The difference between a personal photographer and a chain studio

Here's something about my past that not everyone might know about me.... I use to work for a chain studio.

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It was for a few months during the holidays, we were struggle with bills at the time and we made the decision that me being a stay at home mom wasn't working out right then. My first thought was the saying "Do something you love and it won't feel like a job." So I started looking into photography studio jobs and got hired almost right away.

A quick look at what's different

Chain studios

• Cookie cutter approach

• Short sessions

• Quantity over quality

• Minimal understanding of photography required

• Long wait times during the holiday rush

There's many more reasons but these are the ones that stuck with me the most. After being hired I was told I didn't need to change any settings on the cameras or have any understanding of how they worked, only needed to know how to push a button. There's a rush to get though as many poses as quickly as possible, to produce as many images as quickly as we could. Very rarely were we allowed to deviate from the set poses and especially not at the holidays. The wait time could be as long as 3 hours after your appointment time just because a few extra minutes here and there with each family really adds up over the course of the day.

It was sad... I was sad.

There were so many times I had sudden inspiration for a lovely family shot, or something cute with siblings but no time to execute it. I didn't have the necessary time to spend with my clients to get to know them and how I could best meet their needs. Even though I'm a photographer who strives to proved the best experience that I'm able to I felt stifled and depressed.

So I left...

And it was the best decision I ever made. I'm now able to follow my own business model and provide the attention I know every client deserves. I can have discussions with clients beforehand about how best to dress, get to know the kids and have them be comfortable around me, provide great quality art for their homes. I only provide products that I'm 100% in Iove with and would have in my own home. I can put my creativity to use again.

While a personal photographer might look like it costs more, your getting a better personalized experience and service and we all know quality over quantity is best right?