So you are holding an event for your company and thinking that you should get some good photos of it. The next step is finding the right photographer. This can be a fairly easy task if you know what to look for.

There are thousands of professional photographers and hundreds in most major cities. But how to find the right fit. Most wedding photographers are pretty good at photographing candids since that’s usually part of the wedding. However many don’t understand how to utilize flash if necessary and may not understand the ins and out of a corporate event.

A good corporate event photographer will have a portfolio on their website as well as information on pricing. If you’ve never hired a corporate event photographer here are a few tips:

Know that many will want a minimum of two hours—why? Leaving their studio or workplace and traveling across town and back for an event takes time. They give up other clients during the block of time it takes so many will want at minimum two hours of work. Many will charge a rate that may seem high to you but has to take in account the hours of editing on the backend of the job as well as the use rights to the final edited images.

Some offer a day rate which can be helpful for longer events—however this will usually cover 8 hours of time and not 12 or more that you may try to cram into a “day”. Also understand if a price is quoting say 6 hours of coverage they mean continuous coverage—not two hours in the morning, then a break and 3 in the afternoon and a break and one more in the evening. The photographer has to turn away other business during chopped up days. If it has to be this way for your schedule expect a day rate.

Be clear and concise on the schedule of the event and when the photographer is actually needed. Many events I have photographed have kept me on their time clock paying me for the final hours where very few if any photos were taken or even needed. Ask the photographer to work with you on the scheduling —you’ll be surprised that many will be happy to do so.

With these tips in mind you should be good to go in hiring your next corporate event photographer.