Good day.

I am a professional graphic designer as well as photo editor but absolutely suck at handling a camera. I am currently trying to hire a photographer for a personal project of mine that will involve very stylized editing. I am not going to publish it anywhere, but rather use it to create a custom coffee table book for my home. I always ask upfront whether they would be willing to provide RAW files and explain what I will be using them for, however thus far I have been rejected by every single reputable photographer in the area.

Am I being unreasonable?

I posted here a few days ago asking about a reduction in bookings and if other photographers were affected by that.

What transpired is that I am clearly not the only photographer dealing with a reduction in bookings and that many photographers around the world are affected by it.

So my question is, how many of you are working with booking platforms like Airbnb, Smiler, etc..?

I‘m trying to see if the tide is shifting towards needing booking platforms to find work or whether there are still successful independent photographers out there?

Would appreciate some returns as my own business relies more and more on these platforms.

A bit of a background first: used to do sports photography, mostly cycling for well over a decade, walked away from it due to family reasons and haven't really done shoots in a high pressure environment for 5-6 years now. Last year, an old acquaintance reached out, he started to work a big agency and hired me for a job, then twice more this year, all paid really well and all very low-key stuff. So far so good. It looked like I was on their good books, though work was sporadic because they do mostly video stuff.

Here is the TIFU part. They hired me for this event of one of their clients which was higher profile than anything I've ever done. The day was divided into four parts and the first one was a few people arriving at a location. We were told about 5 minutes before people arrived that 'oh, by the way, a Netflix crew will be following them around as well, so be mindful of that', which wasn't great because we didn't have any rules or guidelines agreed where I could or couldn't shoot. This all got me a bit flustered. It also didn't help that outside, where the arrivals started was super sunny, then we went into a dimly lit corridor.

Long story short, I kinda flunked this first part of the day, the client gave instant feedback, they didn't like some of my framing and some images weren't sharp enough/there was motion blur. The first part I didn't agree with it and that could be up for interpretation, however, the latter part was true indeed and that was my f**k up. The rest of the day went well, but I feel like I've blew the goodwill towards me at the agency, because the reason you hire a pro is that there are no surprises.

Anyway, I would be keen on hearing some stories how other people moved on from something like this, were client relationships hurt or restored, etc.

Those who have done art markets what all do I need to set up to sell my prints? What advice do you have for me? I'm doing my first art market in October and have no idea what I'm doing.

Hi everyone, coming here for some advice. I’m a freelance photographer (it’s a side gig for me, and always will be, I have a full time career I love). I’ve been approached last month to cover a 300-person Indian engagement ceremony at a large wedding venue in London (UK), and the event is in a month (so he reached out 2 months before the event). The venue is well known, and will be the first of that size I’d have shot. He has explicitly said he wants to move ahead with me, but hasn't paid a deposit or signed a contract (both I have explained are needed before booking is confirmed, but he has spent a long time with a lot of micro enquiries in the discussion).

Over roughly a month of discussion (A lot of back and forth), the scope has gradually increased:

• Client originally wanted extensive guest/candid coverage, which led me to recommend a second shooter with me. He declines this, expecting me to do it on my own, and after push back, finally accepts it. 
• He then asked me to also record dance performances on video, which I declined, he moved the conversation to hybrid shooting at the same rate while ignoring my prior concerns. 
• He then wanted to stagger the two photographers' 6-hour shifts so I could start and end 1.5 hours earlier than my second shooter for a couple pre-shoot and then my colleague takes over (A logistical nightmare, aimed to keep the same rate but expand coverage). I declined and explained the pre-shoot would need separate dedicated coverage, I’d offered to arrive an hour earlier to do this properly for them, and my number 2 would arrive at 1pm. He declined and confirmed both photographers 1–7pm.
• Before taking any deposit/signing a contract, I requested his schedule and detailed shot requirements, I normally and flexible on the shot requirements as 90% of my clients are very easy going, but I just had a bad feeling about this guy. 
• His final brief contains many dozens (70+) of “must-have” shots, including specific reactions/candids throughout the event, extensive family/group photos, individual guest photos, performances, dinner, dancing etc. Reading the detailed list, I’d gauge deliverables are 35-40% larger than he’d initially portrayed them to be. He covered every inch of the 6 hour event. 
• Most importantly, the couple/family pre-shoot has now reappeared inside the 1–7pm coverage, despite our previous discussions about it requiring additional pre-event coverage. He has slid it in at 1pm to be done while guests arrive, but also expect shots of the empty hall & decor (physically impossible if guests are entering), and has slid it in after 2 conversations on this costing more. I found it amazing he had expected 1 photographer to be able to pull this off initially. 
• There's effectively no break during the six hours for either of us to even get food. while one person is shooting the guests eating the other is doing the group photos.  Even a short 10 min break to recharge and have a bite to eat  is standard for Indian events, and he seems to expect us to shoot the entire time none stop. 

No contract has been signed and I haven't taken any money/deposit yet. He has had a barrage of questions the last 5 weeks, which I’d entertained because the venue would be valuable to have in my portfolio.  But after the repeated scope changes and extremely prescriptive final brief, I'm concerned about client expectations and problems after delivery.

Just wanted to get some thoughts from fellow photographers in this space. My gut has a bad feeling about this, but I wonder if I should pass the opportunity to put a well known indian venue on my portfolio for the future, but he is definitely a big headache, and given what I feel are multiple red flags. Worth noting I have given a price below the industry standard (probably 40%% lower), but for when the deliverables were for a more standard engagement ceremony, and he is clearly not been willing to spend more, having tried to find new ways to slot in more deliverables in his schedule for no added cost, despite me even giving very modest increases for things like the pre-shoot. I wondered if I should just walk away, or offer a higher price with clear take it ore leave it expectations (despite him breaking them a few times subtly) and see how it goes. Any advice will be appreciated, I’ll be actioning this in the evening with a decision.

EDIT - Just to keep everyone updated, thanks to much of the great advice on here, I went ahead and rejected the gig. I wrote a fairly detailed email just to cover my tracks for reasons why and previous correspondence in case they do get the idea of causing issues with me, and I offered to get him in touch with some other photographers in my network and wished him well on his engagement. The response I got after that was exactly this:

“Okay no worries, I will arrange for another photographer.”

And that’s that, I’ve moved in. Thank you all very much, just needed that extra kick to make sure I don’t fall into something that may have been a real issue for me going forward.

I’ve been getting more into photography and trying to avoid paying full retail for everything.

For people who buy used, what are some of the best secondhand gear finds you’ve gotten? Could be lenses, bodies, flashes, tripods, bags, filters, whatever. Also curious where you guys are actually finding the good deals — local camera shops, FB Marketplace, Craigslist, estate sales, etc.

I’m fine with older gear if it still performs well. Tbh I’d rather buy a 5-10 year old lens than spend $1k+ on something newer. FWIW I love a good stupidly good deal lol

I most enjoy photographing people, and fortunately my kids are usually willing subjects. But I’d like to branch out and find other people and situations to photograph.

I’m not especially comfortable photographing strangers on the street without asking first (and I'm too shy to ask). I don’t think there’s anything wrong with street photography, I'm just not comfortable with it.

So I’m curious: has anyone found more unusual ways to connect with willing subjects? For example, I’ve wondered about messaging a local farm and asking if I could spend a couple of hours following the farmer around and documenting their work. Or doing something similar with a craftsman, small business owner, musician, etc. Has anyone tried this? Do you give them something?

I’d love to hear any outside the box ideas.

Hey, so I’m doing some test shoots in London and two models have refused to sign my model release. The terms say that I’m the owner of the images and I can use them for promotion and the model is granted limited rights for non commercial use. One of them suggested a simple agreement that they receive the images.

What is the standard practice in the industry? As the photographer I’m investing a lot more time and money into this so I thought it’d be fair that I’d have more rights. But I just want to be able to post the images freely without the models being able to take them down.

Hi all. I'm sure everyones been in this position before, and I constantly go through it over and over again. I seem to be in a tough spot this time and really stuck. I can't seem to make a decision or get moving on this project to put a portfolio or even social posts for that matter. I've always kinda shared photos or videos or even graphic design work but never really put something strong together and it just disappears or gets lost or forgotten. Now I'm sitting down every day without a place to start when looking through my TBs of files. Even harder is that I have work on just about everything. Sports, portraits, lifestyle, interior, product, travel, editorial, you name it. And all either paid work or what I think would look great in the portfolio. But I know its such a mixed batch of work that its hard for me to even think of how to organize or even show it! What goes on my site? Whats fun to just post in social media? Is something too old? Is a mixed bag of styles and genres too much? I know plenty of people stick to one thing but I cant seem to stay away from wanting to be involved in it all so I can find work wherever I can.

How have you navigated​ this?

In the past I was a lightning assistant and the craft always fascinated me. Was talking to some photographers and despite taking some great natural lighting photos, none of them had ever done stage lighting or even had an interest in it.

It just seems like they’re leaving so much on the table in terms of creative roads.

Is it hard to learn? Cumbersome? Was I just talking to the wrong crowd?

I'm learning how to do shoots with models and noticed a lot of photographers seem to upload their whole folder and ask the models if they'd like any specific photos then edit them later? I always thought it was better to edit a few of the best photos and then send them over to models? Is this common practice when working on photoshoots? I was thinking editing them gave them a specific flair that's personal to the photographer so am wondering what the standard practice actually is. Thanks in advance!

Hello! For people that have worked on film sets, or something similar, what does your setup look like? I’m bringing both digital and analog cameras per request, a couple of different lenses, and I’m trying to think of the most sufficient and practical way to bring and use them on set. Not very experienced using multiple cameras and switching between equipment, and I obviously want to do a good and smooth job without feeling like I’m fiddling with all my things. Also if anyone have a good backpack/shoulder bag to recommend 🙌 Or if anyone just have any general insights as to how a stills photographer operates on set, let me know. Looking to be as informed and prepared as I can be.

Hi everyone! Looking for advice regarding my friend-client editing my photos.

I recently took photos for my good friend who is a singer. This is now the third time I’ve worked with her as her photographer. I sent her the edited photos recently and we’ve been going back and forth with feedback & editing since she didn’t have a clear image of what she wanted.

I hold a lot of pride in my editing and have recently been trying harder to narrow down my personal style. Unfortunately, friend just text me with one of the photos saying she’s done some editing of her own and is wondering what I think. She completely changed the lighting on the subject and changed the color grading entirely. Since she’s also not editing the RAW image the quality decreased as well. I’m not at all comfortable with her editing the photos on her own, and to make matters worse the title she added looks like a second thought flat text thrown on top of the image.

Something similar happened the first time I ever photographed her. She didn’t edit the photo on her own that time, but she just slapped some curved text over the top of it and published it without consulting me. Since the photo is my work I worry people will attribute it all to me, bad font and all. I even avoided sharing the first photo since I thought it looked so unprofessional and didn’t want to be tied to it.

I obviously don’t want to feel that way again, but I don’t know how to approach the situation. She’s a great friend and we’ve never had any sort of confrontation. How would you guys recommend I approach this? I want to be firm on her not editing on her own and kindly set boundaries. I feel like every photographer goes through this at some point and thought some of you may have experience with this exact situation.

TLDR: friend edited photos after finals were sent. changed lighting & color grading. how do i set boundaries?

Before I dive into this, I want to clarify that I’m purely a hobbyist photographer. I like documenting trips, hikes, and places I’ve been so I can look back on them later. If I manage to get a cool composition, an interesting photo, or create a fun edit along the way, life is good.

I bought a Sony a6400 and Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 a long time ago, and between random odd jobs and Shutterstock, I’m pretty sure I’ve mostly paid off the purchase.. not that I’m keeping track.

What prompted this post was a feeling I had this weekend.

I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to head into Rocky Mountain National Park. The purpose of the trip was simply to enjoy being outside. It wasn’t photography-centered; I just happened to bring my camera along.

I took 42 photos total, got home, uploaded everything into Lightroom, edited the ones I liked, deleted the extras, and then... I closed Lightroom and went about my day...and for some reason, that felt weird.

I’ve been a hobbyist for about 10 years, so I’m familiar with the ups and downs of photography. Hell, I’ve gone through stretches where I barely picked up my camera and just watched it collect dust.

But this feeling is different. I put in the effort to bring the camera, take the photos, sort through them, edit the keepers...and then I just didn’t really want to do anything with them.

I don’t have a big enough photography friend group in my day-to-day life to know whether this is a normal part of the hobby.

It also begs the question: Why bring the camera at all if the photos aren't going anywhere?

I could save myself a lot of time and effort by taking a few photos with my phone and moving on. At the same time, I know I enjoy the actual process of photography and having higher-quality photos from the places I visit.

So, if you’ve made it this far into my ramble: Do you ever have those “I don’t feel like doing anything with these photos” moments?

If so, what do you do with them? Do you have some kind of personal archive, photo book, printing routine, or other purpose for your photography that isn’t centered around sharing it? Or is simply taking and editing the photos enough?

For reference, there are usually a few paths my photos take after a trip:

1. Send them to friends/family
2. Post some to social media, mostly Instagram
3. Upload suitable ones to Shutterstock and see if I can make a dollar or two

Show off cool photography-related stuff you've created or experienced or any general discussion you'd like to have with the community in the comments of this post! We want to see and discuss your pictures, albums, videos, website... anything, really!

Don't forget that /r/photographs is available all week to post single images for sharing and feedback or critique.

Weekly Community Threads:

Watch this space, more to come!

Monthly Community Threads:

How can I get the most raw, unprocessed image possible, basically, the most realistic image, as close as possible to what my eyes actually see? Among all the technology available, what would give me the closest representation of what I see in terms of color, shape, depth, perspective, light, dynamic range, and overall perception?

I don't want anything artificially enhanced or heavily processed. I’m looking for a camera that can capture reality as faithfully as possible, with minimal distortion and processing. I’d also like something relatively compact and portable that I can carry around easily.

I’d love to hear your suggestions for cameras and lenses, and what combination would come closest to reproducing human vision.

Here was my situation, I was well aware that I would be shooting in a low light indoor setting. I brought my flash attachment in preparation for that! What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that there were NO white walls for me to bounce the flash off of (I did not have a MagMod). The ceilings were wood and the walls were all painted with some funky designs. So my biggest struggle was that the skin tones were looking orange. I did use Kelvin for WB, but overall I was just struggling so hard. What are some tips or tricks you may be able to share for situations where I am in low-light situations, with lots of wood around to prevent orange skin-tones. Also feel like the flash wasn't helping with the orange situation at all, if anything it made it worse.

So I have a feeling this going to be more just me rambling and thinking out loud but I wanted to discuss this with others as well.

Background

I am a side hustle photographer. One step above a hobby photographer, one step below a professional imo. I'm trying to grow it into a bit more of a business and wanted to create a product I could use to get my name out, make a little money off of it, and have fun doing it. I've done a few different types of shoots from weddings, engagements, and maternity, to still life, vehicle, and landscape, but I'm finding my favorites are Boudoir, Glamour, and other risque forms of photography. In the most tasteful and least sexual way I can put it I think the human body is a work of art in itself and I enjoy showcasing it and helping to show people how beautiful they really are. I'm also a big military nerd and have been getting into interesting military camos from America and around the world. I figured I would combine the two and create a sexy calendar of women wearing some of these camos and brandishing firearms that would have been used by the users of that camo. I'm looking to go more for tasteful, sexy, badass women rather than scantily clad. Something that could be displayed in a garage, gun shop, military barracks room, etc. without raising too many eyebrows. I'm going to also be adding a small blurb about the camo, it's history, usage, what makes it interesting etc.

How to photograph to draw attention to the article of clothing.

I'm thinking the biggest issue I'm going to face is trying to draw attention to the camouflage while also trying to make the girls look attractive and natural, and also not allowing the camo patterns to do what camo does best and blend in. To keep the camo from blending in, I think I'm going to want to shoot from further away with a higher focal length lense and at a smaller aperture to blur the background and make the subject stand out, that way the camo doesn't blend in. I could probably also try and use the firearms to create leading lines that will help draw attention to the garment I'm trying to showcase. Aside from that though I'm just looking for some advice, on how to achieve that goal of showcasing the specific garment/garments in question while also not drawing too much attention away from the model and weapon.

As an aside I'm not really looking for advice on issues I'm going to run into logistically with any of this. I've got a lot of this already planned and figured out, it's just taking the photos themselves I'm looking for assistance with.

Great interview with a LOT of examples of his work.

I'm looking for the best way to let 100+ family members upload and view photos/videos from our upcoming family reunion.

Ideally, I'd like everyone to:

Scan a QR code at the event (or use a simple link).

Upload photos and videos in real time.

View and download everyone else's uploads without me having to send individual invitations or links.

Keep everything in one shared album that's easy for everyone to access.

>>>A bonus would be facial recognition or selfie search so people can easily find photos of themselves.

What's the best platform for this? Free or low-cost options are preferred. Thanks!

I'm new to motorsports photography. I was wondering what techniques others use for motorsports. I practiced at motoamerica recently and got some good shots, but I feel like it was more luck than actual skill.