Find a Photographer | The Freelancer Club

1. Find & Hire A Professional Photographer

Whether you're getting married, looking to shoot a new product, require professional head shots or simply need to produce stunning images, finding the right professional photographer can make all the difference. Click to post a job and reach hundreds of professional photographers instantly. No fees, no commission. Book event, wedding, corporate, and small business photography. Set your budget, review ratings, reviews, and portfolio in one place! Hire a photographer today.

The number one misconception is that all freelance photographers are the same. Once they know how to work a camera, they should be able to do the job. However, there are so many nuanced variables of photography it generally pays to pick a specialist and know how to hire the right photographer for your job. Another hurdle is the price. How much should you charge and what's the going rate? There's also the breakdown of services to consider. Do you require the images to be retouched, cropped or saved in a certain format to suit your needs? What about the legal side? Do you want to own the copyright of the images outright or license the photos to use them internationally? For personal jobs like a birthday party or a headshot, a lot of these considerations are rarely of importance or even mentioned, however, if you plan on producing images to promote your business or a new product, it pays to cover all bases to avoid hassle further down the line.

Freelancer Club is fortunate enough to house some of the finest photographers in the industry who have an array of expertise. We also speak with hundreds of employers, brands and the general public about their needs. In addition, we have all the stats on recruitment and how to source talent. This article will share all of this information with you and more. You'll learn how to find, hire and manage a freelance photographer in no time.

Why use Freelancer Club to find a photographer.

It's 100% free and we don't charge fees or take a commission.
We take all the hassle out of finding professional photographers
You work directly with local professional photographers.
It's simple to post a role and even easier to manage applicants saving you time and space in your Inbox.

2. Professional vs Amateur Photographer

There are a few key areas to consider when it comes to the type of the photographer you wish to hire. The first aspect to consider is technical proficiency. Regardless of the job, your photographer should be technically proficient in his or her craft. When you compare a professional photo to a shot taken on a phone, for example, you should be able to see a gulf in class that illustrates why one would pay for the services of a professional photographer.

Aside from the work aesthetically being a 'better quality', there are certain signs to look out for. The image should look crisp and be in pin sharp focus. Should you be looking at the photographer's work on a screen (computer, laptop or phone) this should still be very evident. The photographer will have used a number of techniques utilising light, focus and the adjustment of settings to create a sharp image.

Most professional photographers shoot in RAW format (unless shooting specifically for web) that allows them much more flexibility after the photo has been taken. The image can be manipulated in post-production without losing too much in quality. You may have noticed that when you start to play around with your editing option on your phone that the more you adjust the image, the more the quality worsens. RAW files are far more robust. In addition, RAW files can be enlarged without compromising on quality (up to a point). This is important as it offers you much more flexibility with your images. Should you require your image to be printed on a large format for instance, a photo taken on a phone would struggle. RAW files provide the client with option to print large scale, onto a variety of materials, adjust the lighting, contrast etc... without losing too much quality.

3. Find me a Photographer with Style

The second consideration when you want to find a photographer is style. We speak to hundreds of employers looking for a professional photographer and very few consider the style of the photographer when posting their requirements. Brands tend to have a loose idea of style when hiring, whereas the general public typically omits this from their job description. Photographers are artists and each artist has his or her unique style. In general, a photographer's style evolves over time as they develop their craft. When choosing your photographer, it's a great opportunity to pick a style that appeals to you or your brand. Perhaps you're looking for a vintage bridal photographer who can create an ethereal effect or a snapper who uses deep shadows to create dramatic black and white portraits.

Remember, some style will come from the photographer's camera whereas a lot of it will derive from their post-production work. Make sure to ask the photographer about their process before you commit. Some photographers will include their post-production work into their fees whereas others will not. You don't want to end up with an image that's only half finished or a bill that you didn't expect.

4. Personality Plus

The photographer's personality will often make a big difference too. It's not something that most employers consider nor is it easy to find out without meeting them in person. Events, weddings, portraits or fashion shoots, for example, require a photographer who can direct their subjects, put them at ease or have the confidence to herd large groups of people together. Photographers should be able to take the initiative to capture the shots you want and some that you didn't realise you wanted. At most event-based jobs, the photographer will roam around taking images unsupervised so their personality and professionalism are paramount.

For other jobs such as pack shots (shooting an object), food photography or even sports photography, the photographer needs to be less vocal. It can often be an advantage to be aloof and subtle when capturing moments when the subjects are unaware so try to meet or speak to your photographer on the phone before choosing who to use.

5. The Price

When you post a job it's not easy to know the going rate as there's no set guideline to assist with this. There are also vast differences when it comes to experience and quality within each sector. To offer some guidance, we've broken down the main areas that our employers post photography jobs in to help give you a starting point.

Wedding Photographer

There is a lot more to wedding photography than just showing up and taking a few snaps. Most of the time, the bride and groom want to meet the photographer in person before the big day. They often would like the images to be sorted and retouched after the wedding too. Should you wish for the photographer to scout the location before the day then that's another chunk of time that needs to be considered.

You may wish for the photographer to shoot the ceremony only or perhaps you'd like images of the wedding party getting ready, the after party or even the next day. It's not just the photographer's time to consider but the number of images they will have to sort through the next day to provide you with the perfect collection of shots.

Prices can range from £250 for a couple of hours to document the ceremony to thousands of pounds. A full day shooting with a selection of images retouched would cost in the ballpark of £600 - £1000.

Portraits or Corporate Headshots

Whether you're looking to have your team shot for your company website or keen to arrange a family portrait, it's important to consider the photographer's style. Corporate headshots have evolved from the serious look on a white backdrop look. Brands are sourcing photographers to shoot their team in ways that match their brand. Look at what the photographer has done in the past to see if there's anything in his or her portfolio that matches your vision or if not, send a link to an image that you like so the photographer has a visual aid to manage your expectations.

Prices depend very much on your requirements. Corporate headshots for a team of 10 might take half a day for the basics or a full day if you require something more adventurous. A less experienced photographer may charge between £200 - £350 per day whereas a higher end freelancer would charge around £500 - £1000 for a day's work. Ensure that you discuss retouching (post-production) as part of the deal and if you want to produce images with a particular style, negotiate the overall price.

Pack Shots / Fashion Shoots

Hiring professional photographers for pack shots or product shots are becoming the norm. More businesses are discovering what the big online retailers have known for years - the better the shot, the better the sales. It's always surprising to see companies spend thousands on a product, website, and advertising campaign only to skimp out on the photography. A strong image is vital to help with marketing or advertising so consider that stats that show the levels of engagement when a stunning image is used compared to when it is not.

Packshot or product photography is generally charged by the day. The day rate of a photographer will range from £200 - £800 on average but make sure you negotiate the total fee including any retouching that will almost certainly have to be done after the shoot.

Fashion shoots require a bigger team as you'll most likely need a model, makeup artist, hair stylist, fashion stylist, and photographer. A fashion photographer's rate will range heavily on the job but for an e-commerce day shoot, anything from £200 - £800 is about average. You can often agree upon a better deal with fashion photographers as there is always post-production work to consider too.

Case Study

Work Life, a workspace based in Camden and London Fields recently used The Freelancer Club to find a photographer. One of their founders, David Kosky, required a professional photographer to shoot their Christmas party and was let down last minute. He used the Freelancer Club to hire a photographer and produce high-quality images for marketing purposes to showcase the community at their co-working space.

The Freelancer Club saved our Christmas party! Our photographer dropped out a day before our event and were in desperate need to find someone. We went on to the platform, posted a job and before we knew it, had 20 different options for freelancers within our budget. The process was simple and quick, the person we found was great and the party was a success!

6. Do's & Don'ts when hiring a photographer

Do provide as much detail as possible when posting the photography job
Do set a realistic budget that takes into account the entire job (it's not just the time they are shooting you need to pay for!)
Do ask questions to vet photographers when posting the role eg: have you experience in a similar project?
Do decide how to communicate with the photographer(s) throughout the process
Do use sample images to show the photographer what type of photos you'd like from the project

Don't think 'my cousin has a good camera, I'll just use her'. Yes, camera phones are amazing but the difference between a professional photographer bringing skills far beyond just taking pictures, and amateur is vast. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.
Don't hire a photographer without a contract. A service agreement protects both parties and removes the majority of potential conflict.
Don't let a photographer shot 'what they want' if you have a list of required shots.

Check out our video on managing a job here: