Hiring a Photographer: Expectation vs Reality

The process of hiring a photographer is something most people will go through in life - photography is in increasingly high-demand. However, there's still no proper process to find a photographer that isn't way too protracted and time-consuming.

You can thank your lucky stars that there's now a simple way to eliminate all this confusion, and get the best photographer for your needs, at the best price.

Here are our expectations for the process, versus the actual reality when hiring a photographer the traditional way.

1. Searching for your perfect photographer

Expectation

A simple Google search will do it! All you'll need to do is type 'photographer near me', hit enter, and be presented with the absolute perfect hero to photograph your event. They'll be top of the list - Google can read your mind. It won't take more than 2 minutes. Everything will be happily ever after ^ ^

Reality

You search 'photographer near me' and you're presented with 10,000,000 results. You trawl through the search results one by one, spending hours looking through pages for pet wedding and funeral photographers, photographers that won't travel out of their way, and photographers charging £250 per photo. You look through site after site until you realise you're on Google search page 50 and it's 3am! Nobody should have to undergo such hell.

2. Arranging a photoshoot

Expectation

They'll have a modern, up-to-date website with a transparent calendar system, which shows the photographer is totally available for the next 6 months straight! Simply click your date and reserve it! Ah the joy never stops coming!

Reality

You finally find a photographer who seems suitable and affordable. Their website, however, was apparently made in the year 1999. The links are broken, the background is electric blue, the font is Comic Sans. COMIC SANS for god's sake. You look past this and try to book. There's no pricing, there's no availability.

Then you see those dreaded words... 'get in touch for pricing and availability'. You send the enquiry email, then proceed to sit and twiddle your thumbs for the next 3 weeks. Your hair is turning grey when you receive a reply. If the photographer unavailable on your shoot date, you must repeat the whole laborious task from step 1. If they're actually available, congratulations! You may pass to step 3.

3. Meeting

Expectation

You can chat with your photographer over the phone to make sure they're a proper human being. The photographer calls you within minutes of booking, and they turn out to be competent, reliable and have shoot experience. (They also happen to be extremely beautiful and clearly attracted to you, but that's another story).

Reality

The photographer wants to meet face-to-face, because that's how the ancient scrolls say it should be. Finding a good time to have a quick meeting with your photographer is just as laborious as step 2. You both have busy schedules. You arrange and re-arrange several times, like an annoying, boring game of cat and mouse. Two weeks later you're face to face in a coffee shop that's too out-of-your-way to enjoy. You realise the photographer isn't ideal, but you're waaaay too deep into the process to even bother starting again.

4. Signing an agreement

Expectation

There shouldn't be a contract... We're not living in 1850 are we? When you book a photographer you should feel assured that they're going to be professional and diligent. Any guarantee of quality should at least be digital, right?

Reality

Your photographer can only shoot your event for 2 hours because they have a 'family commitment' in the evening. They are only willing to accept a high rate that you never originally had in mind (five doubloons, arr). You waste time negotiating until you get a deal that hurts your heart and your wallet.

5. The shoot

Expectation

The photographer arrives bang-on time, equipped with an arsenal fit for a National Geographic photographer. They shoot as though they're papping Victoria Beckham - totally committed to the shoot. They capture only your best angles and smiles. The photos are so natural and beautiful they could be from a catalogue.

Reality

The photographer arrives 40 minutes late to the shoot because they couldn't find your event location. They awkwardly shoot friends and guests. You notice they don't take as many photos as you'd expect for your timeframe, but you don't say anything because "they're the professional". You let them get on with it.

6. Receiving your photos

Expectations

Within two days, you receive your photos. Perfectly edited. You look beautiful, obviously. You also have a link to an online gallery to easily send to your friends and guests. Living the dream or?

Reality

You wait for what seems like an eternity. You check your emails and the post like a madman. Finally, after 6 weeks you get your photographs in the mail. You like them, and these can be framed, but you have no way of sharing them with any of the guests. You notice there's a couple of group photos missing that you wanted to keep. You ask the photographer about this, but they're busy and don't get back to you for weeks.

Thankfully there's a way to make your expectation a reality - Perfocal to the rescue! We'll help you find your perfect photographer, for affordable rates, within mere minutes!

Find out more about this simple way to hire a photographer.