Not long ago I heard a local radio station discussion about a topic that I have covered before, and given that senior portrait season is in full swing, I think it's a perfect time to go back and revisit the topic. The radio station calls it "Jerk or Justified"... a segment where a listener calls in to the station with a dilemma, and the hosts, along with other listeners, decide if the actions of the person make them a "Jerk" or if they are "justified" The topic I am speaking of, and was discussed that day was whether or not this father should take his child's senior pictures, rather than paying a professional. I'm not going to go into more detail about what the listeners or the hosts thought of the idea, I do want to say that there was a healthy discussion about it. I have heard this same subject many times recently, "I will just have my friend do them, they have a nice camera", or something similar, and this doesn't just go for senior portraits. The same can be said for any type of portrait.
Obviously as someone who owns a photography business, one would expect me to say that senior portraits are meant for professionals. I definitely believe this to be the case, and I did long before I started my business. I totally understand the financial struggles many families face. For many people, hiring someone to do photos is just not a priority when there are things like food and clothing to provide. There are professionals out there, like myself, however who do promotions, and offer various discounts, and often all it takes is a call, and you may be surprised by the pricing or package you could afford. So what exactly is my rationale for my statement about this being a job for a professional?
Let's start with equipment... there are many cameras out there that can take a photograph. Many of them are DSLR's, and by looking at them, one may think they are professional quality. All cameras are definitely not created equal however. There is so much that goes into a quality camera. In order to capture the intricate detail, color, and focus of the the subject it's necessary to have a professional camera and lenses. This is a huge investment that professionals make, and continue to make as they build their arsenal of lenses, additional cameras, filters, flashes, batteries, memory cards etc. While there are many affordable cameras out there that cost a few hundred dollars, they just are not the same as the full-frame cameras and lenses professionals use.
The experience... professional photographers eat, sleep and breathe photography. They are passionate about it and are always working to improve their craft, and in order to be excellent, do it daily. Whether they have gone to school to train, or have self-taught, the professional understands things like focal length, aperture, shutter speed, bokeh, the best direction for the subject to stand for optimal lighting, and how to achieve different effects just by using various angles.
Edits.... Taking the photos is only part of what makes a beautiful portrait. Editing the photos is a huge part of creating the end product. Most professional photographers use either Photoshop or Lightroom to edit their photos. Both of these programs are amazing and allow the photographer to adjust everything from lighting, to color, remove or add objects, soften skin and so on... Again, this is an expense that the professional invests in, and most people do not have in their homes. It is also a time consuming process that professionals build into their pricing. When one looks at the price of a portrait session it may seem ridiculous given that "it's only an hour long". What many people do not understand, however, is that following that hour long session, comes 3-4 hours of editing the photos. When my clients get their photos back within a day or two, it's not because they haven't been edited, it's because I have stayed up till 1am editing, and then again during the day the following day often.
Knowledge of the best spots and the best times to photograph... given that professional photographers are always shooting, they can generally tell you where the great spots are, and what time of day is best to shoot at those spots. Of course anyone can go and scout out a spot ahead of time, but one can save time by just calling a pro.
This can definitely be a touchy subject, because I know that there are many people out there who love to take pictures, and I am by no means, trying to diminish what they may be doing. I do, believe that events like newborn photos, senior portraits and weddings are occasions to hire a photographer though. These are things that can't be re-done, and the images are so meaningful that they should be left to a pro.