Hiring the wrong photographer isn’t just wasting money — it’s wasting time and ending up with images you can’t use. Here’s what sets a commercial photographer apart and what you should ask before deciding.

Commercial photography ≠ event photography

A wedding or event photographer captures moments that happen only once. A commercial photographer builds images that have to perform: on Google, on Instagram, on the website, on a printed menu.

They are different disciplines with different objectives. The pretty Instagram portfolio of a wedding photographer tells you nothing about whether their photos sell restaurants or properties.

What their portfolio should include

Before hiring, ask to see work specifically from the sector you care about:

  • If you run a restaurant: ask for food and hospitality atmosphere photos
  • If you sell properties: ask for real estate interiors and exteriors
  • If it’s for your Google listing: ask to see business listings they’ve worked on

A generalist portfolio can hide a lack of experience in what you actually need.

Key questions before hiring

How long is the turnaround? For social or Google Business use, you need photos in days, not weeks. More than 10 working days for a standard commercial session is a lot.

What does the price include? Session hours, number of edited photos, usage rights, delivery formats — all of it should be in writing before you start.

Do they know the area? In South Tenerife, light changes a lot depending on the time of day and the orientation of the premises. A photographer who knows the area knows exactly when to shoot each kind of space.

Do they have experience with your kind of business? Shooting a luxury villa in Costa Adeje requires a different approach from shooting a bar terrace in Los Cristianos. Sector-specific experience shows in the result.

Delivery matters as much as the session

Unedited photos are useless. Ask about their editing process: light correction, colour grading, consistency across images. And ask which formats they deliver — you need web versions (lightweight) and print versions (high resolution) if you’ll use the photos on different channels.

If you want to know whether we’re a fit for what you need, tell us about your project. We respond the same day.