ImagePassion.

Does the photographer you are interviewing have passion for his craft?

Does it matter to him what your images look like?

One of the key questions to ask, while he is showing you all of the beautiful images in his portfolio, is “Are these images posed, or are they real?”

Frankly, a lot of the most stunning photos you will see are very carefully posed. Anyone can look great in a carefully manufactured moment, positioned just so against manufactured light.

But it takes a real artist and a passionate personality in the photographer to be able to capture the emotion in those moments as they happen. Almost every extraordinary photo will have a story behind it.

Ask your potential photographer about the story behind the image. If he says “I placed the couple here, I backlit them, had them move just so, positioned his hand there….” The images are contrived. When you hear I, I, I, I……   it’s not a good sign. Posed portraits are nice, and part of the overall day, but shouldn’t be the whole story.

If you hear a story about what the couple was going through, what emotions they were experiencing at the moment, who had said what to whom and why it was so special for them, - That is an excellent sign that the photographer you are talking to is right for you.

For instance, if your photographer says “This image was taken just before her father walked her down the aisle. He turned to her and said “Are you ready, baby?”…” and the photographer mists up with the emotional memory of the moment… This is someone you want to capture your day!

Your photographer has to have a passion for their craft, a passion for relationships, a passion for weddings, and most of all a passion for life. If they are missing passions in ANY of these categories, continue your search.

The right photographer is out there for you, I promise you.

Next week we’ll talk about that awful bugaboo, pricing.

Monroe Payne and his partner Mindy Porter are owners of The Payne Family Photographers . They have been life long residents of the Ithaca area, and have been in business since 1996, photographing weddings, families and events throughout the Northeast United States. Monroe is also a speaker and has hosted workshops on beginning photography and composition.
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