Filters Are Not Your Friend


Filters and I sort of have this love-hate relationship. Because you see, while there are uses for them, filters have become an excuse for entrepreneurs to stop investing in professional photography for their business. There is a common belief that you can simply download an app, take a few quick photos with your phone, and apply a filter to them to save yourself time and money on photographs. The problem is there’s a whole lot more to a professional photo session than just clicking a button. The quality, creativity, detail, and consistency that professional photographers bring, you simply cannot get by slapping a filter on a selfie.


Here are two meaningful arguments for why it’s important that as an entrepreneur you are still investing in professional photography for your business:


I can get the same consistency in my photographs using a filter that I will with a professional.


There is more that goes into creating a photograph than just the click of a button. Composition, lighting, posing, angles, location, wardrobe, and camera settings are just some of the tools photographers use to create an image. And every photographer has their own style when it comes to how the use each of these techniques. If just one of these elements change, the photograph can have an entirely different feel and mood. If you don’t understand how to use these tools properly, then trying to capture a set of images that is consistent in style will be almost impossible no matter how great, or how many filters you use.



I don’t need someone else. My phone takes photos that are “good enough”.


Sure, you may take great selfies! I’ll give you that one. Or maybe some of your phone photos have been good enough for a quick Instagram post. I’ll let you have that one too. ;-) But here’s the thing… the reason that you hire a professional photographer is not only for the quality of their images, but also for their ability to capture YOU in an image. The lens is a photographers creative tool. And the way that a photographer sees you through their lens is different than the way you see yourself.

Almost everyone I know hates the idea of being in front of the camera. It’s a scary and vulnerable place to be. So in order for a photographer to take truly great images, they have to have the skills to make their clients comfortable, relaxed, and confident enough to be themselves during a photo session. It’s one of the most exhilarating, and also most challenging, parts of the job. Being able to see your clients for who they truly are. And to create a series of images that represents that is no easy task. You not only need to have the right technical skills, but also need to be able to anticipate the proper moments before they happen.


No filter can capture the expression, mood, and feeling of a photograph that a professional photographer can. No filter can anticipate a moment. No filter can creatively compose an image and communicate with your client, what you do and why you do it. No filter can offer you the artistic vision that goes into developing a cohesive set of images. No filter can see the real you.

Although filters have their place, they are not an excuse for entrepreneurs to stop investing in a professional photographer for their business. Filters are not the answer.

♥ Mandi A.