Why hiring a local photographer has its advantages.
The time has now come for you to finally sit down and start thinking about the type of photographer you’d like to have for your special occasion/wedding day.
We all know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of qualified and experienced professionals out there for you to choose from, but making that all important decision and narrowing it down to just one might prove to be a lot harder than you first thought.
Perhaps you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with where to start. - Don’t worry, that’s completely understandable. There are a lot of things that need to be considered when you’re trying to find the right photographer for you.
As we know, photographers can travel from far and wide in order to help capture those perfect photos, but have you ever considered the possibility of having a local photographer instead?
Well, here at Darren Gritton Photography, as I am based within the West Sussex area, I am going to talk you through my ‘Top 5 reasons to hire a West Sussex photographer’ so that you can potentially expand your knowledge on why it’s so important sometimes to ‘keep it local’ and hopefully see the benefits of doing so.
1 Local knowledge
When it comes to hiring a photographer, selecting one that is currently living within your city or region can make a huge difference. They’ll be sure to have a great deal of valuable local knowledge; from the perfect wedding venue to the best location for an outdoor shoot.
Other photographers, who live further a field, will have to do a considerable amount of research beforehand in order to work out what places or locations will work best for you and the type of photoshoot you wish to have. By hiring someone who is local and fully aware of their surroundings and what’s available already will prove to be really beneficial as it’ll save a huge amount of time.
Plus, their expertise is vital!
2 Venue recommendations
By choosing a local photographer from within the West Sussex area, they’ll already have a considerable amount of knowledge and familiarity of different venues within the area. No doubt they’ll have photographed a number of different weddings and occasions previously.
They’ll be sure to be able to provide you with a number of recommendations of different settings and places that they have worked alongside previously whilst being able to give you their honest and direct feedback and experiences.
So whether you’re looking for a grand wedding venue perhaps or even a discreet little park for some intimate family group shots, you’ll be sure to know that they’ll have the best ideas and advice of the local area to help you capture those perfect moments.
3 No additional travel costs
As mentioned previously, most photographers are willing to travel to your required location in order to create your magical photos but this can sometimes be at an additional cost to you. Also, some photographers, depending on how long the shoot is, will require accommodation for an overnight stay. Again, this can be at an extra cost to you so keeping it local can potentially save you a lot of extra expenditures.
With hiring a photographer from within your local area, they won’t have as far to travel which will mean they won’t have to price this into your original quote.
4 Ability to meet in person
As we know most, if not all, of our communications nowadays are done virtually; Whether that’s by email, on social media apps or even zoom calls. But the truth is, there’s nothing better than being able to meet someone in person.
By booking a face to face consultation with your photographer, it’ll give you the chance to see how you both get on with one other, in person, and what the vibe between you is like.
Your photographer should be able to help you to feel comfortable and at ease with each other; such as being able to talk freely, having the ability to bounce ideas around and to be able to make suitable suggestions or offer alternative ideas.
Plus, sometimes, when you book a photographer that is not from your local area, you won’t always have the opportunity to meet them before the big day due to the moving far away. This can prove to be challenging and also difficult to find out if the relationship you have can work in person on the day.
There’s nothing worse then booking someone online only to find out that they don’t understand your vision when you meet face to face or that you don’t feel relaxed or comfortable with them.
5 View their portfolio
As we know, most photographers have their very own websites and portfolios available to you online at just a click of a button but there’s nothing like seeing a physical portfolio and hearing the history and backlog of each photoshoot from the photographer themselves.
By choosing a photographer from West Sussex, they’ll be nice and local for you to arrange a visit to see their portfolio and to discuss what it is you specifically want on the day. This is a great way to help you to get a feel of their style and work ethos.
Most photographers will use this time to ask you to explain, in a bit more detail, the types of images you would like them to capture.
They will also use this time to make suitable suggestions, if needed, to help you to get the best out of your photo session.
I hope this has helped you to see the positives of choosing a West Sussex photographer and hopefully highlights the benefits of selecting someone local to the area.
If you would like to find out more information about the different photography services I can offer when it comes to your big day, then please get in touch at info@darrengrittonphotography.com or give me a call/text on 07538 135722.
Here at Darren Gritton Photography, I offer wedding packages to suit all budgets so you can be sure to find the perfect package to suit you.
Please feel free to get in touch to see what I can do for you and, together, we can help to capture your wedding vision and bring it to life!
If you like this post, you can check out a couple of my other blog posts
Sussex Venue | Long Furlong Barn