How to Decide On a Photographer

I’ve been noticing a trend on social media. The average person does not know what they are looking for when they want to hire a photographer. They don’t know what the average photographer charges or what they should be getting. I hope this helps:

BUDGET- Lets start off by understanding that photography is a luxury. If you’re looking for quality, you’re going to have to spend some money. A majority of the time, you get what you pay for. If a wedding photographer costs $10K- $7K, said photographer will know how to pose, settle all your fears, deliver prints and albums. If a wedding photographer costs $500, just know there will be problems. Same goes for family portraits, newborn photographers, and headshot photographer.

These are the average prices in the NYC area:

Wedding- $3,000 - $6,000 (premium photogs- $7,000 - $10,000)

Headshot- $100 - $300 (corporate headshot session- $1,000+)

Newborn- $400 - $800 (experienced $1,000+)

Branding photographers- $3,500 - $6,500

DELIVERABLES- Every type of photographer is going to give you something in return. Wedding photographers can deliver prints, albums, save the dates, thank yous, and digitals. Newborn photographers can deliver, prints, albums, wall art, and newborn announcements. Headshot photographers deliver crisp, edited digitals that are the best version of yourself. Branding photographers deliver digitals along with licensing rights to make your business look its best.

YOU, THE CLIENT- You know what you need. An experienced photographer will let you know everything about that need so you can make an informed decision. Get on a call with a potential photographer (I know… talk? Yes). Ask all the questions you need to in order to make an informed decision. Let the photographer tell you about the things you don't know. There’s a lot to learn in photography. Research pricing in your area. Weight the deliverables and type of photographer with your budget. See if your photographer can customize the session to what you need.