I recently met a woman and had an interesting converstion about senior portraits.  She found out that I owned and operated a photography business and that I specialized in senior portraiture.  The first thing she said was "I'm thinking about having my son's portraits taken again."  When asked why, she explained that when she and her son were looking around for a photographer, a friend, who was interested in photography, had a good camera and offered anyone who wanted, free senior portraits.   They took her up on her offer, but looking back, she decided it was a bad idea because the results weren't very good.  The friend wasn't skilled in lighting and posing and although she was able to choose one image of her son for the yearbook, she didn't care for the rest.  I understood how disappointed she was. 

The old adage of "You get what you pay for" rings very true especially in this case.  You get this one chance to have your son or daughter photographed as a remembrance of who they are and what they're about as a high school senior. Thinking that saving money is what it's all about isn't the way to go when selecting your photographer. Professional photographers are professional for a reason.  They take the time, effort and additional cost to learn, educate and prepare for their type of specialty photography, but many take on that title with nothing more than a decent camera, a Facebook page and an inexpensive business card.

I do understand that everyone needs to start somewhere, but if you're a potential client then you need to do your homework and, at the very least, know what that photographer is capable of.  Look at their portfolio, meet with them and then your decision won't come back to haunt you.

I'm proud to be a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) as well as the Professional Photographers of New York State (PPSNYS) and the Greater Rochester Professional Photographers (GRPP) associations.  I attend monthly meetings, annual conferences and workshops and am constantly researching on-line articles, webinars, websites and blogs to improve my skills.  I'm grateful that these organizations exist so that I can continue to learn and grow and provide my clients the very best portraits possible. 

If you get a second, check out the video section of my blog to see a video regarding this specific issue and, as always, thanks for considering Hayes Photography for your portraits needs!