6 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN HIRING PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR YOUR ART EVENT 

Event photographers are talented professionals who can capture the perfect moment in still or moving footage. These experts know how to handle their gear correctly to shoot amazing moments from birthdays to weddings.
However, that doesn’t mean you should hire the services of any photographer you can find.

Here are six things to consider before hiring a professional event photographer.

LEARN ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S STYLE

Most photographers have a particular style of shooting and editing images. Some photographers are adept at shooting weddings, whereas others might be more proficient in capturing photos at graduation parties.

Check the professional’s portfolio to see their preferred shooting conditions. Perhaps that expert prefers to do a photo shoot in an indoor location. If so, then it might not be a good idea to hire that particular photographer for an outdoor event.

Look at the photographer’s references and their social media pages.
These aspects will give you helpful insights into the professional’s personality and techniques while shooting and editing different footage.

PREPARE FOR AN INITIAL INTERVIEW

Travel to a photographer’s studio or ask them your burning questions using other communication channels.
The initial interview should tell you a lot about the services offered. But it would help if you asked the right questions to help ensure you gain excellent value for money from the services rendered.

Your questions should include asking about these attributes of the event photographer:

• Level of expertise
• Certifications
• Insurance
• Photography style
• Equipment to use on location
• Contract
• Rates

An initial interaction will allow you to gauge the photographer’s personality and attitude when dealing with clients. This trait will tell you if the expert is only in it for the money or if they value their customers’ feedback more than the cash paid.

HAVE A FLEXIBLE BUDGET

Several photographers don’t offer the same price package for all events.
The expert may have different price plans for birthdays, weddings, and other social gatherings. But there are certain factors that will determine the final price for the photographer’s services. These elements include:

• The size of the event
• The number of people attending
• The time needed for the photographer to stay and shoot at the event

If you can’t afford the rates charged by a high-end photographer, then you can hire an expert that’s relatively new in the industry.
These fresh yet professional photographers should have lower fees than established names in the business.

However, you should have a flexible budget as the photographer might require extra charges for specific considerations like travel and additional equipment.
Moreover, the price of the services should match the level of expertise of the photographer.
You don’t want to pay for costly services only to get less-than-satisfactory results. If you do happen to have a good experience, think about showing your appreciation by rewarding the photographer with a suitable tip.

GET TO KNOW THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Businesses thrive when healthy interpersonal relationships exist between executives, representatives, and clientele. In other words, the nature of your business relationship will depend on how the photographer approaches you, whether as nothing more than a client or as someone worthy of special treatment.

Get to know the photographer better by establishing a meeting to discuss arrangements for the upcoming event. This face-to-face consultation will also allow you to verify the professional’s personality when handling tasks under pressure.

Ask the photographer to tell you stories about specific problems encountered during past events. Furthermore, check how this professional in the photography industry resolved those issues.

Also, don’t disregard the way the photographer tells their stories.
Professionals who appear excited while telling stories tend to be more passionate about their work, as opposed to individuals relating incidents in a monotonous voice.

For example, you might be talking to an event photographer about experience in wildlife photography. Ask the photographer how his or her wildlife photography skills were put to good use when shooting for events.
The expert should tell stories in an enthusiastic tone as they might have encountered some instances during wildlife shoots when wild animals were prepared to attack. Still, it’s actually within those moments that photographers can shoot award-winning images.

Professional photographers should exude professionalism when faced with moments of severe pressure. Remember, that perfect moment may only last a second, and your chosen photographer should be able to capture that in a video or still image.

VIEW THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GEAR

Many expert photographers will tell you that a great photo isn’t necessarily the image with the sharpest details, but a clear picture looks better than a blurry image.

The professional event photographer you’re about to hire should have the right gear for the job. Some events, like press preview in art gallery, present scenarios wherein several people are moving about at any given time. If the photographer doesn’t have a camera that can shoot detailed images in different situations, then consider looking for other professionals in the industry.

Events like concerts and exhibitions tend to be low-light shooting scenarios. The photographer should have pieces of equipment like lights on booms to help ensure images come out bright and full of detail.

Also, ask if the photographer has extra batteries for their cameras for your event.
The last thing you’d want is for the photographer to stop midway through the event because their camera ran out of batteries.

PREPARE FOR QUESTIONS THE PHOTOGRAPHER WILL ASK YOU

You’re not the only person in an interview entitled to ask questions.
The professional photographer will also have queries for you to help both parties stay on the same page.

Pay attention to what the event photographer will ask so that they can fine-tune their services to your liking. You may also negotiate for a price adjustment if you think the prices for the services are too high.

Other questions the photographer might ask you could include topics like:

• General shooting locations
• Types of scenarios in the event (e.g., crowd shots, glamour photos, close-ups)
• Deadlines
• Editing preferences

Make sure these questions contain specific details.
Otherwise, don’t hesitate to schedule an interview with another photographer if you think the questions asked are random and vague.

These six tips will help you choose the right photographer for your next event.
Don’t forget to prepare for the initial interview and finalize your budget. Also, make sure the professional has the right gear for the job, as well as the photography style that suits your preferences.