Are you planning to host an event? An event could be your child’s birthday party or your/your parents’ anniversary, an engagement or ‘Roka’, any party, celebration or ceremony and you are looking for a photographer to cover the event and give you photos to make the memories permanent?
Out of a myriad thing you need to do, photography is one.
To get to the bottom of it, you google “how to find the best party photographer” or something like that. There will be a bunch of blog posts by photographers from UK, Australia telling you to check the portfolio, check the prices and so on. Sure, that’s not a bad advice, it works in US, UK and Australia. But in India? Nope!
That advice is not going to work because we Indians different, we think and act differently, we have different social norms.
Western wisdom is useful in western societies and we need our own wisdom.
I garnered some insights about photography services over the last 7 years – listening to my clients, experiencing it first hand in the events hosted by family and friends, comparing and contrasting my service Event Art Photography with that of others and some experiences narrated by friends. I put together these 4 things you need to keep in mind to find a best photographer along with tips about how to check and verify.
These 4 things are: Competence, Trustworthiness, Assertiveness, Effectiveness.
Competence
Can he do the job he is paid to do or he is faking it till he can make it? Is he a photographer who can produce good photos?
You don’t know if the photographer is as good as he says he is.
How do you check? You ask for his insta handle or a link to his portfolio or some unsophisticated studios just send you some photos by WhatsApp.
But here’s the caveat.
There are photographers’ websites with portfolio of photos (supposedly their work) but actually they are stock photos available for anyone to use for free. These photos come with website templates, given as place holders to be replaced with the photographers’ own photos. But the kind of photographers we are talking about doesn’t have a portfolio, he didn’t replace the stock photos with his own or he felt the stock photos are much better than his own. In either case, if you engage this photographer thinking his work is great, you are in for a surprise, a very unpleasant one.
Why do photographers do this?
With so much joblessness around, youngsters are looking for a ticket out of misery of dependence on their parents, some are eager for a ticket out of poverty – the easiest way? ‘Fake it till you make it’. It is easy to find photos to download and use on your own website or insta feed. It is not as easy to shoot good photos and use them – it takes a lot of effort and time. The incentive for faking it is real and tangible. Copyright laws are outdated and implementation is lax in India. People copy content and reuse it without a second thought. Just google, go to images, right click and save to your laptop and you are good to go. Most people do it without thinking twice. This may sound innocent till you are on the receiving end of this unethical behavior.
I know some photographers whose websites turn up in the first page results and have fake portfolios. I don’t want to name and shame – it is not in good taste. But what I can tell you is this: this practice is more common than you think – you should carefully look at the photos.
How do you protect yourself?
Look carefully at the portfolio. With some patience and a healthy dose of skepticism, you will be able to tell. If you find too many foreign looking faces in non-Indian looking environment (non-Indian parties or ceremonies) – it is very likely that the portfolio is a fake one.
What is the best possible solution? To stick to the photographer who worked for you earlier, if you are happy with his work, even if he increased the prices. Or if you find some photographer through reference or recommendation. If a friend referred the photographer, check with your friend how he knows the photographer. Did your friend got some work done or just got the number from someone else? It is not smart to start looking for a new photographer just because your old, trusted one raised his prices. With bargain hunting you will become a magnet who attracts incompetent photographers charging less.
Trustworthiness:
Can he do the job he is paid to do or he is faking it till he can make it?
You don’t know if the photographer is trustworthy and reliable. You don’t know if he is the same person you are meant to engage.
Say Something Do Something Else
In our country most people (not all) say something (to make an impression, to sound polite, out of poor judgment) and do something else, not what they said they will do. People’s words and actions don’t match – this is quite common but no one talks about it openly. People are upset when it happens but not surprised.
Many people talk the talk but don’t walk the talk – there’s an incentive to do it because of the material benefit that’s involved. Here’s a review of a banquet hall posted on Google. The banquet manager said something but did something else.
It is not uncommon for photographers to turn up an hour late and don’t even apologize for the tardiness.
Some do not deliver as per the agreed timeline; some may not give you a timeline at all.
I know of instances when some photographers disappeared and never delivered the photos they were supposed to have taken.
Sometimes you talk to someone and someone else turns up for the shoot.
How to protect yourself?
Check out the reviews, read them and see what they say about the photographer. Meet the photographer, at least talk to him over the phone and see if what he says matches with what you can verify (reviews etc.).
Check with him a way of verifying if he is coming or somebody else is (ask for a photo)
Assertiveness:
Transparency in charges, terms and conditions
You don’t know if there are hidden charges, some terms and conditions you aren’t aware of which you need to wrestle with later.
Ifs & Buts
There will be many, many ifs and buts (terms and conditions) in every service but some people don’t tell you upfront – because they
· think these terms may not apply to you or
· are too afraid you may not engage them if they do tell you or
· forgot telling you or
· are not bothered or too lazy
There’s no dearth of unassertive people who don’t tell you upfront but become passive aggressive when they have to (or they will simply lie to you that they did tell you when in fact they didn’t).
We are a hierarchical society which values politeness over truth – telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to know.
How to protect yourself?
Ask for the charges, terms and conditions in writing and make it clear that no deviations are acceptable.
Effectiveness
Can the photographer you engaged go and get the photos or he waits for people to come to him?
You don’t know if you can leave the photographer to do his job.
If a photographer is not outgoing, if he doesn’t interact with you and your guests, doesn’t see and use opportunities, doesn’t do what it takes to get the photos, you are bound by his effectiveness, the outcome will be limited.
How to protect yourself?
Read reviews carefully, observe his behavior before you engage him. Did he turn up on time to meet you before the event?
Ask questions, observe
Mention a real or imaginary situation (E.g. A relative of yours who doesn’t like his photos taken but you want a photo with him/her) and what the photographer would do given the situation.
By taking these steps you are likely to find a photographer that delivers good photos, works with minimal supervision, is trustworthy, reliable and dependable, knows his job and the one you would love to work with again and refer to your friends and family.
Be aware of these potential issues and protect yourself. Or you can go with Event Art Photography. Event Art Photography is all this plus more. Click here to find out. Click here to get in touch.
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