backup outfits (just in case.).
Lifestyle Photos
Lifestyle photography may involve shooting at a location or in your home. This style of photography focuses on true-to-life moments rather than posed smiles. No one has to say “Cheese!” and you will likely end up with photos that perfectly express your family’s unique personalities. Matching outfits are optional.
On-Location Outdoor Photography
If you love the style of families gathered together on the tailgate of a pickup truck or sitting beside each other on benches, posed photos are for you. This style of family photography is most common because it isn’t quite as fussy as studio photography but still has more structure than lifestyle. Like lifestyle photography, you can discuss your family photo location ideas with your photographer and choose the spot that works best for everyone.
Studio Photography
Studio photography involves going to a location where the family photographer can control the lighting, backgrounds, and poses without worrying about the time of day. They will likely have their own set of props or details that you can use. All you have to do is show up at the studio at the appointed time with your matching outfits ready! You don’t have to worry about variables such as inclement weather or locations falling through.
Couple Photography
Couple photography can involve posed, staged, or lifestyle photography with the caveat that the photography will be able to capture those sweet, intimate moments between a loving couple. They might suggest couple photography poses or let you just hold hands, snuggle, and be yourselves. These photos are often used for announcements, invitations, couple photo albums, and holiday cards.
When you search for your photographer, you might find that many photographers will blur the lines between styles of photography. They might have their own unique take on each type, so be sure to review their photographer portfolio on their website to get a feel for the types of photos that they take. This way you both have a clear, shared vision of what you are looking for from your photoshoot session. Before we get into how to find a family photographer, you should definitely think about what types of personality will work well with your unique family.
Different Types of Personality
One of the most important things to know about your photographer is whether they make you feel comfortable. These differences in personality can have a huge impact on the quality of your photos.
If you have the chance to meet them in person or over the phone, try to gauge whether they seem friendly and professional. You don’t want to show up to a session and find the person is extremely rude, rushed, or overall brings the mood down.
If you are looking for couple photography, you will want someone that creates a safe and comfortable space for you and your partner to take the best photos together. You definitely don’t want your photos to look stiff, awkward, and uncomfortable.
You can tell a lot about them based on their website, how they interact with customers on social media, and whether the photos they take seem effortless or strained. You don’t have to feel like instant best-friends with your photographer, but you are looking for someone who can remain professional and collected throughout the session.
Cost for Photo Sessions
You might be wondering how much a family photographer will cost you. After all, a good photographer is worth their weight in goal (but you may not be able to budget for that much!)
According to Fash, the average cost of a photographer ranges from $100 to $250 per hour.For all-day events like birthday parties and weddings, these rates will be unique to the photographer.
There are other elements that you should factor into your budget as well. Ask yourself what you plan to do with the completed photos. Your costs will be less if you will only use them on social media (and therefore only need digital copies) and more if the family photographer includes printing or even creating photo prints themselves. If you are planning to use the photos for wedding invitations or baby announcements, you can factor in those costs as well.
How to Find a Family Photographer
When you have a good idea of the type of photography you are looking for, it is time to find the right photographer to achieve the look - and hopefully, within your expected budget. Here is how you can find a family photographer:
Start your search online - you can look on local Facebook groups or instagram, search for “family photographers in (city), (state)” and definitely click through a few of the portfolio websites that you find. Read reviews and see how they respond to them.
You might also find family photographers through your maternity support group, baby book clubs, your kids sports clubs, and wedding planners. Some venues and locations even have list of the best photographers in the area.
Using Your Family Photos
Once you decide on the style of photographer and find the right family photographer for you, consider whether you would like to create photo prints with the finished photos or post them on social media (or some combination of both!)
For social media, you will receive a digital copy of the photos. If you order prints through the photographer, you will wait for them to arrive in the mail or pick them up at a certain date.
Don’t forget - if you plan to use your photos for holiday greeting cards, factor in shipping times to make sure they arrive at their destination in time for the holiday.
If you want to create specialized photo prints online, such as custom photo books, quality canvas prints, and unique metal printsSimplePrints can help! If your photographer sends over the photos through Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or similar, you can easily import those photos into the SimplePrints app. This makes creating your own personalized photo books and wall art easier than ever.
Guest Blogger: Cameya Martin
Cameya Martin is a mother, a wife, a self-identified horse-girl, and a writer. She writes articles for small businesses, memoirs for people, and fiction for herself.
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