Martin Cohen, an award winning photographer, based in Santa Monica, CA, has written a wonderful piece entitled, “How to Hire a Photographer,” that I'm pleased to present in this week's blog."How to Hire a Photographer by Martin Cohen"
In this day and age of digital technology, there are many talented young people who pick up a nice camera and start a photography business. Some of them are quite capable, but many of them lack knowledge and professional experience.
In choosing a photographer, enthusiasm and creativity are certainly important assets to be considered. In addition, reliability and professionalism must be key factors in your decision who is the right person for the job. Asking for credentials never hurts, and personal recommendations make a big difference as well.
Always make sure that you have seen enough samples of the photographer’s work to be confident that you are working with a pro. Written contracts can be very helpful in clarifying the specifics of the job, as well as the compensation. How many hours, how many photographs, digital or film? What resolution are the final images on the disc, will prints be included, what size? How much time between the shoot and the delivery of the final product, what terms of payment?
Many professional photographers are registered with the State Board of Equalization and are required to charge sales tax, currently 9.75% in California. This can be a serious extra charge on the larger jobs – even though photography should be considered a service (and therefore free of sales tax), that is not how the State of California looks at it. A smart way around the sales tax is to upload the photographs to an FTP address and download them electronically. As long as there are no “tangible assets” like a CD, DVD or prints that change hands, legally there is no ground to charge sales tax.
Lastly, it is important to work with people that you like and trust. If possible, schedule a meeting in advance to discuss the job. Especially for weddings and other major personal events, the report that you have with the photographer is a crucial factor in the spontaneity and the liveliness of the final images.
Martin Cohen was born and raised in the Netherlands, and has lived and worked in the United States for over 25 years. He handles corporate assignments as well as events and personal portraits. See his work at www.martincohenphotography.com or call him at 310-396-5587 to schedule an appointment at his studio
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