3 Tips for Choosing a Reno Senior Photographer Who’s Right For You
I’d like to share 3 tips for choosing a Reno Senior Photographer who’s a good fit for you because when it comes to photographers in Reno, you have a lot of choices. In any budget or style, there is a multitude of people willing to serve you. As a mom who very highly values family photography in my personal life, I know how overwhelming this process can be. I am grateful that you have found ME and you are interested in timeless senior portraiture, but whether or not you select me to create portraits for you, I hope you find these tips helpful.
Tips for Choosing a Reno Senior Photographer who’s Right for YOU:
Tip 1: Professionalism, Attitude & Personality
Your Reno Senior Photographer should be a good fit for you. At minimum, you want a Reno Senior Photographer who is friendly and professional who has plenty of experience to provide great photographs. But that’s basic…
You also want someone who has a wonderful attitude to make the process of a senior photography session FUN and not stressful. You’ll want someone who will HELP prepare you so that you have the BEST session of your life to document this incredible milestone. And you most definitely want to choose someone who responds to your emails quickly. That’s a sign that they take your senior portraits seriously.
It’s also important to choose a photographer that truly specializes in Senior portraiture. A lot of photographers photograph anything under the sun, and that can lead to a confusing style and business model. Find someone who has seniors as a MAJOR part of their business if you want the best experience.
But finally, you need to be comfortable in front of the camera to LOOK comfortable in front of the camera. Your photographer should give you an experience that makes you feel good while their lens is pointed at you! You should be at ease and not nervous about what your photographer is capturing or how the session is going. One way to make sure your photographer will vibe well with you is to follow them on social media. That way you can you see their personality before booking and make sure this is a person who you don’t mind being around for a few hours at minimum!
Tip 2: Products & Keepsakes
What good are your senior photos if they sit on a hard drive as digital files, or only make a brief appearance on social media? Part of a senior photographer’s basic skills should include being able to professionally design an heirloom-quality photo album and/or other quality display items. Sadly, a lot of photographers don’t offer these items and service – or maybe provide a gallery for you to DIY. If you find a senior photographer (like myself) who offers heirloom products, here are some things to consider while looking at their sample products:
- Do you notice any tearing/crackling in the binding or edges of their sample album pages? Your photo album is meant to be a lasting heirloom. If a photographer’s sample album is literally falling apart, that’s not a good sign.
- Are their albums designed in a timeless way? Do the images flow from well from one to the next?
- Does the photographer provide other products aside from an album? Can you get a professional canvas from them? How about a professional print or other wall display? Do they carry products you LIKE?
- Can you purchase gift options to treat the special people in your life? Think of grandparents etc who would love to be sent a photographic gift with your senior portraits!
Tip 3: Style, Portfolio & Consistency
While searching for your Reno Senior Photographer, you might be overwhelmed by the choices. If you rush while selecting your photographer, you could overlook an important aspect of their photography – their style, or more importantly, the consistency of their work. Any photographer can take 1-3 great pictures to show online. But can they take MANY great pictures?
A Reno Senior Photographer’s style isn’t just about the technical aspects or the angles. It is about their unique perspective and creativity. It’s also the way in which they edit the images. And in fact, it is the WAY they take the images. You’ll notice that my photos are bright…light and “airy.”
I also SERIOUSLY love using backlighting techniques. I don’t shoot in direct sun and I make sure the light on your face is soft and natural. That’s MY style, and if you dig through my portfolio, that is what you will see.
Is your Reno Senior Photographer’s style a fit for you? Is it timeless? Or are they using a trendy one-click filter that will look cheesy and cheap in a little while? Will they meticulously edit your photos? Or will they rush your pictures to you without hardly glancing at their final product? Do they CHANGE their style like the wind changes directions? How do you know you’ll get the style you think you will?
PRO TIP: ask photographers to send you an entire client gallery so you can see how consistent their work is in the course of one single senior session. There should be 50+ images in this gallery. If a photographer isn’t willing to show this to you, that’s a huge RED FLAG.
A quality Reno Senior Photographer will take a beautiful photo on the day of your session and edit it to make it stellar. They will provide a collection of incredible photos that flow well together and could all go on one wall or one album and look AMAZING.
Professional senior photographers should spend a considerable amount of time editing images. If they shoot your session on “auto mode” and give you the images straight out of the camera…that is not the work of a professional OR an artist. A friend could take a snapshot on your iPhone just as easily. But that isn’t the experience you’re going for if you’re reading this!
Conclusion about these 3 tips for chooseing a senior photographer:
These are the top things to consider carefully when choosing your Reno Senior Photographer. But one more thing: although price is something most people have to consider for their varying budgets, you may not want to make it THE deciding factor.
One day, photographs are going to be the ONLY keepsakes you have left after time moves on. They are also one of the major things people hand down to their children. The value of your portraits is immeasurable even though it may be hard to understand that right now.
Watch for red flags when selecting a photographer whose prices seem too good to be true. Low prices are usually an indicator of inexperience and/or poor customer service. You know that saying “you get what you pay for” and it’s certainly true.
Reno Senior Photography is an investment. No one deserves the feeling of regret when viewing their senior photos after spending so much time preparing for them. I hope these 3 tips for choosing a Reno Senior Photographer who is right for you will help you avoid that situation as much as possible.
Want even MORE tips? Check out my Top 10 Tips for choosing your senior photographer
Fifth and Chestnut Photo Co. is a Reno Senior Photographer. I serve the greater Northern Nevada and Northern California areas. Contact me and find out how this I can create incredible one-of-a-kind senior portraits for you and your family!
[…] Choosing the right senior photographer for you […]