Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Event Photography:
How to Hire a Professional Event Photographer
Below is a much abridged version of the complete article which can be found following this link:
mikmilman.com/hireaneventphotographer
Why Hire a Professional Photographer?
This article will focus on how to choose an event photographer, but before getting into how to hire a professional photographer, It’s important to first discuss why you should hire one. Depending on how you value photography, you might not think hiring a professional is necessary. You may have seen amazing photographs made by non professionals- so why even bother? The answer is consistency. Anyone can get lucky or have the skill to make an excellent image here or there, but a good professional photographer is able to provides you with consistent results. Their ability to do so is primarily determined by two factors: their technical skill as a photographer and their familiarity with what the job requires.
Why a Photographer’s Skill Matters
When I first started out as a professional photographer, a mentor of mine used to say there are two types of photographers: technical photographers and creative photographers- with very little overlap. Although there may be some truth to photographers falling into one of the two camps, the notion that these two things are somehow apart is a misunderstanding.
Being technical or creative is not mutually exclusive. In fact, it is by being a technical photographer that you are able to be most creative. By understanding how your camera and the principles of photography work, as well as understanding how the camera sees in comparison to the human eye, a photographer is able to effectively execute their vision. A photographer that has mastered their craft to the point in which all the decision making is done subconsciously is free to focus on what is in front of them and not hindered by conscious thought. Although being a technically good photographer does not mean you understand how to capture the essence of an event, it does free up the cognitive bandwidth to do so.
Less skilled photographers that may be relying on set techniques or “what worked” in the past are not adaptable. The minute unfamiliar variables are introduced they can be uncertain what to do and be ill prepared to produce quality images. A skilled photographer will be able to provide excellent images regardless of the variables of your event.
Questions to Ask Your Potential Photographer in Order to Assess Their Skill.
When hiring a photographer, the best way to assess their skill and adaptability is by asking to look at sample events. This will be the best indication of what you are potentially paying for. This is something a portfolio can not do since a portfolio is just a collection of a photographers best images. You want to assess the quality of their average image, not their best.
I recommend asking them if they could share a similar event to yours as well as something unrelated. Seeing the type of work a photographer has produced in a variety of conditions gives you insight into their technical skill and adaptability. This includes understanding how to work in varying venues, dealing with different lighting situations, program formats, etc.
What Should Your Event Photographer’s Focus be?
It is a given that when photographing an event, details matter. A lot of hard work goes into producing an event of any size and a photographers job is in part to capture those details. However, a photographer’s priority should be on capturing defining moments of an event that both tell a story and evoke a feeling. Every image should be about something, whether that be an emotion, reaction, or an interaction, there should be meaning behind the photograph. These are the images that offer a window into what it was like to be there.
Knowing what Professional Event Photography Requires
A photographer with a breadth of work experience will simply be able to assess situations quicker. What this means to you as a client, is more extensive coverage and therefore a greater number of quality images. An experienced photographer has likely shot an event like yours before and therefore knows the general format of your event as well as any other specific challenges: whether it be a conference, birthday party, award dinner, luncheon, or non profit event, each has a different format.
Conclusions on Hiring an Event Photographer
With this, you should now feel well prepared to hire an event photographer with minimal risk of being disappointed. Remember you get what you pay for, but now you will be well prepared to see exactly what that is.
I have been a professional event photographer and photography teacher in Los Angeles for over 13 years. Follow the links below to see my work.
mikmilman.com
Patreon | patreon.com/mikmilman
Instagram | @retrograding instagram.com/retrograding
Facebook | facebook.com/mikmilman
Event Photography:
How to Hire a Professional Event Photographer
Below is a much abridged version of the complete article which can be found following this link:
mikmilman.com/hireaneventphotographer
Why Hire a Professional Photographer?
This article will focus on how to choose an event photographer, but before getting into how to hire a professional photographer, It’s important to first discuss why you should hire one. Depending on how you value photography, you might not think hiring a professional is necessary. You may have seen amazing photographs made by non professionals- so why even bother? The answer is consistency. Anyone can get lucky or have the skill to make an excellent image here or there, but a good professional photographer is able to provides you with consistent results. Their ability to do so is primarily determined by two factors: their technical skill as a photographer and their familiarity with what the job requires.
Why a Photographer’s Skill Matters
When I first started out as a professional photographer, a mentor of mine used to say there are two types of photographers: technical photographers and creative photographers- with very little overlap. Although there may be some truth to photographers falling into one of the two camps, the notion that these two things are somehow apart is a misunderstanding.
Being technical or creative is not mutually exclusive. In fact, it is by being a technical photographer that you are able to be most creative. By understanding how your camera and the principles of photography work, as well as understanding how the camera sees in comparison to the human eye, a photographer is able to effectively execute their vision. A photographer that has mastered their craft to the point in which all the decision making is done subconsciously is free to focus on what is in front of them and not hindered by conscious thought. Although being a technically good photographer does not mean you understand how to capture the essence of an event, it does free up the cognitive bandwidth to do so.
Less skilled photographers that may be relying on set techniques or “what worked” in the past are not adaptable. The minute unfamiliar variables are introduced they can be uncertain what to do and be ill prepared to produce quality images. A skilled photographer will be able to provide excellent images regardless of the variables of your event.
Questions to Ask Your Potential Photographer in Order to Assess Their Skill.
When hiring a photographer, the best way to assess their skill and adaptability is by asking to look at sample events. This will be the best indication of what you are potentially paying for. This is something a portfolio can not do since a portfolio is just a collection of a photographers best images. You want to assess the quality of their average image, not their best.
I recommend asking them if they could share a similar event to yours as well as something unrelated. Seeing the type of work a photographer has produced in a variety of conditions gives you insight into their technical skill and adaptability. This includes understanding how to work in varying venues, dealing with different lighting situations, program formats, etc.
What Should Your Event Photographer’s Focus be?
It is a given that when photographing an event, details matter. A lot of hard work goes into producing an event of any size and a photographers job is in part to capture those details. However, a photographer’s priority should be on capturing defining moments of an event that both tell a story and evoke a feeling. Every image should be about something, whether that be an emotion, reaction, or an interaction, there should be meaning behind the photograph. These are the images that offer a window into what it was like to be there.
Knowing what Professional Event Photography Requires
A photographer with a breadth of work experience will simply be able to assess situations quicker. What this means to you as a client, is more extensive coverage and therefore a greater number of quality images. An experienced photographer has likely shot an event like yours before and therefore knows the general format of your event as well as any other specific challenges: whether it be a conference, birthday party, award dinner, luncheon, or non profit event, each has a different format.
Conclusions on Hiring an Event Photographer
With this, you should now feel well prepared to hire an event photographer with minimal risk of being disappointed. Remember you get what you pay for, but now you will be well prepared to see exactly what that is.
I have been a professional event photographer and photography teacher in Los Angeles for over 13 years. Follow the links below to see my work.
mikmilman.com
Patreon | patreon.com/mikmilman
Instagram | @retrograding instagram.com/retrograding
Facebook | facebook.com/mikmilman
