Since digital photography is a fairly new booming market, there are probably things you (as a non photographer) might not think about. And if you had a family session during our busy season (or any session really, but updated family photos for holiday cards are the majority of fall sessions) there are a few things you can do to show whoever took those beautiful pictures how much you love them!

The first one seems kind of obvious, but in our busy lives, it slips away from us:

Use your photos!!

You planned out and paid for some really special images, so you should see and enjoy them as often as possible. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE selling the digital copies of my images. I know some photographers are not fans. I personally would want my own, so my clients get them included in their session. BUT, don’t let them get dusty on that USB or on your hard drive or wherever they are! Print them out! Make a lovely canvas arrangement on your wall! Go use a coupon on shutterfly to get them turned into pillows or ornaments! When you do, don’t forget to send a picture to your photographer who will LOVE knowing that you are enjoying their hard work, which brings me to my next point!

Share and TAG

With the posts on Facebook pages, it is super easy to share elsewhere or tag yourself in them so YOUR friends and family can see you (and not just the photographer’s FB fans.) When you have a potentially unwatermarked version of your image file that you want to share, make sure you add a little shout out to your photographer with a clickable @ tag or just put their website up there somewhere so if someone LOVES their work and wants a session of their own, it’s easy for your friends to find and hire your photog! (I know I give discounts to both you and your friends when you spread the word!)

Hype Them Up

As with any small business, word of mouth is a vital advertising tool. It’s really easy to feel like photographers get to pocket all of their profit since some of them don’t sell physical products, but the cost of running any legitimate business will add up fast. And when you put your hard earned money back into a small business, you’re supporting local families! If you loved your experience, gush about them to you friends and family. Getting a recommendation from a friend is way better than sifting through google because “baby photographer in my city” in google will get you a million things.

Respect Their Work

Photographers make deliberate decisions on exactly where to crop their images. They take careful considerations to choose the best tones and colors and the perfect balance of highlights and shadows in their images. This is what makes up their unique style (and probably why you hired them!) So try your best to keep those true when you post and share your images.  I know when you choose your Facebook profile picture, they make you crop it into a square, but otherwise, try to avoid crazy Instagram filters or crop jobs. Think of it as misquoting an author. Their work doesn’t look like their own anymore!

Hire Them Again!

Your photographer gets invested in your story! They fall in love with your family and get to know your kids (not to mention your kids get to know THEM!) Trusting someone with your memories is a big deal. If you didn’t gel with someone, or weren’t a huge fan of their work, the good news is, there are photographers popping up all over the place and someone out there is the perfect fit for you! If you found your perfect fit, don’t let them go. One of the biggest compliments you can give them is loving their work SO much, you want more of it. Now you don’t HAVE to have 3 sessions within a one year span…. but your kiddos change a lot as they grow…. just sayinnnn 😉

Love your photographers and love yourselves! Happy Thursday guys!!