The Three Ways You Could be Insulting Your Photographer

As a photographer, I take great pride in my work. I spend hours, sometimes days, just trying to learn how to make my photos better. I’m not the only one either, I have several photographer friends who probably spend wayyy more time working on their stuff then I do. I know several people who put out absolutely fabulous stuff, like a chef's kiss kinda work. Most photographers are a one man band. We take the photos, we edit them, we are our own social media manager, we do our own marketing, we literally have to do all this work ourselves which can be overwhelming. With all this work we put in the last thing we want is for a client to be unhappy! So if our client is happy with their photos why aren't they showing them off on social media? Why aren't they trying to help spread your name? Are you actually insulting your photographer by not showing them appreciation? I’ll share with you the three ways you could be insulting a photographer and what you can do to be better towards them!

1. EDITING THEIR PHOTOS

This should not come as a surprise. If you are paying someone to photograph you, then you're paying them to edit the photos as well. Most photographers can spend hours just editing one photo, all to have you put a dumb Instagram filter on it. We don't just spend hours a day looking at your face just to be thwarted by a poorly used filter and vignette. You didn't pay us to do all that work for nothing...or did you? Here's the thing, as photographers our work reflects us as a business (obviously). So if you're taking a photo that your photographer took and edit the crap out of it yourself, then people will think that your photographer was responsible for your poor editing choices. “But Amber couldn't they just go look at your photos on your website?” Yes, yes they could but they probably won't because people tend to be a bit lazy.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO INSTEAD?

Before your photographer posts any pictures simply ask them to see how their aesthetic is. If you are not a fan of what they have done so far, just tell them! Listen, photographers are not as sensitive as you think. We want your feedback, we want to know if you like the way it looks or if we need to change it. Do not be afraid to ask your photographer if they could maybe try something else. I promise you, we would rather spend a few extra hours trying to fix the solution, instead of seeing you adding filters to your photos.

1. NOT PAYING THEM WHAT THEY’RE WORTH

Many photographers have a set price for their sessions. Prices can vary with experience, clientele, etc. So don't be surprised if one person charges you $50 vs $600 and up. For some photographers, photography is their main source of income, meaning that they may charge more than someone who might have a full time job elsewhere. Like I said earlier, most photographers are literally doing all the work on their own, so they should be compensated accordingly. There is a HUGE difference from choosing a professional photographer vs. your aunt Susan who got a digital camera for Christmas. Sure she might not charge you, but are the photos really going to turn out well? Yea, i didn't think so.

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU BE PAYING THEM?

Honestly, even if your photographer is just starting out, pay them slightly more than what they asked for. If your photographer only charges you $60 give them $80, you could consider it a tip for their time. If you're getting married, you should definitely be paying them more than $100, especially if they are there all day. The only exception to this is if the photographer tells you themselves that you don't have to pay because they could be trying to build their portfolio, or just trying to experiment with new things. All in all, just dont be cheap, cheap doesn't always mean better. Sometimes you gotta spend a little to have a great outcome, it's like buying products at the store. You wouldn’t buy a $20 camera and expect it to have the same features and quality as a $1,000 camera. So keep that in mind when you're choosing and paying a photographer.

1. NOT SHOWING OFF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

Personally, I love it when my clients share my photos on their social media. It makes me feel like I did something right. Showing them off is also a great way to help build a clientele. When your friends and family see how cute your photos are it makes them more likely to look into using that photographer. Now listen, it's one thing if you just don't do social media, it's another if you just don't like the photos at all. We as photographers thrive off of social media, we thrive off networking. When you don’t even share that your photographer took your photos it may make them feel insecure about their work. Did we really do a good job? Do you not like your photos? There are endless possibilities to how we feel when we don't at least get some kind of recognition.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER FEEL VALUED

Maybe you’re not one for social media, and that's fine, but you should always be gracious enough to share with people who your photographer is, maybe even share their page/name on your Facebook. If you didn't care too much for your photographer's work, then just tell us. We would rather know if you didn't like our work instead of us just trying to guess. Regardless of how you feel about your photos you should never lie to your photographer. You don't have to tiptoe around our feelings, we’re perfectly capable of handling your criticism and if your photographer isn't accepting of your criticism then maybe they weren't the right photographer for you. No matter if it's their first photo shoot or their one thousandth photo shoot, always make sure you make your photographer feel important. They have, hopefully, worked very hard on your photos, so let them know how much you appreciate them.

All in all, just be a good decent human being. Don't be cheap and rude. Be understanding. Be clear and concise about what you want. Don't be afraid to be honest.

Love, your friendly neighborhood photographer.