Photography is one of the few decisions about a day you can't re-do afterwards. The good news: you don't need to know anything technical to choose well. You need to ask a handful of unglamorous questions and pay attention to the answers.

Ask to see a full gallery, not a highlight reel

Every portfolio is a greatest-hits selection — that's what a portfolio is for. What tells you far more is one complete session, start to finish. Is the quality even from the first frame to the last? Does the light look consistent once the sun goes down? Consistency across a whole gallery is much harder to fake than five brilliant images.

Ask what happens when something goes wrong

Not to be difficult — because the answers separate a hobby from a practice:

  • Backup equipment. Is there a second camera body in the bag, or does a failure end the day?
  • Card backup. Are photos written to two memory cards at once, and when do the files get copied off?
  • Illness or emergency. Is there a network of photographers who could step in, and what does the contract say?
  • Weather or a venue change. What's the fallback, and does it cost extra?

Get the paperwork in writing

A written agreement protects both of you. It should be clear about the deposit and what it secures, the balance and when it's due, how many hours are covered, when you'll receive your photos, and — importantly — how your images may be used afterwards.

That last point deserves attention. A photographer using your images for their portfolio is completely normal and usually mutual; what matters is that it's stated plainly and that you can say no. At StefCreated the release is signed online before the session, with usage set out in plain language and private-only options available — you can read the whole policy on the model releases page before you ever book.

Ask about delivery, honestly

"A few weeks" means different things to different studios. Get a number, and check what you actually receive: full-resolution files or web-sized previews? Are the files yours to print? Is the gallery private? For reference, portrait, glamour and boudoir galleries here are typically ready in about two weeks, delivered as full-resolution files through a private online gallery that are yours to keep.

Meet them first — even briefly

This matters more than almost anything else on the list. You'll spend the whole session with this person, often at close range and often doing something that makes you self-conscious. A ten-minute call tells you whether you relax around them, and relaxing is most of what makes photographs look natural.

If the session is a personal one — boudoir, glamour, fine-art — ask specifically how consent and comfort are handled. A good answer is concrete: how boundaries are agreed beforehand, what happens if you change your mind, who else is in the room. A vague answer is an answer too.

Price last, not first

Cheapest and most expensive are equally poor filters. Work out what the session is worth to you, find photographers whose work you'd be happy to hang on a wall, and choose from inside that group. Indicative starting rates here run from R950 for a portrait mini session to R3,200 for boudoir — the full breakdown is on the packages page, and the FAQ covers deposits and how booking works.