Hire A Photographer...

Sure you take the best snapshots in the family and everyone's still asking for dupes from the last company picnic. But for those times when it really counts, nothing replaces a professional photographer who can truly do justice to those special moments.

Steps:

1. Start looking for a photographer as soon as you have the time and location set, six months to a year in advance of the event.

2. Choose a photographer who specializes in the type of event you're holding such as weddings, sweet sixteens, family portraits, corporate head shots and more. Ask for references and get personal recommendations whenever possible. Use the Yellow Pages as a last resort.

3. Ask to see samples of their work similar to what you want. Look for relaxed expressions and posing, and watch out for stiff, cookie-cutter staging. Great pictures look natural and easy.

4. Trust your instincts. Do you get a good feel from the photographer? Does he or she listen to what you really want?

5. Ask how long he or she has been in business and get a sense of their level of professionalism. You want someone who dresses and acts sharp to shoot your event.

6. Specify if you want color or black-and-white pictures.

7. Inquire if digital photographs are an option. If so, find out if you will view the pictures as paper proofs, contact sheets or on a CD. Some photographers set up a page on their Web site so you can proof images online.

8. Ask how long will it take to see the proofs, if you get to keep them, how reprints and enlargements will be handled and what they cost. Inquire about bulk discounts on large orders and the possibility of ordering prints online.

9. Review the contract and button down all the details. All terms should be specified including the deposit and cancellation and refund policies.

10. Touch base in the weeks prior to your event to finalize all the details. Give the photographer a list of people you definitely want photographed.

Overall Tips:

If your event will be photographed digitally, look at a printout of a sample photograph to make sure you're satisfied with the quality.

Check out the studio if you are having portraits taken. Look for a place to change clothes if you care to, as well as comfortable ambient temperature. You want to be very comfortable in the studio environment in order to take a relaxed photograph.

Try to get a read on whether the photographer is intrusive, bossy or arrogant. A wedding or other event which is dictated by the photographer can be a miserable affair for everyone.

Article by ehow