Do I need a Professional Photographer

Why use a professional photographer?



As cameras grow in digital sophistication it is becoming easier for everyone to get pleasing results for apparently little cost.  However, using an amateur to take an important picture can be a false economy. The impact a professionally taken image has on a client's market is far stronger than that of a quickly grabbed snap from a digital camera. Professional photography will sell your product or your company, amateur photography will not.

Photographers are not just technicians. A professional understands how to capture images that are right for a client's business and convey the message required. Their experience enables them to obtain successful results in any situation. It is as important for the photographer as it is you that the images are right for your business and convey the message you require. As a proportion of your media/print budget, the cost of getting the original imagery as good as it can be is tiny.

When commissioning a photographer the images they produce will be exclusive to you. Images bought from a photographic library will only be exclusive for the specific area you have bought a license for. Unless you negotiate an exclusive deal with the library other companies will be able to license the same image and use it for their own products or company. Negotiating exclusivity with a library is often more expensive than commissioning a photographer.

FOR WORK-RELATED EVENTS
You strive to be professional and knowledgeable in the workplace. Shouldn't your workplace use a photographer who is just as knowledgeable and professional about his own line of work?

Professional results for your professional workplace ~
Whether you're capturing employee portraits, documenting a special work event, shooting your company's product for an ad, or taking photos of a new building, a professional photographer will deliver the best results possible. Professional photographers specialize in areas such as portrait photography or architectural photography, so you'll know that your employees,  your products, or your workplace will reflect the image that your business wants to present.

The right person for the job ~
You wouldn't hire an engineer to head up your marketing efforts. So why expect your employees to capture the kinds of photos that a professional is trained to capture? If your business's image is important, it's important enough to require a professional photographer.

Summer Special Offer

School is finally over and the sun is finally out! I recently went swimming for the first time in a very long time and I feel energized. With all of this new-found energy, I thought it would be a great time to announce our summer photography specials!!

Fun in the Sun ~ This Collection is perfect to get some new family pictures, some of the kiddos only or a baby/kid milestone. Sessions will be booked Monday through Saturday early morning (between 7-10 am), before the heat of the summer day. Location choices include area parks, lakes, play grounds, your back yard with play equipment, and much more.

Water Fun ~ This Collection is created to meet all your Water Fun needs. I’ll come to your back yard or splash park and shoot you and your kiddos having fun.. sprinklers, swimming pool, water balloons, you name it, I’m there. The only condition is that it has to be fun and wet.. ;) .. Sessions will be booked a few hours before sunset Monday through Saturday.

*** BOOK NOW and receive your FREE 8x5½ Soft Cover Press Photo Book (brag book). ***

Tax and shipping NOT included. Offer Valid for June, July and August. Other session types can also utilize this offer. Great for SENIORS too!

Ok so who is in??… Let’s make this summer memorable.. ;)

Take a picture why don't you – it'll last longer!

Some may remember posing for an "impromptu" photo opportunity during every family gathering. You stood there frozen, with cemented smiles as you wondered if Aunt Thelma would ever take the photograph. Cheese...... then Bam! You were blinded by the bright flash bulb.

Auntie had the right idea. She wanted to memorialize every event. It didn't matter if the developed film never made it out of the card board envelopes. What was important is that she enjoyed taking photos. Amateur photographers everywhere are still snapping pictures as a favorite pastime.

Photography is a good means to chronicle someone's life. A picture tells a thousand words, so what an excellent way to document special moments, highlights and milestones. Over time, our memory isn't as iron-clad as it once was. With photographs you can still recall the special moment even when the memory fades.

Photography is good for your well being. Reflect on all the studies that talk about how beneficial laughter is to your health. Now consider your emotions when you see photos of a new baby, or a wedding, or any of the other adorable photos that are found in email in-boxes on a daily basis. They make you happy! Photos elicit positive emotions.

Think about the people who were in south Texas during the winter of 2004. I'm sure they were happy to be down there when they had snow for the first time in over 100 years. There were people outside taking pictures at midnight; what an opportunity!

Have you ever seen deer on the side of the road? Not too many bucks will stop long enough to be photographed. If you're fortunate enough to see sitting deer, you better hope to have a camera with you; as they likely won't be sitting there waiting for you the next time you drive by.

While some people still prefer film cameras, digital cameras now come in any size or budget. For the novice photographer who merely enjoys taking photographs as a way to relax or capture those one of a kind moments, suitable digital cameras are available for under $100.

Some people are still using 1.3 mega pixel digital cameras. By today's standard, that is considered a dinosaur. However it would still work if the photographer just wanted to take an occasional photo to list items for sale on eBay. Today many amateur photographers are using digital cameras with 4-6 mega pixels.

As a rule of thumb, the higher the mega pixel, the higher the price tag. Notwithstanding, higher mega pixel cameras also come with more bells and whistles and have a higher resolution. Most all digital cameras also have a timer and ability to make very small movie clips. Many also have zoom lens features.

With digital photography it is fun to play around with new technology. Create a screen saver of your best photo with ImageBox from CoolUtils or visit tripwow.tripadvisor.com. If you came back from Hawaii and have lots of great photos that you want not to just show to your friends but amaze them - make an astonishing slideshow. Imagine all pictures will be shown one by one with different effects, accompanied by music and your comments. With ImageBox every photo stops being a snapshot but becomes a living part of the presentation. With TripWow you can create an amazing slideshow of your trip that includes maps showcasing your vacation. Your friends will be amazed! Don't think about how difficult it is – you will create your first slideshow in 6 minutes.

While it is possible to make a living as a photographer, the majority of camera users simply take photos because they enjoy it. It's true that time will not stand still. The taunting school aged children had it right when they responded to stares, "Take a picture why don't you – it'll last longer!"
Now you do the same - stop reading and go take a picture... it'll last longer!

And for that special event, call us and schedule a session for professional portraits! That way you can always keep your memories close.

The Value of Family Photos

I was talking to a lady the other day who had a very sad story to tell. Orphaned as a child, she had no photographs at all of her childhood. In later years, her ex-husband destroyed all of her photographs from her teenage and young adult years. As a photographer, this really brought home to me the value of family photographs, whether taken professionally or just casual family snapshots. I’m lucky in that we have a wealth of family photographs to look back on, but that isn’t always the case.

What concerns me in this digital age is that there are many more photographs taken than ever before, but most of them never see the light of day. They’re stored on computer hard drives or even left on the camera or phone, but we all know how fast technology goes out of date, and how quickly computers can fail without warning. Pictures can so easily be lost forever.

My advice is to back your pictures up!! Better still, get them printed – a hard copy is so much more stable!! And take heed of the story that started this blog – get multiple copies and distribute them round the family. One last word of advice – if you’re the family photographer, make sure that you get to be on some of the pictures too. They don’t have to be masterpieces, but why not supplement your own family snapshots by booking a professional family photo shoot once in a while. Family photographs are one of the few things that increase in value as time goes by.

I just thought I’d take this opportunity to share a couple of family shots from my own childhood….

Here is my Grandpa with my Mom when they were photographed for the newspaper, talking about the clocks they brought back from Germany:

 

This is me and my Grandpa at his house in Bells, Texas:

This is me and my Grandpa at my Great Grandma's funeral:

My Grandpa died many years ago. These photos help to bring back my memories of times spent with him. They also showcase the style of the time.

Call 214-789-7090 today to schedule your family for a session - Capture those memories before it's too late!