Meeting and talking to quite a few photographers, I find that there are a lot of things we do that are very frustrating for me as a fellow photographer. Some are naive enough such as asking to set up the light, but others sit on the fence about being illegal.
Talking about equipment too much
I’ll blow it up next time someone tries to talk to me. This is only acceptable when someone is not a photographer and wants to find a common subject. In any other case, I don’t care what kind of light or camera you use. This is true for many photographers as most of us don’t read camera reviews and hardly find them interesting either. Just knowing the specs isn’t going to get me clients, and I don’t want to spend time discussing autofocus on DSLRs versus mirrorless cameras. As long as it works, it’s fine. Photography is about art, about process, not about the camera and lights you use. While equipment is important, it is not so important that it becomes a major topic of discussion among photographers.
Compare customers and income
There’s this tendency to have a measured length contest when it comes to customers and earnings. While it’s reasonable to be open about what people charge, comparing which clients you’ve worked for and how much you’ve earned just to show off is pretty unprofessional if not at all. bad tone. Money is one of those discussion taboos that you probably shouldn’t break.
That said, my best friends know how much I make. For example, if you happen to be a photographer’s best friend, you can monopolize and raise prices at the same time, meaning you both make more money and no one lowers or presses on prices. This is fair game, but this should be done with people you trust will be on your side. Perhaps avoid texting a random photographer and asking how much they charge.
But don’t be a nasty boaster when it comes to their income and customers. Maybe it’s just because the person you can show used to work for bigger brands and make more money.
scary action
There is a percentage of professional photographers shooting for a reason unrelated to art. Some time ago, I wrote an article on the subject, politely criticizing photographers who take pictures with ulterior motives behind them. While office romances are something we are all familiar with, there should be a clear division between what goes on on and off the set. I’m not talking about people who meet on set, I’m talking about people using the powers they have for the wrong reasons or just acting scary towards their models. As soon as you become a scarecrow, rumors spread very quickly.
The setting is a professional environment where you can’t be the scary guy. I’ve heard a lot of stories about “ordinary” middle-aged photographers acting indecently towards models. Models usually don’t say anything because they’re afraid, however, it goes unnoticed.
This not only damages the personal reputation of the aforementioned photographer, but also affects the photographer’s image in general. Mentioning unnecessary sex is not a way to make models loosen up, if they do, they will feel more uncomfortable and tarnish their image.
No credit on social networks
I don’t understand photographers who don’t tag their groups on social media. I mean, just because the makeup artist didn’t click the button doesn’t mean they’re not an important part of the image. The same applies to the entire crew, including the editor. Although there is some debate about whether or not editors should be attributed and how, attribution is often better than none.
Refuse to criticize
You shouldn’t care what other people say. This is a good mantra to live by if you want to protect your own mental health and, in general, if you want to be confident in your work. With this information, however, keep in mind that rejecting helpful feedback will send you into a downward spiral. I don’t know why, and I apologize to those who think this is sexist, but this is what “men” do. Usually, male photographers are egoists. The ability to listen to feedback, take in some things, discard others, and generally filter what you hear is an invaluable skill. It’s really sad to see so many photographers rejecting perfectly good feedback and making no progress as a result.
The topic itself could be a separate article, but in short, feedback can come from anywhere. Your job is to be able to sort the good from the bad. Sometimes I can’t do this, and my ego overwhelms me. For example, there were a few times when the “trolls” in the comments said very sensible things that improved my work. While I try not to take what the trolls say too seriously, it’s still worth reading and trying to see if what they say comes from good intentions. People often have good intentions but express them in a bad way.
Asking about lighting settings too many times
I’m almost certain that no matter how much I try to tell people not to use the lighting setup, they will still ask me about the “setup”. The truth is, there are no settings that I use. In fact, half the time I adjust the lighting by feeling rather than by rule. It’s more about the image I see in my head than the lighting setup. There are times when I just want the “soft light” and honestly, I don’t care if it’s done “the right way” or as long as the result is what I want, it works. So don’t be the annoying person who always looks for easy ways to light up — learn how to light instead. You may be curious about one effect or another, but if you haven’t tried it yourself first. Chances are, you can already do it your own way.
What are some things that annoy you about other photographers? Let us know in the comments section!
