I remember having a conversation with my sister, and I was pointing out the fact that I love dramatic portraiture. However, she couldn’t understand that people would pay for portraits, because today “anyone can take photos with their smartphone.”

So I decided to reach out to people like her - who are skeptical as to the reasons one should work with a professional photographer, spend money towards portraits, and why we are as “expensive.”

First of all, professional photography is always more than simple images, they are memories, a celebration of time, and in my case, a way to immortalise, intemporality. I often say it, but art - and therefore photography - outlives us. It is something that will forever be set in time. And as opposed to the photographs taken with your best friend’s smartphone, this art isn’t meant to be stuck on some USB device or Instagram feed, never to be seen again. Those photographs are your heritage, which the next generations will try and unearth. That is where the value of a portrait lies, and it is also the first reason to invest.

But there’s more.

As adults, we understand that the things we value can cost money. And they are the things we are willing to spend money for.

When we like to travel, or read, or go on an adventure, we don’t hesitate to spend money.

As humans, we spend money towards things we love, and the opposite is true too: the things we spend money on, are the things that we end up valuing.

When you invest in portraits for your career or business, whichever niche you’re in, you are letting your audience or clients know that your business, your image, are important. That you have a professional vision and that it deserves the value it is given.

It is the same mechanism for individual personal portraits. We all struggle, some more than others, with the image we see of ourselves on videos or images, but it is our job as professional photographers to make you feel good about yourself. To make you realise that the best time to be photographed is now - not in one or two years - that you are already and always the best version of yourself.

As a photographer mostly working B2B (business 2 business) with artists, comedians, agencies, etc - I can only insist on the fact that you are the image of your career, and it should be the best. Your photographs should represent and be in lined with the brand you want people to see. That is what sets you apart from the competition: you can have regular headshots, or you can invest in unique portraits and stand out from the crowd. It is an investment in your career or business and it’s always the right thing to do.