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1. Many people balk at the prices professional
photographers charge for session fees. Allow me to help
you understand why this is so valuable for your preserving
your memories.

2. Whether you use the person around the corner with their
first DLSR and two Ikea lights or your local big box store
working with a dedicated camera and lighting system or
the person with the pro-level DSLR and high-powered
strobe lights in home or their studio, there is always a
cost. Normally, you are required to pay a "session" or "sit"
fee. If you would like to order prints or digital images,
there is a fee for that. Some photographers may give you
low-resolution images for your Facebook page, but if you
want the high quality, print-ready portraits, you have to
pay for that.

3. What exactly are you paying for? Essentially, you are
paying for your photographer's skill, expertise, equipment
use and time. While you may assume that the time ends
after your hour or two has finished in front of the camera,
this is just the beginning for your photographer. Many
professional photographers have invested thousands of
dollars in equipment that is built to survive the rigours of
daily use and constant handling, backgrounds that look
just as good after five years as they did when new and
countless hours of training, research and development.

4. No matter who is taking your portraits, the next few steps
are what truly set your photographers apart. The entry-
level photographer may convert a few of your
photographs to black and white, create one or two sepia
toned, crop some of the portraits and let you proof them
on Facebook. Box store studios will have an elaborate
computer-based proofing/selling system where you can
see every image in colour and black and white.
Professional photographers, whether in studio or in your
home, may either upload your proofs to their secure
online proofing system or work with you to set a
convenient appointment time and present proofs
electronically on their laptop or tablet.

5. Proofing is not the last time your images will be handled
and manipulated by your photographer. The entry-level
photographer may just print exactly what you saw in the
proofs or they make adjustments you have requested. The
big box store photographers have an entire system at their
end in which your photos will be automatically processed
and then printed, but photo manipulation is rarely
available. The professional photographer will literally
spend hours tweaking and retouching your images so that
each person shown is presented at their absolute best.
This involves, but is not limited to, blending multiple
frames so each face looks the best, removing distracting
elements, enhancing colours and applying their artistic
touches to each final image. Many photographers will do
all of this before the proof stage, leaving you to marvel at

6. As in practically every case, you get what you pay for. Your
friend who just started out with their new camera brings
great enthusiasm, but a limited tool set as far as posing
and finishing. You generally pay little or no session fee and
you may get a few prints that make you say "Wow!" The
box studio photographer has more training with
comfortable and flattering posing, a varied selection of
props, more flattering lighting and the instant gratification
of immediate proofing. The purchase experience may feel
rushed and you may feel pressured to purchase more than
you had planned. The backgrounds may change but the
lighting remains the same - sometimes leaving you feeling
like they have just shown you the same photo but with a
different background. The professional photographer, with
their complete toolset of comfortable posing, ingenious

7. Whom you choose to preserve your family memories in
portraits is always your choice. You should never feel
pressured or obligated to choose your photographer.
Nevertheless, you should make your decision based upon
what you want to receive and what you can realistically
expect to receive. After all, it's your walls that these
portraits hang on. However, a professional photographer
will put as much care into your portraits as they would
their own portraits. As a professional photographer, I can
say that I take each portrait as if it were destined for my
own wall.

8. http://www.rons-digitalphotography.com/