How to Love on your Photographer
It’s Valentine’s Day!
And yes, I still have Christmas cards hanging up. The ones my clients sent me with the photos I took for them are my favorites, and I just can’t bear to take them down! I love, love, love this job, and the love my clients show me fills my bucket in a way that sometimes even my own family can’t. So instead of a typical “Happy Valentine’s Day” post, I thought I’d share something a little different! Whether I am your photographer or you use someone else, here are five ways that you can show your love for us!
1. Tell them how much you love their work!
My biggest motivator as a photographer is when people send me emails, cards, or leave reviews telling me how much they love their photos!
2. Show them their work.
If you create a gallery wall in your home with photos taken by a photographer, take a pictures of it and send it to them! If you use any of their photos for Christmas cards, Save-the-Dates, or Graduation announcements, send them one! I love to see how my clients use their photos and save every single Christmas card and invitation I get that features my work in a scrapbook.
3. Don’t use filters or crop photos.
Unless it’s for an odd-shaped profile pic, leave the photo in the state that it was when the photo was delivered. Photographers are artists, and their work shouldn’t be tampered with or altered. They spent time creating the image, using composition, lighting, and processing techniques that take a lot of time and make the photo uniquely theirs. So when you apply an Instagram or Snapchat filter over it to make it more dark and moody or change the tint, it’s altering an original piece of art that no longer represents the quality of the photographer’s style and work.
4. Give your photographer credit.
When you post photos on social media, give your photographer a shout out! Better yet, link to their Facebook page, Instagram account, or website. My best source of clients comes from referrals, as I am sure it is for many other photographers, so it’s nice to be shared and credited!
5. If your photographer provides digital images, make sure you have them printed from a quality printer.
No offense to CVS, Walgreens, or Shutterfly, but sometimes the colors are not as true-to-life or vibrant because of chemical imbalances in the printers, not always operated by people who care as much about the quality of your photos. Ask your photographer where they would recommend you order prints from, or better yet, order prints directly through their galleries! It may cost a little more, but the quality of the print will be much more representative of the photographer’s work, and you will be more pleased with your product!
Special Thanks to the Taylor, Weeks, Ackerman, Talarico, Hoffman, Duvall, and Gonzalez families for sharing a little love with me this Christmas!