Choosing an Event Photographer - Cont.

Today I continue with selecting a professional event photographer.

Professionalism, reliability and price are the remaining factors to consider when selecting a photographer to photograph your event. Today I will talk about professionalism... perhaps the most important factor you will consider.

Professionalism means a lot of different things to different people, but Webster defines it as: 1 : the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person . Professional is further defined as: 1: characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession 2: exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace.

When considering a photographer to take photos for you, you would be well served to gather some information about the professionalism of the company. Some great questions to ask would be: 1. How many years have you been in business delivering photographs onsite? 2. What professional associations are you members of? 3. Are you a member of PPA (Professional Photographers of America) or SEP (Society of Sport & Event Photographers)?

The number of years a photographer has been delivering photographs onsite will significantly impact your event's success. It takes a wide variety of skills and talents to be able to deliver quality photographs quickly, while maintaining a consistently effective connection with your guests. New photographers rarely realize the complexity of this type of photography, and find themselves ill-equiped to handle the numerous challenges that inevitably present themselves. It is absolutely imperative that you hire photographers that have a good deal of experience handling the specific type of event that you are putting on. Every type of event has nuances that can "trip-up" a photographer that is not well-prepared. You don't want your event to be their "test-shot".

As for membership in professional photography associations... being a member of one or both of these organizations (PPA & SEP) assists a photographer in staying current with digital photography trends, and gives them access to information about "conforming to the technical or ethical standards" of their profession. While membership in these organizations does not ensure that a photographer will adhere to professional standards, it does indicate a desire to do so.

Photographers that are associated with other organizations such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB), International Special Events Society (ISES), National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) and Meeting Planners International (MPI) are indicators that they are attempting to stay current with event trends, network with other industry leaders and adhere to ethical standards for the event industry. Long-term membership in associations such as these indicates a company that is tried and true. Because they are attended by other industry professionals, photographers that do not adhere to professional standards lose interest quickly from the lack of leads generated by their attendance.

The other part of investigating professionalism is by gathering information on their ability to "exhibit a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace." I will discuss this along with reliability and price in my next post.