When to use a Professional Photographer

What’s the difference between hiring a professional photographer and taking your own photos?

Despite the advances in technology, there is still a significant gap between professional grade photographic equipment and what the average consumer can purchase.

That fact is evident by the large gap in prices; and if you want to convince yourself it’s okay to save a few dollars when recording the most special moments of your life, you probably will be able to turn a blind eye to the quality of photos you can get yourself.

We’ve heard how great the new cell phones are but they will never capture the level of detail that a professional portrait camera can record.  When you want to crop a portrait to focus on one or two people in a group shot.  Then you need that much detail to create a clear, stunning portrait.

Too often, we will listen to clients who tried to do their own photos at a wedding or family reunion, only to be disappointed in the quality.  The sadder stories contain a cautionary tale of treasuring moments in time because friends and family are no longer with us when the next big occasion rolls around.

Experience counts for a lot when actually snapping the portrait.  That images captures one specific moment in time and, frankly, a whole lot of emotion.  We’ve seen expressions that would be more appropriate in the booking room of a police station than a studio.  We know that’s not the time to take the photo.  Most people will be stiff and even wary when staring into a camera with a timer.  It’s a normal reaction, to be anxious while waiting for something to happen.  A professional portrait photographer can get one or more subjects to relax, be themselves, and let the beauty from inside show through.

We also have the equipment and experience to properly light a scene and create a portrait that tells a story well.  Poses are important.  You can pretty much date a portrait by how people were posed in the 70s and 80s.  It wasn’t pretty.

Now, photographic techniques have advanced to the level of magazine covers.  Skin tones are true and people look healthy and attractive in the right light.  It takes years to learn how to control the variables involved in light and shadow.

Post-processing is important, too.  Removing red-eye is pretty easy but there’s a lot more to it.  Sometimes, the perfect portrait has one flaw and a professional portrait photographer can take care of that.  We also whiten teeth better than a dentist.

At Premier Portraits, we love the fact that people are enjoying photography.  It’s a great way to spend your time and can be very, very rewarding.  It’s also got a lot of moving parts – don’t get us started on posing pets and little kids – so, when a picture is going to be very special, it pays to capitalize on the best equipment and experience possible to get a portrait that fills the heart with warmth instead of regret.

PremierPortraits Studio is locally owned and operated at 260 East St in Plainville, CT and is committed to supporting the community with quality service and portraits. 860.410.4303