2022 is going to be an amazing year – quite frankly it’s going to be the best.
I am positive that 2022 is going to be the year when memories are made, when families are reunited, significant parties are planned and we can dance away the night, even hug people we’ve just met and kiss our friends we haven’t seen for a long time. And if not, we have those special everyday moments with our family, times that pass in a flash, leaving us wishing that we had recorded them in a better way than on our phones. 2022 will be a great year to document, so sit back and take a look below why (other than keeping me in a job I love and helping to stop my business going under) there are 10 good reasons to hire a photographer.
Are you the one who always takes the photos? Well that is easily rectified, special moments like these will be captured for you, with you actually in the photo for once. Being a professional photographer I am always taking the photos so there are very few images of me with my children – quite often the moment is gone if I have to ask someone else to do it. Maybe you are a single parent, putting your camera on self timer or taking a selfie just doesn’t do the job.
Our children grow up so fast – in a blink of an eye they are driving a car, at college, at uni, in their first grown up job. It is so important to capture every stage of their development and as your family grows it becomes more and more difficult to take the same number of photos for every child, there simply isn’t enough time – believe me I know.
Unless you are a budding photographer with some decent kit and a good knowledge base plus a good creative eye there will be times when a professional photographer is worth the expense. Sometimes your phone isn’t going to make the grade, even if you have the iPhone 11 pro. They might be great quality for your small screen but when it comes down to printing them off to put on the wall or to make a book those small sizes are just not going to cut it.
How much luck do you have taking photos of your unwilling teenagers? Many teenagers are super self-conscious in front of a camera and flatly refuse to be photographed by their parents, but for some reason when a semi-stranger comes along they put up with it and oblige.
Capture those everyday family activities, not only the special events like birthdays and Christmas but also the baking, crafting, their first football match or even their 31st, wonderful everyday life moments that we quite often forget to capture. Why not ask a photographer to help you with some of these moments?
Professional photographers spend thousands on extremely sophisticated equipment, this equipment needs regular servicing which costs hundreds, as well as keeping up to date with courses in photography, business and marketing. So there is a lot invested in making your images the best they can possibly be. Your photographer if they are good will be able to deliver amazing images for you time and time again. Hire someone professional, by all means ask Uncle Bob to take a few here and there. But isn’t it better to have him in the shots and get the images you deserve?
Most of us professional photographers are quite nice people really, working with people, for me, is one of the best things about being a photographer and if you work with me I will never forget you. It can also be quite handy knowing a local photographer as you never know how useful we can be. These images I took during lockdown and were one of the many highlights in my book Winchester Locked Down- Portraits in a Pandemic
https://www.pgwells.co.uk/shop/local-authors/winchester-locked-down-portraits-in-a-pandemic/
Later I gave permission for our local newspaper to use them – all good publicity for the NHS and our local charity Winchester Hospice.
Positioning is very important, especially in a slightly more posed or slightly more formal family photo. You are more likely to get this right if a professional photographer takes your photos and again like in ‘reason one’ you will be sure to have everyone in the photo.
My 9th reason to hire a professional photographer in 2021 and bear in mind that these are not in order of preference (because everyone will have different priorities) is to have beautiful images to keep as a legacy for future generations, an heir loom. How often have you enjoyed looking at old photos of your parents either when you were a child or when they were younger and first met, the old fashions. the different style of photography, the styles of the time – they evoke so many nostalgic feelings and memories. I love going back to my mother’s house and flicking through the old albums full of semi faded photos, many in black and white. This reason leads nicely onto my final and 10th reason.
In case you didn’t know I am a wedding photographer as well as a family photographer and something that is really important to me is recording your wedding in print, ideally with photographs as well as a photo album. I love the fact that your images aren’t just in digital form but also in a book to flick through, to have out on the coffee table when friends and family come round – it’s a chance to relive the day together as well as a family heir loom to pass down to your children.
