3 Signs of a Reliable Professional Photographer

Due to the importance of photography in marketing products and identities, professional photographers are always in demand. Many budding photographers are entering the market due to this incessant demand, which isn’t bad per se. 

However, since the demand is for professional photographers, many of these new photographers oversell their skills to attract clients. If you want to avoid amateurs while searching for a professional, examine the following things. 

Their Portfolio

You can glean a lot of information about the photographer by examining their portfolio, but you should focus on the photographer’s shooting style. You don’t need to be a professional to figure out if the photographer is right for you. 

Examine their photos to see if there are any background elements that distract you from whatever is in the foreground. Professional photographers are extremely meticulous with their photos, so a subtle distracting element sticks out like a sore thumb to them. If you see these distractions, it means the photographer is not a professional.

Besides distractions, assess the pictures for odd angles and shadows. The angles may indicate a photography style, one that you may not like. The shadows indicate that the photographer doesn’t know how to use flash, which is something every professional knows how to do.

Reviews

If a photographer’s portfolio doesn’t give off any red flags, your next step should be to consult reviews. Ideally, you should find mostly good reviews, with some bad ones, on review sites other than the photographer’s website. Reviews on the photographer’s website aren’t inherently deceptive, but everyone tends to showcase favorable opinions about themselves and their services.

If you don’t find reviews on other sites, that’s a sign of a new photographer. Besides that, be suspicious if you only find good or similarly-worded reviews. Both of these suggest that the reviews may have been bought. Professional photographers are humans, so it’s reasonable to expect them to make mistakes sometimes. If a photographer has many good reviews, a few bad reviews are expected and alright. 

Professional and Clear Communication

Almost all professional photographers are busy managing their operations and providing services, so it’s reasonable to expect slow responses. However, if a photographer doesn’t take the time to understand what you require, doesn’t apologize for slow responses, and consistently replies slowly, avoid them. Professional photographers are patient and prioritize quality, so they’ll always take time to plan out and understand what you need. 

If you’re looking for a photographer that meets thesecriteria, get in touch with Adrien King in Ashland, Oregon. His professional product and lifestyle photography services include e-commerce, boutique lifestyle, and family lifestyle photography for clients in the USA.