I was asked recently to write an article on why one should use the services of a professional photographer. Probably because I'm working at the coal-face, this is not a question which generally occurs to me. My first response would be, why wouldn't you?
Until recent times, professional photographers would be approached on a regular basis to cover the rites of passage such as marriages and christenings together with all the other important events in the life of individuals and families. However the digital revolution and the wide availability of reasonably priced digital cameras on the consumer market has changed all that.
Possessing a digital camera alone is a bit like me owning a paint brush - it does not turn me into an experienced, term-served painter and decorator! Photography is more than a mechanical science, it is also an art form which has to be learned and applied to bring about the best results.
Unfortunately many people today in our "throw-away society" equate photography as valueless as (apart from the cost of the camera) it costs nothing to take (as apposed to create) a digital image and the image can be deleted just as quickly. Images survive, hidden in the dark recesses of a computer or perhaps see the light of day only as tiny images on pages of social networks.
What a qualified professional photographer brings to the table is a sound knowledge of his / her equipment; the knowledge of how to light their subject properly and how to pose them. Yes, great portraits do have to be posed although I prefer to use the term "directed" to make subjects look as good as possible. Above all, a good professional photographer is able to set their subjects at ease, as without the appropriate expression or "look" then even the best technically correct image will fall down flat.
In thinking again about the question as to why we should be using a professional, it suddenly struck me that people have been inadvertently giving me the answer for years on end! If I had received a £10 note every time someone said "I hate having my picture taken" or "Being photographed is my worst nightmare" or similar, I would be a wealthy man indeed. Yet the majority of those very same people when viewing the results of their photo session are pleasantly surprised and even delighted! Why is this?
There appears to me to be no more compelling argument in support of using a professional photographer than it helps people feel good about themselves! I would even go so far as to suggest that the reason why so many say they hate being photographed is precisely because relatively few photographs are taken by professionals employing as they do correct camera techniques, combined with good lighting, compositional and inter-personal skills. Unfortunately previous experience is all too often coloured by photos taken by friends or family possessing the technology but not having the appropriate knowledge of photography.
