I LOVE being a photographer. If you read my initial blog post ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ you will know it’s my dream job. I love the creativity, I love being outdoors, I love venturing to new places, and I love my clients. Over the years I’ve had some amazing requests from clients. I’ve also had a few that have been difficult or impossible to execute for various reasons. These are the ones I wanted to write as a fun blog topic as a way of letting potential clients know why I can’t always execute every request. Let’s call it ‘Things To Consider Avoiding During Your Photoshoot’. This blog post honors all those that have said, or done the following.
‘Let’s Do This Thing I Saw Online’
I never shun clients who want to provide me with any ideas they may have seen online, whether it’s from another photography website or one of my previous photoshoots. I like that they are proactively considering their shoot and what they envisage it will look like. Personally, I’m happy to create something they want providing it’s within my scope and aesthetic; however, the result will almost certainly not be 100% the same as what they have seen online. This is because they are different – their personality is different, they take direction differently to other clients, their look is different, the setting, time of day and location is different. If you want me to recreate something identical to Pinterest, it’s nigh-impossible due to these factors. Some photographers, including myself, will be happy to take your request and put our own creative spin on it. Some photographers will not. We each have our own style and do not like to copy other photographers. If this is a ‘make or break’ decision for you, you will need to ask your photographer if this is something they will consider before booking them.
The Dreaded Cell Phone User
This topic I covered in a previous blog post here, but I feel it’s too important to miss the opportunity to shout it from the rooftops again. As a paid professional photographer, having photographs ruined by family and guests standing on chairs, tip-toes, and anything else they can find to take that image of you both walking down the aisle or strutting a well-choreographed pose on the dance-floor is a common occurrence. I photographed a wedding a few weekends ago and after getting the bride and groom to pose at the alter, there were at least 30 guests next to me and in front of me with their cell phones wanting to take the same picture. I couldn’t breathe! This meant that the bride and groom were not always looking at my camera, but also that of the gazillion cell phones held aloft. Not ideal for those perfect photographs. I always ask my clients if they can consider asking for an ‘unplugged’ session, where guests and family members leave their cell phones tucked in their bags.
Late Shows
I confirm timings of my photoshoots to my clients as soon as they book with me. I confirm the details with them a week or so before the shoot, and again day of. My confirmation emails and my written contract both ask clients to not be late. I choose the times of the shoots to benefit from the best natural lighting. If you are late, it means we get less session-time meaning less images, it can also make you (and me) a little stressed and rushed, and it also means we may miss some of the perfect lighting us photographers crave for. We all know Florida traffic is horrendous any time of day so it’s definitely worth giving yourself extra time to arrive at your destination earlier than planned. That way, your’re chilled out and ready to go!
‘You Must Have A Great Camera’
I spend countless hours improving my skills from mastering light to understanding the technical aspects of my chosen vice. I studied hard, graduated and received excellent mentoring in photography, and yes, I have amazing equipment, but I know how to use it. I know how to direct people to ensure I maximize the best lighting possible, consider framing, background, depth of field and many other considerations. Photography is far more than just a great camera. This isn’t a major point, but it just makes me smile when people think I just ‘point and shoot’!
‘Can I Have The RAW Photographs Too?’
This has only happened to me once and it’s a totally reasonable request, but just so you know most photographers, including myself, will never offer you the RAW files. These are unedited files and it’s important to let you know why I won’t release them. As a photographer, it’s my job to supply you with the ‘best of the best’. You pay for the final product, so the images I supply on your gallery are the edited version; color-corrected where necessary, background distractions removed. It has been known that some photographers have provided RAW files to their clients which resulted in brand damage where their client decided to edit the images themselves, tagging them into their result. I’m not saying this happens often, but it’s something I want to totally avoid.
‘Can You Photoshop That?’
It’s worth a try asking a photographer that question. We’ve all seen photos of ourselves that we don’t like; maybe we want whiter teeth, or you’ve had a late night and want the dark rings under your eyes removed. These are all possible in editing, and I can do this for you, but you must budget for this and check if your photographer offers this service. Edits take time and expertise. If it’s just a distraction in the background you want removed that’s easy enough and depending on what it is, it can only be a matter or a minute or so to remove, but for personal touches on EACH image, unfortunately that is not included in my quote. Something to bear in mind.
‘Can You Make Me Look Thinner?’
See point above…
‘I Want My Photoshoot At Noon’
As mentioned before, I try and choose the session timings based on the best lighting available. When I speak to clients who only want their session at noon, a little piece of me dies. I explain why organizing a session early morning or an hour before sunset is the best time due to the ‘Golden Hour’. However, some clients may only be available certain times of the day due to personal and / or work commitments. Noon is a difficult time of day due to the sun being high and the lighting being harsh, but I’ll always make sure we find some good shade where possible.
And Suddenly, There were Ten…
I have different session packages available for the style of shoots I offer. Photographing a family session is different from a maternity session. I prep my clients differently, I choose different locations for them, I recommend a different wardrobe, the poses are different, and the pricing is different. I booked a maternity session a while back where the expectant mother brought her whole family with her asking if I can do a family session as well as her maternity images. I would strongly recommend if this is something you want to organize on the same day, please brief your photographer beforehand. It just means that your photographer can prepare the session accordingly and consider everything from location choice through to potential props and lighting.
Hopefully this has been a light-hearted read with a few things to consider along the way. I want to ensure you get the best photoshoot possible, and a few of these anecdotes may help you when planning and booking your next session.