"Did they go to school?"
If the answer's "yes" then most of the time there's nothing to worry about (notice I said MOST of the time). If the answer's "no" then you need to take into consideration of whether or not they know what they're doing.
Now if they went to school for it then they know everything there is that they need to know about photography, but that doesn't mean they have a knack for it. Photography isn't just about pointing a camera at someone and pushing down on a button and hoping for the best. They have to know their angles, the light setting, shutter speed, their subject has to be in focus, the picture has to look phenomenal and most of all they have to be creative. If you take the time to look through a photographer's work and dissecting every last pixel, finding their flaws, that's just one crucial detail of whether or not that photographer is right for you.
As for the ones who didn't go to school for it, they better be good. They chose to not be educated on their hobby/job whatever it is to them, and that's their right but now there's a point to proven. Not just to themselves but to everyone that they know what they're doing, to get the clients coming in begging for more.
For me personally, it doesn't matter if you went to school for this. I've seen people who went to school for photography, start up their own business and watched it crash and burn into a pile of ashes. Why? Because they didn't have the "eye" or knack for it. Then there's the people who never went to school for it and turned their hobby into a business and business is booming!
"Do they know how to use their camera?"
Seems like a pretty stupid question huh? But it's very important. If a photographer doesn't know how to use their camera in a professional mannerism they need to at least take a small 4 hour class to get educated on their equipment. Seriously, what's the point of buying everything that a photographer needs to start up a business and not know the first thing on how to use any of it?
Now if your photographer is shooting in AUTO, run away. Run as far away from them as possible. They basically took a $600-$8,000 dSLR (digital single lens reflex camera) and turned it into a point and shoot. If you don't know what a point and shoot is:
It's a little hand held camera that keeps everything in focus, no depth of field, no special qualities really except that they're very convenient. That's it.
"Is their Photoshop workflow what I'm looking for as a final product?"
With most professional photographers they will have Photoshop and/or Lightroom. Both of these programs are very difficult to learn, but when used correctly can make a picture stand out above the rest. Many people believe that Photoshop/Lightroom is cheating and it is; but it can put a customer's mind at ease knowing that that zit isn't going to be the family photos or the center of attention.
Pay attention the photographer's usual workflow; meaning more than one photo is similarly edited. But the minute you notice your chosen photographer taking a customer's face and altering it, I wouldn't even bother considering them.
There is such a thing as over editing a photograph: whites of eyes are too white (same with teeth), fake eye colors, heavy makeup, porcelain doll skin (that also means taking away bags under the eyes, it's natural, they have to be there), skin smoothing that makes you look like a water painting, messed up cloning, overly sharpening and major discoloration (i.e., hue and saturation turned up too much making your skin look like you just rolled around in 20 bags of Doritos and neon grass/trees).
Then there's the photographers that buy actions (series of layers applied to a photograph to give it a certain look, most commonly known as "filters") from other famous photographers and don't take the time to learn Photoshop/Lightroom like the photographers that made the actions. These photographers are one of my biggest pet peeves for a few reasons:
1. They think that they're editing is improving because they bought actions from someone else when in actuality it's exactly were they left off at. It's not improving when you don't know WHY you're applying that certain layer.
2. I consider it a cheat, because you're basically paying for this photographer that doesn't know what they're doing in Photoshop/Lightroom.
3. It's just plain lazy.
I know it seems a lot to look for but once you find a photographer that you like, cherish them; they're one in a million for you.
Images found on Google search. I do NOT own these photos, just using them for educational purposes. I Googled bad retouching and overly saturated Photoshop:
"How much is it?"
This seems to be the biggest concern for customers/potential customers, which is understandable; times are hard nowadays but you still want MANY great pictures for a LOW great price. There's no such thing. If you want great quality photographs the price isn't going to be cheap, far from it. You can't expect a photographer that actually does a great job to give it up for free do you? That's like me going to a hairstylist and giving him/her a long list of everything I want done to my hair and having it look absolutely gorgeous and hoping to only pay $10. No such thing right? Well same with photography. You can't expect great things for a small price, so if the price doesn't match what's in your wallet don't complain about it. Either save up or try to find someone else within your price range, can't guarantee that their work will be what you're looking for or up to par.
Most professional photographers, however, do these sessions called "minis". Now what "minis" are are a small session for a small price, which brings in more clientele and faster money. It has a significant smaller amount of photos to be edited and a less amount of time to take them. Many customers like these because they at least get what they pay for, so to speak. Meaning it's not going to take all day to do the session, you get a fair amount of photos edited for the price around your area and it's not going to cost you an arm and a leg to get something tangible in your hands. Here's some examples from other photographers:
https://www.google.com/search?q=mini+session+pricing&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=wbnGUou4NNH3oAS62oHICA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=992#imgdii=_
These are just few of the things to consider when finding a photographer in your area. Always do your research. There's new talent and not so much talent showing up every day; some you may like more than others.
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