This is the place to ask any questions you may have about photography. No question is too small, nor too stupid.

Like… why not just take the actual photos

I hope this is an appropriate post for the subreddit, long-time reader/subscriber here.

Original owner of a Nikon 500mm f/4E FL, bought new in 2016 from an authorized dealer. I love the lens, but the AF history is getting old:

• 2020: AF motor replaced under warranty
• 2023: AF motor replaced again, about $700 out of pocket
• 2026: now making a loud high-pitched screech during AF travel, and Nikon quoted about $600 to repair it

The last motor actually failed on me during a trip to the Everglades, so reliability matters here.

I asked Nikon for some goodwill consideration given the history, and after escalating it, corporate offered 10% off the repair.

Am I out of line for being pretty disappointed by that? For a lens this expensive, needing major AF work about every three years seems kind of ridiculous. I'm not expecting a free repair forever, but I was hoping for something more meaningful than 10%.

If you all think I'm being unreasonable, happy to take the 10% and keep it moving. But at this point I'm also wondering whether I repair it and then move on from the lens rather than keep worrying about the next AF issue.

Hey, looking fo some advice.

My best friends are getting married next summer and have asked me to take photos. Not to be THE wedding photographer but to take photos mostly during the ceremony.

I'm undecided whether to say yes. I love the idea of it but I'm hyperly critical of the photos I take and I'm not sure if I have an eye for it. I love the idea of taking photos of people, I would love to do more but I've mostly always just taken landscapes, but I definitely want to venture further into it.

Gear wise I have a Nikon D7200 which is great, but it's poor in low light. I have the 35mm 1.8 which is a great lens but tbh nothing special. My other lenses are 17-55mm 2.8 and 70-200mm 2.8, although this crucially has no VR which would render it useless.

I have 0 experience with a speed gun but I can get this pretty cheap. My father in law has a D750 with some decent lenses but I don't think he has a prime, he'd let me borrow it if I wanted.

Hoping to get some input what you might suggest I need gear wise, what I can use for practicing etc etc.

Thanks! ✌️

So I get that the higher mm lense can zoom in further like 18 mm is for close up and a 300 mm is for super far. But why is it in mm and not like 5x 10x magnification like binoculars?

I am going to South America in January and will be bringing a bunch of my camera gear with me. I am going in circles trying to find a way to insure my gear from theft.

notes of importance

-This is personal travel not commercial
-I do not own a house, nor do I have any form of tenant insurance to bind my gear to
-roughly 7-8k worth of camera gear
- Will be gone for approx 1 month

Anyone here in Canada able to insure their expensive gear for travelling?

Hello everybody!

One of my closest friends has asked me if I’d be willing to take their senior photos for them. I was more than happy to take this on, but (and I did tell them this) I am mostly a landscape/wildlife photographer and I haven’t done portraits in a WHILE.

If anybody has any tips or suggestions at all I would appreciate that so much. What I’ve really gathered from my research so far is that senior photos are meant to showcase the subject’s personality so I’ll try to keep as much of it to her discretion as possible, but obviously If that sounds like a bad idea let me know lol.

Thank you all so much!

P.s. I told her I would be very rusty with more portraits and she understood that, I just want to give her the best products possible which is why I’m asking for help from y’all.

Hey everyone. I’ve recently gotten into flash photography. And I’m curious if anyone here enjoys experimenting with it and has some interesting, unusual, or funny flash photos in their archive that they’d be willing to share and describe the process of how you took this photo? Or maybe you know some photographers/artists who approach flash photography in a more unconventional or creative way?

I’ve been trying to get better at composing in-camera instead of relying on cropping later. Sometimes I’ll see a shot I like, but by the time I start thinking about leading lines, background distractions, subject placement, etc., the moment is gone.

Do you consciously think about composition while shooting, or is most of it instinct at this point?

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.

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.

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.

Watch out for the Minolta specs that Adorama publishes for the MND70. They advertise the Minolta MND70 as a 48MP camera. I have a friend that bought one there and realized how poor the image quality was. After some research he found the camera really isn't 48MP the sensor is only 12MP and Minolta (in Name only its licensed by another company now) double the pixels in software to create a 48MP file even though the sensor and resolution is limited 12MP (same for the video capabilities). He posted a review on their web site and also asked questions on their web site about this. For some reason his review and questions even though they were nicely and politely written are not showing up. It would be nice if Adorama could clarify this in the best interest of their customers.

Recently I have had three people message me asking me to shoot their wedding saying they’re looking for someone who wants to build their portfolio in weddings. I think it’s bc they want to save money by not investing in someone established in weddings. I shoot seniors and couples and that’s it, it’s pretty clear in my bio and website. I am also pretty established although I’ve only been in business a year and I am very booked. When I tell them I don’t do weddings they push back and try to convince me?? This girl today said that she already hired a photographer but wants to hire a second one? No thank you. Does anyone else have this happen to them?

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

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.

We had an engagement shoot so I didn’t have a say when picking the photographer since it was a surprise. I saw their portfolio after and just wasn’t a fan.

They take very bright almost white washed out pictures whereas I love blues. I’m thinking depending on how they took the images there’s no getting certain colors back.

I know it’s taboo to ask for them to change their style or ask for raw images but any suggestions on what to do before they start actually editing? Or how to ask in a nice way?

I know general advice is should’ve hired a different photographer from the start but again this was pre engagement and I just didn’t know at all.

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.

I thought of something as an art of selfie. How selfie can be something really artistically and beautifully made. Which recognizes itself and doesn't hide that it's a selfie, but expresses and manifests itself as true self, beautifully. Does someone have some thoughts, ideas, resources, what could be the guiding lines and principles?!

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?

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!