I am baffled at the fact that professional photographers are charging more, than the top rated providers. I personally do not care to pay for over photoshopped images that are not a good representation of the person. I know the photos are used as bait to get you to book a date, but is it worth it?  Let me know your thoughts. Investing thousands on a photo shoot with a professional photographer…

I have always felt a good mix of professional shots, phone pics and selfies were the way to go. Virtually every top provider will get professional pics every few years at least, and many of them will get 2 shots per year, sometimes more. If you are using a photog who over photoshops, ask him or her to tone that down or get a different photog.  
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I do agree the photos should be a decent representative of the provider in person.

Personally, I prefer selfies and non-posed pictures. In my experience they give me a much truer representation of the lady I will meet. By contrast, professional photos with their filters and photoshop and digital modification usually look glamorous but rarely depict the true essence of the lady I will meet for an appointment.  
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And I especially hate photos where tattoos have been digitized out of the picture. If I'm going to meet a lady with a bunch of body art I'd like to know that because to me it's distracting and not my flavor. I've even walked out of a few appointments where the lady's pictures depicted clear, beautiful skin but when I arrived she was all tatted up.
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Early in my hobby career/experience, a much older gent told me something that has almost universally been proven true. He said "An escort's ad photos are the best she'll ever look. Professional make-up, hair, wardrobe, setting, lighting and photographer. They spend hours getting ready for that photoshoot. Don't expect the same appearance when you schedule a date for an hour or two." It was great advice.

for the Fantasy, not the reality.  I fully understand the miracles that can be performed with professional makeup, but that is how providers usually appear for the session, so it's still in line with the fantasy.  With that said, I want to see their best presentation that is ACCURATE as far as body proportions.  Too much photo shopping by chubby girls will result in a shortened session and an honest review about the deception.    From what I have seen of your photos, I give you kudos for not trying to mislead potential customers on what to expect when reality and fantasy meet.  

When I interview for a job I wear expensive shoes and an expensive suit. I bring my resume printed out on cotton resume paper. I have a professional headshot for my LinkedIn. None of these things have anything to do with my ability to do my job but I do it anyway. I make myself look like a professional because I want to get paid like one.  

A friend had a son who published a book a while back and a professional photographer was supposedly a "friend" who would give a great deal.  

Getting professional shots tells her potential clients she is a professional and takes her craft seriously. Most providers want to appeal to a large spectrum of guys and one way to do that is by having different types of photos and by using different type of cameras.  
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I see girls typically, but not exclusively, at or near the upper end of the price chart. Those women, by and large, can look like the professional photos they show online. For those, pro shots greatly enhance their appeal, the number of date requests and thus their profitability. It would make zero sense for the vast majority of women in this line of work to rid themselves of professional photos or to never get them in the first place.

…take their business seriously and invest in it.  This includes having P411, having TER reviews, a professional and easy to navigate website - with professional photography that is updated at least every two years.  I also like to see selfies on social media that give a more candid view of their day to day.  

I do appreciate selfies and candid photos because they are slightly harder to fake and manipulate. They can use IG filters on their face but it will still give an accurate representation of their body. There is no guarantee that professional photos are up to date and I've noticed that some aging escorts have stopped updating their portfolio. Best case I would have both. I prefer the ad to mostly be professional photos and I use social media to check for selfies/candids. I also like to take a look at the OF if I'm on the fence and the girl has one. It can be hard to hide on that website. I've saved a lot of money just plucking down $5-$15 and seeing the truth.  

I posted a pic in one of my ads a few years ago of me wearing a pink stocking cap, no makeup, and I was wearing my Carhart bibs as I was just on my way out to clean my chicken coop. It was more of a joke than anything, but I honestly received by far the most responses and bookings from that pic that I have ever received from any sexy professional pics. The pic was kind of cute, but I think more than anything it showed my true personality that at times gets lost in professional shoots. Pro shoot or not if the pics do not really reflect the person that you are I think you are going to just get lost in the whore matrix and are just another pretty face.

I guess it makes sense since your job is to raise peckers.

HA!!! Love it!!!!

But you are right that photo shopped, heavily airbrushed or otherwise misleading photos do no one any good. Nor do I need 30 pictures of a lady in 10 different outfits, sprawled across a Ferrari or lounging in an expensive hotel room. I should have a very good sense of what you look like in 5-10 well done photos.  

Not all pro photos are photoshopped.
I had 2 x sessions with Santillo specifically because his photos were good and he would use lighting and poses to get great pics without having to photoshop.  
I had one session with a female photographer and she was lovely but she edited the shit out of them and I didn’t care for or use them.  She just wasn’t as good at getting the best out of her subjects and relied heavily on editing tools to do the job for her.  
My most liked pic ever was not photoshopped either.  
So again, not all expensive photographers photoshop the shit out of pics…but I willl say my experience with male
Photographers yielded better results than the ones with women  

I know a lot do, and then there's the AI generated photos that barely resemble the person.  I have one female photographer that I'll spend almost 1.5K or slightly more for. I've done it twice. The rest of the time I'll spend closer to $800 per shoot.

Agreed regarding the variance in editing/photoshop.  I just did a photo shoot and I was sore the next day because it was a workout!  The photographer I use doesn’t do much editing but instead relies on lighting and poses to capture the most flattering images.  I’m just going to say that I no longer think being a model is easy work!

Here is an idea.

I think professional photos have there place. But if you have a friend with a good camera (or a good phone) they can probably do a decent job.

...When I see professional photographs in your gallery it tells me that you were willing to make an investment in yourself that should pay dividends.  Others have expressed the same thoughts in different words.  I also enjoy seeing the impromptu, unplanned goofy selfie where you share a little of the non-serious side of your personality.  Others have alluded to that also.
Now, as a professional photographer I have some other thoughts too.  A good professional photographer will know how to display your stronger attributes and trim your hips just by changing the camera angle and aiming the light in front of you rather than at you.  They can contour your face without a computer.  They should be able to make you look the best that you can without delivering a bunch of "over photoshopped images that are not a good representation of the person."   Photoshop should be used to enhance a photograph, not repair it.  Now I am guilty of one sneaky trick for all those ladies that say, "I just don't look good in photographs."   I learned this back in the film days, and as long as nothing in the wardrobe or background gives it away, have all the photos printed backwards, because that's how she's used to seeing herself in the mirror.
I realize this isn't a photography forum, and I'm sorry for digressing like a politician.  I'm trying very hard not to jump into the models with tattoos discussion, and I'll save "Lawyers with Nikons" for another day.  So that's one "yes" vote for professional photographs.

I truly appreciate this candor and feedback. Professional photographers have told me they edit out the curve in an elbow, which is apparently the standard, so much to the original posters point they often don't make a great representation of the individual or make her look so "flawless" shes not a human, who doesn't have elbows?  its mind boggling

great suggestion

I don't think many women would want to give a stranger carte blanche to take their photos and use them for anything and everything. Many women blur their faces and wouldn't want even those pictures floating around.  

Top-rated providers run from under $300/hr (incredibly true!) to over $1000/hr.  

I am very fortunate I found someone here on TER. All my posting pays off. 🤞 I make friends for life. Smile for me! 😀 I have a photo shoot booked for tomorrow in Scottsdale & I have high hopes. I just relocated to a new state it’s been interesting. Life. I take new photos daily, but there is only, so much you can do with a cell phone. 📱 It appears to work wonders for supplementing my income as a content creator lol & allows me to work remotely. I love the Art of Photography!

Many of those photos are photoshopped and not a true representation of the person you will meet. As I always said, people aged, so take good  care of yourself and post honest basic photos of yourself.  I care about service and and attitude more  rather than some illusion ,fantasy or false expectation of someone .