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As we have approached fall and are in the process of watching the leaves change everyday this very question creeps into the minds of mothers everywhere. With Christmas only 3 months away moms are thinking about pictures that they can put on cards to send out to family and friends for the holidays. With the economy still in a low place people are trying to save money everywhere that they can and with photography not being a necessity than sacrifices may be made.

With the rise of digital photography we have seen a lot of chain studios pop up offering quick sessions and huge coupon offers on prints. You may think of these studios as fast food for photography. Some of these chains boast on offering sometimes free sessions and portrait packages with 50 prints for only $20. If you read the small print on these coupons you may realize that all 50 prints are required to come from 1 image when they give you 100 to choose from. Chain studios don't make their money on the coupon package deals, they make their money on all of those other poses that you loved during the session that you can't live without. So with families entering with only the $20 package in mind, they end up leaving with a $300-$500 print purchase on their credit card.

Now let us keep in mind that these chain studios are the fast food of photography. To keep costs down these studios need to hire people that will work for close to nothing with mandatory overtime during the holidays. You do not need to have any previous experience to work for any of these chain studios, as long as you can push the shutter button on a camera your hired. The studios limit the creativity of their photographers by mounting strobes in permanent locations and locking the camera settings so that their images stay consistent and repeatable. But for the family on a budget the chain studios are great.

By hiring a professional photographer you are choosing that you want to spoil yourself a little. Instead of hitting up the McDonald's you are choosing to spoil yourself with the more expensive Longhorn Steakhouse. Just as the saying goes "You get what you pay for", also applies to photography. A professional photographer is not limited to the studio. Most of my sessions are on location in the park, at your home or virtually wherever you want. We can use our knowledge of composition, lighting and posing to make any location work.