You’ve found a photographer whose photos you love. They have availability on a date that works for you. So we’re all set. Book a session and I’m done. Right?
You could check “family photos” off your list right then. Or you can ask them some extra questions to make sure they are the right fit for you.
How do you protect my images from accidental data loss?
All professional photographers should shoot with 2 cards in their camera, one is a backup in case one card has an issue. They should then immediately import your photos to their computer which should be setup to back up right away to a second drive. Right from the start you have backups in case a drive fails. Then they should have cloud backup. This takes a little longer to backup especially if you have a number of sessions in a day, but it’s another backup that will be in place after a few days. You notice I said should a lot. That’s because many photographers don’t have these systems in place. If one drive fails your photos are gone. They can try to use a data recovery company but there is no guarantee they will get all the files back. I have all of these systems in place. With my husband in the IT industry he has set this up for me and provides me with ongoing support if any issues should arise. After 7 years running my business I have not had any data loss issues (knock on wood).
Do you keep the images after delivery?
Some photographers don’t keep any files after a certain period. Some keep everything. When we’re talking about files there are two different file types to keep in mind. Jpgs are what you receive. I keep all the jpg files I deliver to my clients. RAW files are what come out of the camera. They contain a ton more information in order to edit properly. If any changes need to be made to the image or they need to be a larger size, RAW files are needed. I keep all the RAW files that match the delivered jpgs. Just in case you have a data loss issue, I still have them and can still edit them if needed.
How do you deliver them? Is the online gallery password protected?
I deliver all digital files through a well respected gallery system. All galleries are password protected. Why does this matter? People steal images online all the time. It’s easy enough for people looking to steal some to find a website and download the images themselves. Then they can do whatever they want with them. I want to be sure the only person downloading your photos is you!
I hope this helps you while you search for the right photographer for you. I know it’s a difficult task. But when you find the right one it’s well worth the time and effort.
