Do you ever wonder why some photographers offer you “All Images” from your session, and others give a limited number?
Here is a prime example of why most profitable photographers have a specific number…I shoot upwards of one hundred images per session. This is in order to capture the perfect moment; the perfect expression; the perfect angle. Sometimes, this means the subject of the photo is not facing a direction that captures the perfect light. It can be a trade off. As a result, many images look like the ‘Before” example coming straight out of camera, but that’s ok! It’s ok, because as a professional photographer, I also carry the responsibility of EDITING them! Editing takes time, and when you are receiving every image from your session, I can almost guarantee that each one of them is not being meticulously retouched. Wouldn’t you prefer to receive a gallery filled with beautiful, ready to frame images like the “After” photo; rather than a bunch of underexposed ones, that you must now figure out how to doctor up with an iPhone app (which will not likely look good once printed)?
Here is another example. Check out how discolored and splotchy this poor baby’s face is in the “Before” picture. Newborns are often red and bumpy and scratched up from those razor sharp fingernails they come out with! It can potentially take hours to edit their skin in such a way that doesn’t compromise the entire look of their sweet face. This has to be done by hand to EACH individual image within a gallery. That sort of thing cannot be done as a batch edit.
I personally love the retouching process! Do you? Or would you like for that service to be included in what you’re paying your photographer to do? 🙂
It seems that all too often, clients are in the market for quantity over quality. Photographer A is offering a $100 photoshoot with “All [generic] Images” from the session, and Photographer B is offering a $100 photoshoot with 7 images- fully retouched, resized, and ready to become a gorgeous addition to the decor of your home. Which do you choose? How many are you actually going to frame or display?
As you can likely imagine, I didn’t choose to keep the “Before” picture of my daughter in the tub for an album. She is out of focus, and the fence is crystal clear. Some photographers would include that blurry shot in the set, making the image count that you are receiving seem higher- when in reality, it is clearly unusable. These two pictures were literally taken seconds apart. I come home from MOST of my sessions with sequences of photos like this, where I have clicked several times with one single pose- aiming to capture a series of expressions. Another part of a photographer’s job is called “culling”. This is where we weed out all of the unusable shots. You shouldn’t have to spend your own time doing that!
When investing your hard earned money in a portrait session, think about the service you wish tp receive, and the expectations you have of the final result. More is not always better! Hire somebody who is going to take the time to make sure your experience is enjoyable from start to finish, and that every single image they deliver to you exudes perfection.
When it comes to a timeless treasure such as a portrait, choose quality over quantity…EVERY TIME!