Wright Family - Phoenix, AZ Family Photographer

Stricker Family - Scottsdale, AZ Family Photographer

How to Select a Photographer - Phoenix AZ Family Photographer

In this day and age where everyone seems to own a DSLR and calls themselves a photographer how can you pick someone that knows what they are doing? A professional. I thought I would write a series on tips for those who value photography and want to know how to pick the right photographer. Why do some photographers charge more than others? Well, why does a Lexus cost more than a Kia? Quality, luxury, reliability, performance, and comfort are just some of the reasons. Just like with cars there is a wide array of photographers, from amateur to professional photographer, but just because someone calls themselves a professional photographer does not mean they are a professional.

So tip number ONE is to look at their work! Many photographers have websites, Facebook Pages and blogs. These are great places to look through their previous work. Photographers like to display their best work on these sites and it will also give you a feel for their style as a photographer. Make sure the style of their work matches your style and vision for your photographs.

Tip number TWO, and maybe it should be number one, make sure their images are sharp! It amazes me how many people pay "professional photographers" and they don't get sharp images. This comes with skill. Sure we all get blurred images at times, but I would never sell them to my clients. Here's an example from one of my recent shoots. Sometimes focusing on newborn's eyes is tricky because there's not a lot of contrast. Both pictures have gone through my sharpening process. The top picture is soft, the bottom picture is sharp and the eyes are in focus.






Tip number THREE. Although being able to take great pictures is a must you also want a photographer that is dependable. I can't tell you how many times I've had people tell me other photographers have cancelled on them multiple times or they are hard to get a hold of. Service is important. Getting your pictures in a timely manner is important. We usually take our official family pictures at least once or twice a year. I'm just as excited as my clients to see how they turned out, share with family and friends, and hang them in our home. Most photographers will have your pictures done within 2-3 weeks (not including weddings). So don't undermine dependability and great service or you might get stuck with a bad experience.

I hope this is helpful, I'd loooove to hear your feedback. Let me know what you think. If you have an opinion on what you look for in a photographer I'd like to hear that as well. I'll write some more tips over the next couple of weeks.

One Year Older - Scottsdale AZ Photographer

This past Monday I turned one year older and one year wiser just like that! I was able to celebrate over the weekend with my husband. He asked what I wanted to do and I said just go out to a dinner and a movie. Seems simple, but with 3 kids and a busy schedule it's sometimes hard to do. We've resorted to ordering out and staying up late watching movies as our dates in the last couple of months. I actually like that a tad better since I can fall asleep whenever I want... usually half way through the movie. lol But I have a serious popcorn addiction and well... it needs to be fed so often. So off to dinner and a movie we went.

On Monday, we went out to eat at one of our favorite places Gramaldis Pizzeria. If you sign up for the birthday club you get a free pizza on your birthday! So, we couldn't pass that up.



As we were finishing up Spencer asked if we were going to get ice cream afterwards. We have been going over to Sugar Bowl for dessert whenever we eat at Gramaldis. I couldn't disappoint a 5 and 4 year old. After ice cream, Spencer said "well, it can't be your birthday if you don't have a cake." I was starting to see he was trying to take advantage of my special day and get all the junk food he could have. lol

The nice thing about having a 5 year old is handing over the camera to get a picture with Tyler. Here's his first try...

Future photographer in the making...




Ashley asking for seconds...

Tyler knows that anything with strawberries is my favorite!

A number five should suffice, right?

My helpers...

Logue Family

Here's another session from Dec. We had lots of fun playing in the leaves, riding the carousel, and the grand finale riding the train! Now that's a session! Here are some of the pictures...

Valentine Family - Phoenix, AZ Photographer

Here's a sneak peek for the Valentine family...