My daughter experienced her junior prom last weekend. She was excited to get dressed up and go dancing with her boyfriend and other friends from school. Since prom is a special event, she wanted pictures. Not the dad holding his cell phone and hopefully they don’t turn out fuzzy kind of pictures. The kind of pictures you put in a photo album and cherish forever.
She asked if we knew anyone with a good camera that could take some pictures. I recommended she contact her brother, as he has a nice camera and is actually taking a college photography class.
There are certain events in life that require a professional photographer such as a wedding, or graduation. There are also the everyday events where a cell phone shot will do just fine. For those photo opportunities in between, knowing someone with a photography hobby might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Photography Hobbyists Are Gold
Here are four reasons asking for help from a photography hobbyist is better than desperately trying to decipher the inner workings of your cell phone, or laying down big bucks for a professional:
- Skills: Those with a photography hobby tend to take a lot of pictures, playing around with different lighting, angles etc. They would give you a much better chance at a good picture than the average person using their phone.
- Pose Ideas: Photography hobbyists are also likely to come up ideas about what backdrops would look nice, and better poses than the generic stand there and smile.
- Better Equipment: Even an entry level hobbyist camera will produce better pictures than even the most advanced smart phone.
- Cheap: Friends with the photography bug typically love taking pictures. It gives them a subject, and an opportunity to practice. It wouldn’t hurt to offer them a nice bottle of wine, a case of their favorite beer, or a gift card to their favorite restaurant.
My son came home from college for the day and took about a hundred pictures of my daughter and her boyfriend. They turned out fantastic. I made him a steak dinner as a thank you before he headed back to college. We appreciated the pictures, and he appreciated the food.
How about you, EOD nation, have you ever asked a photography hobbyist to take pictures for a special occasion? How did the pictures turn out, and did you give them anything in return?
