Photography has an air of mystery around it. Not all clients understand how photographers work, which leads them to ask silly questions. Maybe you’ve heard some of these, maybe you haven’t. In any case, here are my top five favorites and how to answer them.
Do you need an assistant for this job?
Assistants are an integral part of the crew, they cannot be left out. Campaigns are stressful, and to get the job done well, you may need an on-set helper who will make sure you’re hydrated, have extra batteries, back up and do all the work. backstage. Working around the clock is stressful enough, working without an assistant is even more stressful.
The best answer to such a question is to double your rate and the time it takes to get the job done. Suggest that hiring an assistant is cheaper than having to do all the work as it will take twice as much time and stress.
Why don’t you edit your own photos?
This is in the “why don’t you develop your own movie” alliance? or “why don’t you do your own makeup?” The photographer’s job is not to develop and post-process images. Previously, a photographer’s job was to take pictures, while a lab technician did the editing and fine-tuning. I found an editor who could take my “movie” and develop it in the best possible way. I just sent him a raw file, he handled the colors as well as the editing. He and I have great chemistry that makes working so much easier. As a photographer, your job is to create the image, not edit it, make up for it, etc. Stick with what you’re good at. 
My phone also takes 50 Megapixel photos, why do you need a camera?
The number of megapixels is simply the number of photo-sensitive areas in the sensor. However quality is not quantity. This can easily be remedied by comparing photos taken from the phone and the camera. Despite the lack of imaging and computational processing capabilities, the raw power is much greater. Obviously, phones are very close to being able to take good photos, however, when it comes to detail, a full-frame and medium-format camera will be required for professional photography. There is a kind of job like content creators filming on phones. However, a client who hires a content creator instead of a photographer usually doesn’t have the budget and knows what they’re getting. It doesn’t have to be a work of art, but a trendy or still social video. While small-scale campaigns can all be done by phone, larger-scale campaigns require a team and a professional camera. 
Can I See All Photos From The Shoot?
Selection is often one of those stages of the process that is overlooked. However, I believe that choice is where a lot of creativity happens. For example, my visual language might point to one pose, while the client might prefer another. At the end of the day, it’s okay to offer a client a short selection, but if they ask to see all the photos, it’s best to politely decline. The explanation must follow that selection is a creative process. The images they hire you based on are yours to choose, and if they want your creative input as a photographer, they’re not allowed to see all of the images. This happens unless you are in the game of upselling and charging per image, where you should strive to make a fair choice so that customers buy as much as possible.
I’m an influencer, can you do it in exchange for exposure?
A client asking this is clearly thinking too much about themselves and not really delivering any value to the audience. If they see their audience as the gateway to free content, are they really worthy of influence? Sure, the bigger your audience, the more money you make, but you need to deliver value to them, not just treat them like a dairy cow. Honestly, if this is their argument, they might consider you their fan who is willing to do it for free. Instead of seeing the value you are bringing to them, perhaps they just see the value they are bringing to you. An influencer should understand the value of good images and be willing to pay for your work, maybe even more than a regular client.
After doing a few free shoots for influencers, I got exactly 0 jobs from them posting me, tagging me, and “promoting” me. Honestly, influencers are overrated. Keep your brand image and feel free to charge for your work.
The best answer to such questions from influencers would be that you can’t put exposure issues on the table and you don’t reach where you are by taking free shots. Your time and effort is worth the money, if they see value in what you can give, they should pay for it. Exposure is not payment.
Stop thinking
There will be a small number of customers like these questions. Sometimes it’s easier to pass them on to the next person, who can be less stressful working with them, but sometimes, all you need to do to solve these problems is simply educate them. educate your customers. They don’t know the full breakdown of what you do, so sometimes education is the way. However, some red flags make me say no to customers as soon as I see them. Perhaps the biggest question on this list is the “pay on contact” question. In the next part of this article, we will discuss clients that you should probably avoid if possible.
What are some questions you hate answering? Let us know in the comments section!
