Before you decide to work with any photographer there are a few questions you must first ask yourself.
What do I wish to do with the photos?
What standard must they be to be suitable for this purpose?
Does this photographer demonstrate the experience and skill to meet this standard?
What are the costs associated with utilizing this photographer?
Will the results meet my needs?
What will the photos be used for?
If the images are for a modelling portfolio which will hopefully thrill a modelling agency then your requirements are the highest possible. If you simply want to present your best self to an on line dating service your requirements are minimal.
What standard must they be to be suitable for this purpose?
If your requirements are for a professional purpose the photographer may be the least of your expenses as you will be producing your promotional material from these photos and all of this printing and mailing may exceed the cost of the photography. For professional purposes the highest standards must be met or this can be a very costly exercise in futility.
If your needs are simply recreational then your standards need not be so high and the quality of the photographer’s work is not as important.
Does this photographer demonstrate the experience and skill to meet this standard?
Some photographers provide a small number of images they were successful with over their lifetime as a photographer. The problem with this is they may have taken most of the many years ago and not had much current experience. You need to see current consistently good work before you start to consider this photographer. Ask them to show you their current work from a very recent time.
How many models or actors has this photographer recently worked successfully with? Can they or will they demonstrate their work from these recent shoots?
What are the costs associated with utilizing this photographer?
Every photographer charges in a different manner. There are no real standards which make a single price tag easy for a photographer. Make sure you ask for the final cost of their services. They may be charging you for the shoot – for each image you wish to print so specify the number and size you will require beforehand. They may charge extra for touch-up or photo-shop work or they may not even provide this service. Often you get what you pay for so ask these questions and be clear before the shoot about what the photographer will deliver to you.
Will the results meet my needs?
This is the big question – look hard at the images they present on web sites, and the work they can document as recent and consider the number of models you can see they have worked with over say the last year. Although I am the first to not follow the pack there is a reason one photographer is popular while another is not. No matter what the reason; for those who are not shooting with a larger number of models, it is probably a photographer you wish to avoid spending your valuable time and or money with as the likelihood of getting valuable images for your valuable time and money is poor.
