Choosing a photographer

The hardest thing is first finding a photographer, and then figuring out whether or not they are actually any good!
Here are some tips, in case like me (before I started doing photography seriously), you are looking for a photographer to cover an event like a party, or family portraits or another special occasion. As its such a specialist thing, we'll cover looking for a wedding photographer in another blog.
Finding a Good Photographer:
1) Ask your friends, family and colleagues for a recommendation. Preferably someone they have used before. You'll be surprised by the power of your network.
2) Look through photographer directories online - preferably the ones that allow you to see the photographers work.
3) Visit a few photographers' websites...(such as ParaMetricPhotos.com! - Yes this is a shameless plug!).
4) If a photographer hasn't got a website (and even if they do) visit and review their social media handles - e.g. Facebook, Instagram etc.
5) Consider approaching a company that sources photographers, but be very cautious as the quality of the photographer's work can vary for person to person, depending which photographer is assigned to your project.
Okay, so now you have a list of photographers that you'd like to approach...
Finding Out Whether They Are Any Good
Unfortunately it's probably easier to find a photographer than it is to validate if they are any good.
1) Find out if they have done the kind of photography that you are looking for. E.g. portrait or children's party. Different types of photography require different skills (and sometimes equipment).
2) Ask to see their work. It may be they send you something online to look at - but this should also give you an idea of their level of professionalism and skill. Do they have a website? If not is their work neatly presented? Do they have a social media presence? Do you actually like their style, perspectives and angles etc.
3) Questions you can ask them, which may help you make up your mind, there are no right or wrong answers per se, but they give you additional pieces of information and insights you wouldn't have had otherwise:
- how long have you been a photographer
- are you a full time professional or semi-professional, or do you consider yourself an amateur
- what was the last event you photographed
- why are you passionate about photography
- what type of equipment do you have and what will you be using for the shoot
- will you be editing all of the pictures you take, or just some. What if I would like you to digitally enhance other pictures
- how long will it take you to get the pictures to me post shoot.
- are you comfortable shooting with a flash and without
4) If you know someone that is into photography or has a good eye for assessing pictures, get a second view. Sometimes in the rush to get things done we settle for less.
Hopefully this is a good start and will get you thinking, so you can get the right person for the job! Sometimes unfortunately finding a good photographer is just trial and error. Well I hope this has been helpful. Until next time!
Ansu!