Tips on Choosing the Right Photographer for Your Family Portraits

I am the unofficial photographer of the family (read: I own the DSLR) and because of this, 90 percent of my photos are of the DWs. My photos with the two and family pictures are therefore few and far between. Not that I’m complaining, I really don’t like having my picture taken anyway hehe but I do love having my photos taken by a professional photographer. It all started with those graduation school pictures. In high school it was Chat Peypoch, college it was a photo studio whose name I forgot but I remember that I looked so fresh in my grad pic it belied the fact that I was not sleeping and crying over my thesis (I almost got an incomplete!) . Then of course there were our wedding pictures. We booked Mimi and Karl and I have to say, we were spoiled by those two. For DW’s baptism and first birthday, I booked Ging Lorenzo, she’s a N@Wie favorite and she definitely delivered great pictures that we still look at. DW is amused at his chubby baby self hehe.

Here are some of our portraits. Top two are by Ging Lorenzo, bottom two are pics I took of our  Mimi and Karl wedding album.

Last year, I was looking at having our portraits taken again as I figured that DW was old enough to have solo portraits. I looked at the ones available at the malls and I also looked into other professional photographers. I’ve been a big fan of Stork Studio ever since I got pregnant. Their newborn portraits are amazing and their maternity photographs are wonderful (view their gallery here) I decided that the next set of photographs for our next family portraits will be done by Stork. It was really just a matter of when.

And that WHEN came when Sofia Genato, who owns,operates and is the chief photographer of Stork Studio emailed me saying she wanted to work with me!  She was working on new lifestyle concepts and she asked if  I wanted to try one idea with  her.  I didn’t hesitate. I emailed her with a big YES and we scheduled a shoot with her right away! Sofia gave us the Silver Wings Package. (More Stork Studio packages can be seen here.)

Sofia wanted to use a new prop that she just bought from HK. She needed a little boy to “model” *ehem* her new prop.  This ladies and gentlemen is DW in that prop.

Actually that vintage toy car was just one among MANY props that Sofia has. She has so many stashed neatly in her studio (which is so pretty by the way) that you  can make up any theme on the spot.  That bow tie that DW and the panama hat he wore in some of the shoots all came from Sofia’s prop cabinet.

We scheduled a morning shoot that was supposed to last one hour. Sofia worked fast and knew exactly what she wanted so the shoot lasted for only 30 mintues! She’s worked with kids so many times that she had so many tricks to keep DW entertained, relaxed and smiling! Ergo….

DW looks so grown-up here. Naiyak ako. We had this blown-up to an 11x14 which is included in the package we chose.

Of course, may family pic rin kami. We took pics outside the studio and inside and my favorite is this one which we blew up to a 20×30 print (also included in the package we chose)

we look so decent

Eto last na lang

naaaks!

We were absolutely happy with the photos and it was really great working with Sofia.  I can’t believe she got all those shots of DW who was really only interested in playing around with the car and with Sofia’s other props to sit still, look at the camera and smile! Sofia is such a pro, so I asked her a few tips on families who are looking to have their formal photos taken.

Here are some of her tips and wise words:

Me (M): Why go Pro?

Sofia (S): Pro photographers are specialized and skilled, they have the best equipment and special training/experience with kids.

M: What are some of the factors a family must consider when choosing a photographer or a photo company?

S:

1) view their portfolio on their website
2) ask about their expertise in handling children and young babies (especially newborns! safety is and always should be #1)
3) ask where they have trained and any certifications if ever and how long they have been a photographer in their field
4) ask around for recommendations and feedback
5) look for quality output and get the best photographer you can afford, it really makes a difference
6) set an appointment and be on time and be nice, much like wedding photographers, they are professionals and should be treated as such
7) after viewing their work/portfolio, know what kind of photos you would like as output – studio vs outdoor and speak to them about it and allow them to create some ideas for you if you are open to doing different

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Thanks again Sofia for our lovely portraits! YOU ROCK!