If you have ever worked in a service industry, you have probably had at least one customer who said something that just rubbed you the wrong way. Usually the remark is benign, but sometimes it just sticks with you, and may even be a complete misconception of the service you give. The photography industry is no different than any other service industry in that respect. Here is a list of some of the things photographers hear and why these things bother them so much.
1.) I have a friend who takes pictures.
Lots of people take pictures. I have seen work by amateur photographers that is sometimes better than those produced by people who call themselves professionals. No disparagement to your friend, but have they sought out an education in photography? Have they really tried to learn their craft? Or is it the case that my work sucks so bad that I am being compared to someone who has no clue what they are doing? It doesn’t bother photographers that you have hired a professional who knows what they are doing, but it really bothers us when you are getting cheated out of your money by receiving a poor product.
2.) You will get lots of exposure by doing this.
If it was easy to just shoot an event or a session and have more sessions come from it, everyone would be successful photographers. However, this is not the case. While we don’t mind doing a certain amount of trade work, we still have to eat and pay our bills.
3.) I have a budget.
Yes. Everyone does. We totally understand that we may be more expensive than you can afford. It happens. We would love to drive a Porsche, but it isn’t in our budgets either. It takes a lot of work to take a great picture. While we will try to be as flexible as possible, we still have to make a living and pay for the equipment to do what we love.
4.) Can I just get all the photos on a disc.
Sure, but it is going to cost you more than a print may cost. We work really hard to produce a quality image, and while the cost of the disc is not very much, we know that it will not lead to future print sales. We also know that it will lead to printing on an inferior printer. This means that our name a reputation will be riding on how well a cheap printer printed our image. That raises a risk of loss of business from referrals.
5.) You don’t need to edit them.
This is closely related to number four. In all likelihood, we showed samples of our work before we booked a session. If I don’t edit the photos, that makes us look bad. Yes it is more work on our part, but we do it because we really do want to produce a great product and make people look their best.
6.) Can you make it selective color?
Sure. In fifteen years are you going to be proud to look back on that photo and say “Oh my God, that was so 2001.” Trends come and go, and making all but part of an image black and white is one of those trends. It may have its place has part of artistic expression, but most likely is best in very limited circumstances. Consider the possibility that the photo may not be that good in composition and only draws attention because of this trick.
7.) Can you make them all black and white?
We most certainly can, however, not every image looks good in black and white. It is akin to asking a chef to season every dish with crushed red pepper. There are just times when it doesn’t work.
8.) Here are the photos I saw on Pintrest, can you make it just like this?
We have a love/hate relationship with Pintrest. On the one hand, we love some of the unique ideas we can get from it. Seeing the work of other professional photographers can help get our creative juices going. However, it is wrong to copy the work of another person and claim it as our own. When we are asked to reproduce another photographer we are: 1.) committing a copyright violation and 2.) not able to express our own creativity. It is just fine to say I would like this style or theme, but that is as far as it should go.
9.) I don’t look good in pictures.
Most times people look bad in photos because the photographer did not do the job of making you look good. Closely tied to this is the insecurity women have because of the images fashion magazines and media bombard us with on a daily basis. It is our job to make you look good no matter what your shape or age.
10.) I don’t have a nice camera like you to take great pictures. (Your Camera takes good photos).
This comment assumes that the camera does all of the work to take the picture. The person holding the camera is the one whom decides what to point it at, when to push the shutter release, and how to compose the shot. We love our expensive equipment because it makes our job easier, not because it does our job for us. A great example of this is the world renowned photographer, Jerry Ghionis, who shot a wedding solely with his iPhone.
11.) I’ll print them at Costco, Walmart, Walgreen’s, etc..
The person working behind the counter at any of the local shops needs to be trained in color calibration beyond just printing vacation snapshots. All of these places are great if all that is being printed is 4×6 prints from a trip to Hawaii, but the color can vary from one photo to the next. If you want to see an example of this, take the exact same photo to three different places and then compare how they print. Some will be green or red, and some might even be to dark or to light. Inconsistency is not acceptable from a quality perspective. We pay more money to have our photos printed by people who care as much about printing as we do about capturing images.
12.) Come to the event and feel free to bring your camera too.
This one really should be restated as “I want you to work for me for free.” If you know a professional photographer, it is important to remember that taking pictures is how they make a living, not a hobby.
13.) Can you add this Instagram filter?
No. Photographers pay a lot of money for equipment to capture great images. While phone cameras are getting better, they are not at the caliber of professional cameras. To top it off, unless the photographer is known for using Instagram filters, it doesn’t fit the photographers style.
14.) Can we see all the rejects too?
There are times when the shutter gets pressed on purpose or accidentally and the image is not the best. Asking for rejected photos is like getting the best steak and asking for the fat that was trimmed off. This again leads to a ruined reputation for the photographer.
15.) “Big Box Portrait” is cheaper.
When the final bill is added, it will probably be close to the same amount. More than that, professionals work hard to produce art as much as they produce a product. The experience will be dramatically different. Any big box store that has and automotive department can work on your car, but if you want custom work, a specialty shop is really the place to go.