How to hire a photographer for a wedding, a studio or product shots
The photographer's genre is half the success
A wedding photographer works in motion, with live emotions and quick light. A studio portrait photographer controls the light and the pose. Product photography for online marketplaces needs a clean background and consistency, and reportage calls for the ability to shoot unnoticed. One craftsman is rarely brilliant in every genre.
So first decide what you want photographed, and look in the portfolio for exactly that genre.
How it works on BlaBlaPrice
You write one request on BlaBlaPrice instead of calling studios. It is checked: no ads or contact details in the text, and you are prompted on what is missing. Then photographers in your city reply.
In the chat they send portfolios, explain what the shoot includes and name the price and deadlines. BlaBlaPrice compares the replies by content, with reviews visible next to them. Only the photographer you choose gets your contacts. It is free for the client.
What to include in the vacancy
- Type of shoot — wedding, studio portraits, product, events;
- Date and duration — for example, 5 December, 8 hours;
- Place — city, location or studio;
- Result — number of edited photos, retouching, delivery time;
- Pay — per hour, per shoot or per project;
- Type of work — one-off or permanent work in a studio;
- Experience and portfolio — examples in exactly this genre;
- Equipment — whether your own lighting is needed.
Example: “A photographer is needed for a wedding in Singapore, 5 December, 8 hours. Reportage plus group portraits, 300 edited photos within two weeks. Pay $450 for the shoot. A portfolio of wedding shoots is essential.”
Result, rights and extra costs
For staff work in a studio, ask about the workload: how many shoots a week, whether the person must edit the pictures themselves and whether the studio provides lights and backdrops. This decides who the vacancy suits.
Most disputes arise over what is included in the price. Ask how many photos are in the finished gallery, whether there is retouching, in what format they will be delivered, how long you will wait and whether you can order prints. For a wedding, agree whether the photographer works alone or with an assistant, and whether they have backup equipment.
Agree on the rights to the photos: where they may be published, whether the author is credited, whether the photographer may use the pictures in their portfolio. For a commercial shoot this is important. Also ask who pays for travel if the shoot is outside the city. Related fields are videographers and models in the section “Culture / arts / entertainment”.
If you are looking for work as a photographer
Register on BlaBlaPrice as a service provider, choose this category and your area, and reply to clients' requests. More about the service on the page “How it works”.
