Choosing a Minneapolis Family Photographer

Choosing a photographer to work with to document your growing family is a lot. And if you’re anything like me, when a task gets overwhelming… let’s just say it may or may not move to the bottom of my to-do list.

So if you’ve landed here, I want to congratulate you, because you’ve taken the first steps, Mama!! (Or Dad, Dads find photographers too.)

Social Media is Tempting… But There’s a Better Way!

It’s super tempting to make a couple searches on social media for local photographers, and pick someone based solely on the work they’ve got on their Instagram account. And that’s a theoretically solid strategy. But… there are some minor flaws in that plan. (I know, I know, it’s the easiest way to do it, but there are better strategies!!)

I’m going to walk through a few of my major suggestions for things to think about before choosing a Minneapolis Family Photographer (or ANY family photographer, no judgment if you’re from far-far-away.)

Things to Think About when Choosing a Minneapolis Family Photographer

1. Does their portfolio match the vibe you’re going for?

Photographers all have a signature style. Well, MOST photographers have a signature style. I personally do, but I’m always open to client preferences, as long as we talk about it ahead of time! But when it comes to looking over a photographer’s portfolio, you want to make sure that the images you see are lined up with what you’re hoping to receive from your session.

It might not sound like rocket science, but it bears mentioning (trust me). If the portfolio you’re seeing from a photographer doesn’t have light and airy images, and you’re looking for light and airy images, they might not be the best match.

But if you’re looking for energetic, vibrant imagery… then I personally might be the best match! (How’d you like that shameless plug? Pretty good, right?)

2. How flexible are they with scheduling?

Look, if you’re booking a session that involves kiddos, there’s going to have to be a bit of flexibility involved. And photographers have SUPER varied approaches to rescheduling. Some photographers don’t allow reschedules at all (and when you sign their contract, you agree to those terms!), while other photographers have guidelines in place for rescheduling after illness or if something urgent comes up.

But these kinds of policies are important to learn about before you schedule your session, not when little Suzie gets a cold and you have to reschedule… only to learn that the family photographer you chose doesn’t offer illness rescheduling. Remember how I mentioned that just looking at a photographer’s Instagram account isn’t always enough? This is part of why. Those policies are the kind of thing you find on their website, but that might not be included in their IG details.

3. Are images included with your package?

Almost all photographers have a different approach to how they handle actually providing images after your session. Some include images in your session fee, while others require payment in two parts. One for your session, and an additional payment after the fact for your image gallery.

I fall in between, in case you were wondering! You get to choose images that are INCLUDED FULLY in your session fee, but you can always upgrade to receive more images!

But if you’re looking for a specific number of photos for, let’s say, outfitting a gallery wall in your home, then it’s important to know how many images your planned photographer includes in their packages.

4. Will they help print your images?

Speaking of gallery walls, it can be super overwhelming to print your images after your session. There’s a ton of options, and figuring out what’s best isn’t always straightforward. Remember what I said about overwhelming tasks? Well… yeah. (I promise I’ll eventually update the photos in my livingroom. PROMISE.)

Some photographers (like yours truly!) help you cut through that overwhelm, by offering printing and planning services! If you want, I’ll go as far to scheduling an in-home visit and planning out where in your home you can put your photos. But there are other photographers who deliver your digitals, and then it’s on you to make sure they don’t just live on your hard drive forevermore. And this is another one of those things that’s important to know about before you schedule your session!

5. How did OTHER family sessions go for them?

Finally… please, I beg you: look at the photographer’s reviews and testimonials from previous family sessions. Running a photography business is just that, running a business. Photography is (of course) an art form, but it takes more than just knowledge of your camera to be truly spectacular as a family photographer.

You have to be able to trick shy little ones into smiling, casually act awkward enough to get your teen invested in participating… pull out some dinosaurs to distract your toddler.

All the while, documenting each gorgeous moment. So yeah. It’s a lot more than knowing what’s going on in your camera. And while some of that will show in their portfolio, it’ll become really REALLY obvious when you get into the nitty gritty of their reviews. You’ll get to see how familie’s experienced the sessions from beginning to end, and how they felt about the images they received. You’ll get to see whether they’ve had repeat customers, and how many of those reviewers have come back again, and again. Sometimes, you’ll see a bit of that in their portfolio, too. And that combination between their portfolio and their reviews is what’s going to tell you whether you’ve found an artist, or a business owner… or both.

In case it’s not obvious, you want BOTH.

If you’re still having trouble choosing a family photographer…

That’s okay!

And it’s okay to have questions, too. I have questions all the time. But if YOU have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out, and we can talk about what kind of session would be best matched to your needs. We can talk about printing your photos, we can talk about what’s included in my sessions… (if you can’t find the info you need on my Family Photography page, that is.)

I want to make your life as easy as possible – so let me help you make this easy.