It starts with the photographer.
Chain studios will take just about anyone that will pass a background check onto their payroll.
If you go to apply for a position with the chain studio you're looking into you'll see they do not ask for any experience when it comes to photography.
Studio photographers will typically use a generic lens and will have had training on basic background changes and posing.
This leaves the client with the same photos as their neighbors and friends.
I know very well all babies are not alike however, when I visit a friends home and see studio photography I don't take my time to look at the photos only because I feel like looking at those photos "if you've seen one baby photo you've seen them all.
" I really like to walk into a home and know from one photo what that family is into, what their personalities are like and things like that.
Another thing about chain studios, they know you will pay just $5 here and $10 there for more and more photos, by the end of the day you're walking out with $300 worth of photos that everyone else has already seen in their own home, their neighbors, at church, etc.
Custom photography will give your friends and families an idea of your story, some clients will even go as far as revealing the gender of their newest arrival through a photo why? Because it tells their story without words.
Photos are supposed to be a form of entertainment not just something you walk by in the hallway each day.
My business thrives on being different.
Each session is different from the last, after talking to clients over the phone or through e-mail they will give me a good idea of where to place them for their photos, what to recommend as far as clothing and what editing styles to take on.
Custom photographers also take time away from their families to answer any questions you may have at all hours of the night, put wear and tear on their car and most of the time can't even use their trunk or backseat because it's filled with furniture, props, outfits and other nonsense items people just don't understand.
After the shots are taken the editing begins, I prefer to edit each and every photo, sure a lot of them use the same editing styles but I prefer to do each one by hand as if it were the only photo being submitted to the client.
Chain studios batch in the files and edit them all at once with the same techniques.