1. “Nice pictures. You must have a great camera.”
This is the grand daddy of all of them! I have heard this so many times that it makes me cringe. People assume that a good camera takes a good photo. Really? Would you tell the chef in a restaurant, “Wow, that meal was delicious, you must have really good pots and pans?” It is our job to remind people that cameras are our tools from which we create art. It is also our responsibility to control that camera to create amazing images, to prove our point. People ask me why I share my techniques on my blog. I share them for two reasons. First, I believe in teaching others like my mentors have taught me. Secondly, when I explain the thought process behind an image, and describe the settings that I chose for that shot, it helps my clients (who do read my blog) further understand that I am creating the photo, not the camera.
2/ “We would hire you but our friend has a DSLR and he/she can shoot it…..”
I am sure that every event photographer has heard this countless times. This goes right back to my first point. Just because they have a DSLR, does not make them qualified to shoot your event. Now when people say this to me, I actually smile at them, pause for a couple of seconds, and then try to explain the challenges of good photography. But, I do so in a couple of seconds. If they seem to understand my reasoning, then I will continue talking to them. If not, I end the conversation immediately since there is no reason to continue talking with them. (And then I walk away, cringing at the thought of a novice trying to shoot the first dance in a very dark room with no knowledge of how to use their camera or flash.)
3/ “Can’t you just give me your unedited images, that’d be easier right!”
I know that some photographers have no problem in giving away their unedited images, but I refuse to do so. Why? Because I feel that these images are only half done. When a client gets my finished products, I want them to be perfect. Those images represent me and my brand. It is true that it would be very easy to burn a CD and hand it over to my clients. But this also means that they have images, which they are going to show to all their friends and family, that do not show my best work. Would Mercedes or BMW sell an automobile that is half built? No way!
4/ “Do you mind if our friend shoots too?”
This is a tough one. I have had clients ask me this question, and although I am not happy about it, I usually end up agreeing to this (with some words of warning). I have seen this situation go two ways. First, the friend is respectful of my work and makes sure not to interfere with me and my shots. Then there is the second scenario where the friend (or family member in this case) followed me everywhere and tried to capture images of the same groups that I had posed. This is really irritating because it means that I end up with photos with half of the people looking at the wrong camera. Ughhh.
5/ “Can you shoot my wedding? It’s outside at 12.30pm.”
This one always gets me. Yeah, I know…people are going to plan their weddings whenever they want, and as professional photographers we are trained to handle any situation, but it still pains me to think of the potential shadow and light mixture that I could be fighting against. Can’t we just make a national law against early afternoon outdoor weddings? Enough said!
Runners Up
“You got great images, you got lucky!”
“Can you remove the wrinkles, bags and fix my hair in every image?”
“I saw you shoot thousands of images but I only see 400 on our gallery, can we see the rest?”
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by strikingimages
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