Photography is no different from any artistic career. There are, and always will be, people that will work at a loss in an attempt to break into the industry.

Photography budgets can be tightly controlled but before you book in John Smith, go through this checklist to see if the corners are worth getting cut.

1. What do they specialise in? Is it product, fashion, large high end commercial projects? Find out.
2. Do they offer a guarantee?
3. Is there an archived and remotely backed up system in place? If you need an image of a partner we captured four years ago, it’s on file and in your inbox the same day. This also acts like a reference folder. When you book us in for your annual report two years from now and we need to match portraits taken this year; the lighting, background and general feel will be consistent throughout the years because we have everything organised and archived at our fingertips. Make sure if anything happens to their workplace, your images don’t end up as a bunch of zeroes or a pile of ash. Ask if they remotely back up their images.
4. Ask for several portfolios to get a feel for their consistency in making great imagery.
5. What is their editing experience? We know how to make you look good and spend half an hour on each corporate image, and that’s the simple stuff. A good photographer will never hand out unedited images, or at the other extreme, make you look like Barbie.
6. Have they got consistently happy clients that you know?
7. Do they have a fast turn around time? If one of our photographers is stricken with the plague the day after your shoot, one of our in-house Photoshop experts will get your images to you. Same for quotes. We’re a smooth running beast. Do they have such a system in place for the proposals that you can’t miss?
8. Do they send over proofs before editing your images? With proofs, you get to pick the images you like best. Not drown in the images you’re blinking or pulling funny faces (it’s ok, we all do it).
9. Do they have a studio? We have a huge studio in the heart of the Sydney Central Business District. If your company is small to medium sized, or you work from home, you don’t want to rent a meeting room or sit around a shared reception. Come over to our studio for professional photos and you’ll be saving money three fold: you’ll cut down on photography costs, rental room costs and the cost of coffee.
10. What is their professional level? The most important people are often photographed first in any business. The last thing you want on their minds is a bad experience that you helped organise. We’re fun and professional. The best of both worlds. Come over for one of our famous coffees and we’ll walk you through our portfolios so you can see the tender loving care we put into each interaction and image.
11. What is their late notice availability? Have they got fully trained photographers that can fill in during the 13th hour?
12. Do they make your company look good through prompt and efficient service, high quality images and ability to stick to consistent branding?
13. How up to date is their camera and lighting equipment? Technology in photography moves rapidly. You need a photographer that maintains the greatest equipment and technology to serve your needs.