Photography is an investment and choosing your photographer means you're entrusting someone to capture your personality, your love, your essence... all of the little pieces that make up your being as a whole. That's a lot to entrust to someone, and you want to make sure you get it right. Finding a photographer is like shoe shopping: not every photographer is going to be the right fit for you (your size) or be exactly what you're looking for (go with your outfit). But when you do find the right photographer for you, magic is inevitable and timeless memories are bound to be captured. I know searching for the right photographer sounds like a daunting task, but here are 3 questions you should definitely be asking yourself to help with the selection process:

1. Do I love their images?

This is probably the most important question to first ask yourself. When you're browsing their website, are you falling in love with the photographs that they've shared? Make sure to sift through their blog as well as their website. Photographers tend to share a lot more on their blog than just highlight reels from their website, and you can get a better look at their whole portfolio overall. Ask yourself more specific questions to help you figure out if you love their images. Do you like their lighting choices? Do you love the locations they tend to use? (i.e. urban backdrops, in a studio, in nature, etc.) What about the emotions they've captured? Do you want a lot of joy and laughter in your photos? Do their photos exhibit that? Or do you want something more dramatic and serious? Is that what they're showcasing? Pay attention to all these things and keep in mind what you envision for your own session. What you're looking for should ideally align with what they typically produce.

2. Does their voice speak to me?

Most photographers spend a good deal of time on their "About Me" section making sure their personality shines through. They really want potential clients to get a feel for them and who they are as a photographer and as a person. So make sure you take time to really read that section and learn more about them. Another way to get a glimpse into who your photographer is as an individual is to visit their instagram. Alot of photographers infuse their personality into their instagram, so peruse their page and see what types of things they post. What are they into? Read their captions and try to get a deeper understanding of the photographer. Ask yourself if you feel like you connect with this person and what they're about. 

3. Do they photograph the type of session I'm looking for?

Always make sure the photographer you're considering offers the genre of photography you're looking for. 9 times out of 10, photographers showcase all the different genres they tend to photograph on their website. So if you're looking for a newborn photographer but all you see on someone's website is wedding photographs, it's pretty safe to say you've found someone who specializes in wedding photography and you should probably keep searching for a photographer who's more in tune with your current needs. Making sure you find a photographer whose capabilities match up with your requirements is important and should definitely be kept in mind during your search.