Professional photographers are naturally expected to produce professional results but what is a professional result? A lot of people just go on blind faith that anything that a pro photographer puts out is up to the mark.
There are a whole series of things that you should look out for but because I am only revealing one tip at a time then we should start with a really easy one to spot.
When you are looking for a photographer you will more than likely go onto the web to start the hunt. You will visit websites and social media sites and look at different images. It can be taken as read that the photographer will only put their strongest images online to show their professionalism.
So here's a real easy one to look out for. Are the images straight and level? look for fixed objects in the background that should be level such as a door, window, building or even a lake. No one would tolerate a door or window that was off square so why should you accept images that are. The image below is uncomfortable on the eye because water does not sit at this angle which is disturbing.
Some photographers used to use what was called a 'dutch angle' which is an exaggerated camera tilt but this technique has declined in popularity because it was only a fad. Some say rules are meant to be broken and I believe if you are going to break it, then you should go for it so that there is no doubt in the viewer's eye as to what you are doing. Something in between in my eyes can be seen as either a weak effort or more than likely a lack of attention to detail.
If you are someone who always has the urge to fix a wonky picture then you should look for this before its too late. Remember someone will point it out somewhere along the line and then that is all that you will see. Look at the image above again to see what I mean.