Everyone likes to be able to document memories and stages in their lives. This is why so many photography studios are able to have successful businesses. I agree that this is an important part of your lives. Being able to document events and occasions is wonderful and the photographs are a great reminder. Unfortunately, a photography session can cost hundreds of dollars for a session and photos. And if you want to do this several times a year, twice a year, or even once a year, it can be bank breaking. The good news is that there are ways to dramatically reduce your costs related to photography. You don’t want to sacrifice the important moments (and ages) in the life of your family.
Digital
I imagine that the photography business took a little hit when digital cameras came onto the scene. With the expertise and high-quality equipment that photographers have, the average person was at a distinct disadvantage so it made sense to go to a professional. However, nowadays, people are taking incredible pictures even using the phone in their pocket. **Professional photographers still possess an expertise and experience that most general people don’t have.
Coupons
My go to answer to save money is coupons, coupons, and then some more coupons. Back to the tried and true. I have seen free sittings and one free photo for a newborn baby (which I used) from Olan Mills. Their website is www.olanmills.com. You may be lucky enough at the hospital to have coupons included in the take away basket of goodies with other free samples during birth.
I’ve also seen a free sitting and a package of $9.99 for 1-10x14, 1-8x10, 2-5x7’s, 3-4x6’s, sheet of wallets, and 10 free cards. I saw this at Portrait Innovations. Check out their website at www.portraitinnovations.com. The problem is in resisting all of the other great photos that they take. They will take many photos of you and there will be a lot of great ones. They know that when they get you into the studio with the great deal of $9.99 for a SINGLE pose, you’ll be suckered in to buy the rest of the amazing shots. Now, you just have to choose the best one and not get the others. If you’re disciplined enough to do this, then it’s definitely worth it. However, if you end up spending more money, then you might end up spending a lot more money than you’d save.
More recently, I’ve used Groupon for local photographers. www.groupon.com You can find some great deals and get a lot of amazing outdoor shots. Many will have deals on all of the digitals so you can choose to print whatever you want with no extra cost. Local Facebook groups may also be a good source to find some up and coming photographers that are just breaking into the business.
On Your Own
The best option for a frugal family with photography is to have a friend or family member take the photos for you or even do them yourself. It is a gift if you know someone with the love of photography in the earliest stage, but was willing to do it for free to build up their portfolio or someone that simply likes to take good pictures and has an eye for it. The good news is that there are great tips that you can find online. Let’s take a look at a few tips from www.weheartit.com. Our family has done this several times. We’ve had family photos taken by a friend and my husband took the Senior pictures for my two oldest. We’ve been so pleased with these choices. Thank God for digital cameras because when you take a million photos, you’re bound to get some good one.
Pick a Theme…or NOT
It could be a color theme, style or location. Some examples include fall, retro, beach, selfies, nature, etc. Sometimes a simple photo shoot can be all you need. If you have a family, you want to make sure that the clothing choices are complementary in style and color. Think outside the box for your poses. Don’t feel shy and own that shoot. The great thing with digital photography is that you can take an abundance of posts, even if there are many duds on your camera roll. Keep clicking!
Location/Time
The lighting (and temperature) can become a deciding factor on what time to go. If you’re taking pictures in a hot climate, probably mid-afternoon photo shoot will have you with frizzy hair and sweaty foreheads. Morning shoots or evening before sunset may be a good option. Direct sunlight can cause squinting so it should be avoided. Good light but not direct is the best way to go. As for the location, you don’t want to be in a busy place where you’re dealing with a lot of people in the background because that will either waste a lot of time waiting for it to be clear or you’ll have a lot of editing to do. Be careful in scouting your location for items that you don’t want to be in the photo. No trash in the corner of the shot, a messy bed in the background, or car license plates that can be seen. If you’re more interested in an indoor shoot, the lighting is key. A ring light (or even two or three) can make your photos go from average to amazing.
Some tips:
· The “golden hour” is a great time for beautiful pics
· The morning light is perfect for photo shoots
· You want to be facing the light, but not looking into the sun
· Hold something in your hands so you don’t look awkward
· Save some pics before hand of poses that you like
· Know your angles (plenty of YouTube pics to help with this)
· Change your facial expressions…not all open smiles
Equipment
The good news is that you don’t have to have a $2,000 camera to have post worthy (and printer worthy) shots. No matter what device you choose to ultimately use, a tripod is a necessity if you’re doing it yourself. Give up leaning your phone against something. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle and will be happier in the long run. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials where you can make your own tripod. A remote control/delay is also a big help to make the photo shoot successful. If you’re planning on a longer shoot, make sure that your battery is charged and you have another one on standby or have capability of charging the device.
Outfits/Makeup/Hair
Wardrobe malfunctions can be a disaster for your day where you’re tugging and pulling and having issues with clothing staying in place. This is also important if you’re choosing an outdoor shoot on a windy day. You may not be happy if your hair is blowing in your face or just taking away from the look you may be going for. Sometimes people choose to go a little heavier on the makeup for a photography session, but you have to pay attention to still looking like YOU. You don’t want to be unrecognizable in the final products.
Editing
Once you have mastered the photo shoot and have accumulated a large number of potential options, your work is not done. Now, you have to edit them. This is typically the most time-consuming part of the whole process. Just because you see a pic that is too dark or too light, don’t get rid of it too soon. I’ve adjusted many pictures over the years that I thought couldn’t be saved. There are some amazing apps and programs that you can use (not inclusive).
· Lightroom (Laptop and Phone)
· VSCO (phone)
· Huji Cam (phone)
· The editor right on your phone or computer
Printing
Since the invention of digital, I find that we don’t do nearly as much printing of photos anymore. Instead, we watch them scroll on our computers and use them in digital items. You can print some on your home printer or for better clarity, at your local store. It’s still much cheaper than you would pay for a professional photographer if you went to a studio. There are many companies where you can do this and upload them right from your own camera or computer. Some examples include: www.walmart.com, www.snapfish.com, www.kodakgallery.com, and www.shutterfly.com. Even Costco, CVS, and Walgreens have photo options.
Not only can you print pictures for your own use, you can upload the photos and share them with friends and family. Then, your loved ones can print the pictures that they would like themselves. This saves you the expense of printing pictures off and stamps to send them away to others. They can decide which ones they want. If you’re a classroom parent, you can set up one of these so that all the families of the students can view pictures of the kids in the classroom. All you need to do is set up an account and a password.
The good news for those watching their finances is that you can get amazing photos on your own if you cannot afford a professional (even with coupons) or you just want to save money, you can do it yourself. As with most everything we have discussed, any time you choose to do things yourself, you typically save money. With photography, this is definitely the case.
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