Questions to ask before you engage a “Professional Photographer”

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When you hang up a sign (On Facebook, Web Sites or where ever) as a ABC Photographer / Photography, Driving Instructor, Commercial Pilot, Diving Instructior etc You are claiming to be a professional in that area – People have a justfied expectation of you to turn up with Professional Grade Tools / Equipment to do a Professional Grade Job – This is the minimum – you – the client should expect from the (claiming to be) Professional you engage!

1. How many (Manufacturer Recognised) Professional / Advanced Grade Camera’s will they be bringing to the shoot?

2. Is EVERY Camera Body you will be bringing to and using at the shoot recognised by the Camera Manufacturer as a Professional Grade / Advanced Camera? If not why not?

3. Is EVERY Camera Lens you will be bringing to & using at the shoot recognised by the Lens Manufacturer as a Professional Grade Lens? If not why not?

4. Do ALL of the these Professional Camera Bodies and Professional Grade Lenses belong to you or your company (not hired, borrowed, leased etc from some one else)? If not why not?

5. Is every (SLR) camera you will be using a Full Frame Camera? If not why not?

6. Will every shot be taken at the biggest size and highest quality your camera is capable of? If not why not?

7. What is the largest size in Horizontal and Vertical Pixel count that your camera is capable of taking images at?

8. Don’t be fooled by terms like High Definition / High Resolution – ASK – Will all of the digital images delivered be of at least 300 PPI – so as to be printable at a reasonable Size? If not why not?

9. Don’t be fooled by terms like High Definition / High Resolution – ASK – Will all of the digital images be of at least 5616 by 3744 pixels (without being enalrged post photography) in size? If not why not?

10. Will any “edited” / “retouched” images be printable at their full uncropped size without distortion or loss of quality as a result of the editing AND also will they be taken at the biggest size your Camera is capable of? If not why not? This is to avoid images being taken at a smaller / smallest size – to enable ‘less’ editing as it could be a much smaller image.

11. How many of your images will actually be supplied in digital format in color? Why not all of them in colour – allowing us to change to BW or Sepia as we choose?

12. Can we view the 100% unedited / 100% uncropped images and choose what images to have edited and leave the others unedited? If not why not

13. Can you show us examples of your work (across atleast 50 multiple events / shoots that are indoors or out doors and similar in a location and lighting to what we will require of you to do) that are a 100 % unedited and a 100% uncropped – according to the definition of editing here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_editing? If not why not? Because we want to see your skills as a Photographer – skilled to take good photographs to start with – not your skills as a digital artist.

14. Can you please AVOID the Cliche Boring and Disgusting  Ballon, Giant Lollipop, Laundromat and similar concepts? If not why not?

15. Can we choose where to have shoot taken? If not why not?

16. Do you providing editing / retouching services? If not why not?

17. Is your Studio owned by yourself or your company (not hired / borrowed / leased / rented)? If not why not?

18. Is your Studio dedicated (99.999% of the time) studio space and not used for any thing else for more than 0.001% of the time? If not why not?

19. Do you or your company own all (100%) of the lights and (100%) of the equipment in the studio you are using? If not why not?

20. Is your Trading Name a registered Business Name? If not why not?

21. Do you have a exclusive and dedicated Business Banking Account? If not why not?

22. What is your Business Banking Account Name, BSB and Account Number?

23. All you can eat – all the photo’s on CD / DVD (can often provide with a pile of worthless images – combined with lack of specifics about Resolution (PPI – Pixels Per Inch) or Size (pixels hight and across) and with loose use of terms such as High Resolution & High Definition and the like can be very deceptive – Get the technical specifications of what will be delivered before you engage your photographer! e.g. How many Pixels in Width and Height, How many Pixels per Inch (PPI) etc – See Point 30) also.

24. Are they using LEXAR Professional UDMA (6 or 7 minimum) or SanDisk ExtremePro (6 or 7 minimum) Memory Cards – arguably the fastest and most reliable in the game? After all what is the use of paying your photographer and then discovering your valuable images have been lost or corrupted, as a result of the use of a cheap card!

25. to 29. – Reserved.

30. To view technical details of the images provided to you by your photographer:

  • Windows: Single Right Click on the Image
  • Go to Properties
  • Left Click on Details Tab
  • ——
  • Mac: Control + Click on the image and the “Get Info”
  • ——
  • Scroll down and look for : Dimensions (Width & Height at least 5616 * 3744 or vice versa), Horizontal Resolution and Vertical Resolution (& 240 PPI each or more) – is what your after as a minimum
  • NOW take a look at the so called ‘edited images’ (or even the unedited ones) you have been given by your trusted photographers – claiming to be high resolution / high definition! Feel cheated? Contact your Photographer

Note: This aimed in the context of manufacturer recognised Professional Grade SLR Camera Bodies & Full Frame Sensors.

31. Get answers to all of the above in writing – to avoid so called professionals arriving with a Kiddy Cam Digital SLR and Kiddy Lenses and shooting your event with sub standard equipment and for some sense of assurance that they will be around tomorrow at the same place – not shuting shop and renting / leasing some where else.

NOTES:

  • This is not a claim that Professional Equipment guarentees professional results! – but that we believe it is an essential start! e.g. BK is also a Professional Commercial Pilot – He doesn’t work out of  $100 vinyl Flight Bag (or a Kiddy Cam) – but uses a Condotti Genuine Leather Flight Bag (or a Professional Camera).
  • In allmost all professions – there are professional grade equipment used by professionals and then there is kiddy grade equipment used often by kiddy grade wanna be a pro’s. Stick to professionals using professional grade equipment!
  • In trying to help you – the client – choose a Professional Photographer  – We seem to have upset a lot of ‘Professionals’ (Term used loosely here) with these questions! Perhaps it is these ‘Professionals’ you should be asking to answer these questions in writing!

There may be errors contained in this note – this is not intentional however we ask you to not act on this information and to research and come to your own independent conclusions on this subject matter.

Last edited / corrected / added to – 20130718-0900 by BK @ The Shed Studios