Thing You Should NEVER Tell a Photographer
Cameras, cocktails and lemonade in a bar in Havana.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
Throughout my life as a photographer, from the time I was merely an enthusiast doing professional work, to this date, I have always come across people who have made comments or requests that are out of line. The trend has not changed, and as I got to talk more to some photographers and follow others online, I have realized that the problem was not exclusive of me. Instead, we all suffer it one way or another.
The worst or most interesting part is that this kind of behavior has even led to many lens professionals posting memes online, making comments about things that happened to them, and sharing their experiences. In many ways, and even when many of these things have not happened to me specifically, I have felt reflected in them.
The truth is that most people believe that because photographers are passionate about their craft (and photography is also a hobby), there is no effort involved in the work. Moreover, they also believe that the only thing that costs money for a photographer is their gear, and that such gear is everlasting as long as it doesn’t fall on the ground and break.
So, I have compiled my own list of things I believe you should never tell a photographer, unless you want to sound disrespectful:
Does your camera take good photos? No, it doesn’t. We do. Our camera is just a tool, and it can help us with image quality and resolution, but not with angle, composition or how we time our shot. Obviously, the better the camera, the easier and more comfortable it is for us to capture the images. More importantly, the camera can be the best, but it will not do so well with a mediocre lens.
I would take good photos if I had your camera. Maybe… but most likely not. Again, we are responsible for everything before and after pressing the shutter. And sometimes we also mess up.
Can I get the RAW files? Er… ABSOLUTELY NOT. The RAW files are our property. We as the person who own the camera and press the shutter are the legal owner of the image copyright. You will get the jpeg file and in some cases even the tiff file if we decide to do so and agree beforehand. But you will neither get the RAW files nor the totality of the photos that we take.
Can I get my pictures tomorrow? We do not think so. We, again, will have to take time selecting and editing, and we have been walking around taking your pictures for one or two hours. We love our job, but it is exhausting. Unless it is a media assignment, which involves very little editing due to media photography rules, and which demands us to deliver as soon as possible, there is no way the pictures will be ready tomorrow.
Why are you so expensive? Where should we start? You are not paying for the photo. You are paying for the use of our gear, for our time of preparation, for our time editing the photos. The software we use for delivering really good photos also comes with a price, and we take many more photos than the ones you will receive. So, we have to take our time to select the best ones, edit them and deliver them to you.
I know someone who charges less than you. Well, then why are we talking? Go to that someone and leave us alone. Most of us charge prices that are very close to others, so if someone doesn’t charge you what we do, there might be a number of reasons: they are a beginner, they are not good, or they are just trying to grow their businesses.
Can you give me a discount? Not at all. When we set up a price, it is a price that is going to be the fair price for our effort and for us to make a profit. We try to set prices that are fair to our customers, and we also offer our customers discounts gift cards based on the situation. We, whether as business owners or contractors, pay taxes as well.
Can I pay you half price for my event because you will have the opportunity to meet people and grow your business? That is extremely disrespectful. Sometimes we go to an event and we go around 200 or 400 people. They are there not to meet a photographer, but to go about their business. We can leave the event with zero connections, because sometimes we go by as invisible. If you are paying between $50 to $200 dollars per hour to a DJ, you can definitely afford us, mainly if you are looking to use our work as promotion for your business. We don’t like to break even.
Would you like to cover this event for free in exchange for exposure? Definitely not. Exposure in an event can be great or inexistent. You cannot expect us to be willing to put our gear and talent at your disposal for just being exposed. You are openly offer us to work for free for you while you make money. As a school teacher, I have offered my camera to help the school in both academic, sports or artistic events, but that has been MY choice and MY offer, and I have done it with pleasure.
What instagram filter would you think will look better? Please, don’t. We took time and dedication to edit your photos to try to make it good for your liking. Posting them with a filter is simply destroying our work.
My cousin will be in the party also, taking pictures with his/her phone? Well, then your cousin will have to produce the high-quality photos that we can deliver and our contract will be void. If there is something we dislike as photographers is the fact that we have to dribble around phone-wielding people in an event to do the job we have been hired for or assigned to.
Can you do a video of our event? Well, if our website says we do, then the question is unnecessary. If our website says we don’t, it is unnecessary too. If we offer videos in our package, then we do video. Video has become a thing now, but if our tagline does not say “Photographer & Videographer” we don’t do it.
Please make me look good. Well, that depends not only on us, but also on you. If you make a good connection with us, and you follow our instructions (or those of our art director if we have one), chances are we will make compelling and beautiful captures of you. It would be constructive to answer all of our questions before the shoot so we know how to better angle you in a way that you are satisfied with the results.
Can I borrow your camera? Please… don’t even think of going there. We photographers take very good care of our very expensive gear, to the point that we are reluctant to let even other fellow professionals to use it.
My phone camera has more quality than your camera. Most of us don’t even flinch at this one. We will simply choose not to engage in such type of discussions. If phones had better quality, then why do most of us continue to buy gear? More importantly: why do the great manufacturers continue to make new cameras and lenses, sell them at such high prices and be sold out? Again, after hearing such a comment, we don’t even respond.
Can I print the photos on Walmart/ CVS/ Walgreens? No. Some of us may have printed photos in all of those services but we strongly recommend you either print with us or with the services that we recommend. If you choose to ignore our recommendation, do it at your own risk. You may be lucky, but you may not.
