Today I bring an article with phrases that you should never say to a photographer. More than for you who are a photographer, for you to share it, you will be doing yourself and the rest of photography lovers and/or professionals a favor. And if it has come to you through a photographer who reads our blog, so that you read it carefully because it is a way of asking you, kindly, with a little humor, from the depths of your heart and with all your respect, to stop to say them ?
- "How lucky you were to be in that place to get the photo"
- "It's just that with that camera some great photos come out..."
- “With this model it is very easy to take photos”
- "Make me handsome"
- "Pepín is talking to someone over there, then you add it with Photoshop"
- "Take me the photos and I'll promote you (Free)"
- «You make me the communion of my son that your landscapes are precious»
We better see them one by one to find out why.
1. "HOW LUCKY YOU WERE TO BE IN THAT PLACE TO GET THE PHOTO"
This and the following, in my opinion, are the worst phrases, the ones that you should never, ever, ever say to a photographer.
And it is not a matter of luck. A photographer who captures a spectacular Aurora Borealis in a heart-stopping landscape, is not there by chance, taking a walk, takes the camera out of it, clicks and that's it.
No. Behind there is a huge job. First of planning a trip, leaving the savings and vacations in the effort. Second of not sleeping and spending several hours at several degrees below zero waiting to see if the long-awaited Aurora appears. Because she may not show up and after all the effort you go home empty handed. In addition to this, first there is a job to control the technique, because of course, in automatic mode, no matter how much you take the best SLR in the world, you will not achieve an Aurora Borealis.
The same happens with any other spectacular landscape, starry sky, insect with macro, documentary photography and a long etcetera. And if we talk about street photography, to get a good snapshot, either you were born with a star on your butt or you have to eat hours of kicking through the streets, observing a lot, photographing a lot, discarding even more, waiting for infinity and wearing out the soles of your sneakers. or shoes.
So no. Luck is not. Lucky for those who can enjoy that image and move to that place and moment in the blink of an eye, from their chair, thanks to all the work that the photographer has done.
Or it may be lucky to contemplate the Aurora, because nothing guarantees that you will see it, but taking the photo, I assure you that it is not a matter of luck.
2. "IT'S THAT WITH THAT CAMERA SOME GREAT PHOTOS COME OUT..."
Typical, typical. This phrase is almost to frame. If people only knew what hurts...
Let's see, would you tell Paco de Lucía: «It's just that with that guitar it's so easy to compose…» . what not? (It hurt me to write it). If we are so clear that a guitar does the job by itself, why do we think that a camera does?
If even after reading this you still think that to take a good photo you just have to have a good camera, please try this experiment:
- Give a reflex camera to a person who does not know photography and give any other, compact, mobile, reflex, evil or whatever you want, to someone who has experience and a deep knowledge of photography. Ask them to photograph the same scene or motif. Then compare the two photos. You will see for yourself that it is not the arrow, but the Indian ?
From there you will value much more the work behind a good photo.
3. "WITH THIS MODEL IT IS VERY EASY TO TAKE PHOTOS"
Especially if that model is a child, better never say this phrase. Well, photographing a child is one of the most difficult things in photography. It is practically a risky sport when they start to move and an extreme challenge of patience and finesse when they are newborns.
The model can be precious, the most beautiful boy or girl in the world, but I assure you that a good photo is not thanks to its beauty or its good work, but to the patience of the person behind the camera, playing games with it, jokes, hides to catch him red-handed , waits in the right place with the right light, achieves an attractive composition with a background that does not distract, but rather enhances the model; and the most difficult thing, that he manages to get clear and focused when he does not stop for a second still.
4. "MAKE ME HANDSOME"
Having a camera in hand doesn't do magic. A photographer can take out all the beauty that you are and can capture all the beauty that you are capable of transmitting. The point of a portrait photograph, except in fashion or advertising, is not to make someone look like a magazine model, but to tell about her personality, to show the world who she is and what's interesting about her.
That is the responsibility of the photographer, along with finding the most suitable light, the right focus and an attractive composition according to what you are going to tell.
We are all as beautiful as we want to be, because the beauty of a portrait is from the inside out, not the other way around. So bring out your best smile or the best of you and give it to the photographer, the public will see your beauty through their eyes.
And then… well, they say that miracles are at Lourdes, right? ;P
5. "PEPÍN IS TALKING TO SOMEONE AROUND, THEN YOU ADD IT WITH PHOTOSHOP"
I've heard this many times, whether you're on the phone, in the bathroom, or having a cigarette outside the door. If it isn't, then it isn't. If the group is very interested in having you appear in the photo, you can:
- Go call Pepín or whoever.
- Wait for it to appear and reposition yourself for the photo.
There are two main reasons for not adding Pepín with Photoshop or any retouching program.
- It is easier to go for it or wait for it to be in the photo than to take another separate photo of it, in similar lighting conditions and then fit it into the program at the risk of it not coming out well, no matter how much time and effort you put into it.
- It's not honest. A photograph captures a moment, documents an instant, if Pepín was somewhere else, well he wasn't there, including him would be lying to the viewer who will see the photo in a month, or in 50 years. We have enough with the tweaks and advertising lies, don't you think?
6. "TAKE ME THE PHOTOS AND I'LL PROMOTE YOU (FREE)"
Maybe between friends and fans it can happen (or not), but never say this to a photographer who charges for his photos or someone you don't know at all. What may seem to you that it does not cost money is not. If you are going to ask a photographer to take some photos of whatever (portrait, celebration, product, etc...) the promotion is always welcome, but it is not enough to eat.
Behind any type of photo session there is a time that is measured in hours; there is a formation that has taken years; equipment that costs considerable money; an edition that takes even more hours. And this, as you can imagine, translates into money. It's not free.
Just as you wouldn't go to a bakery to ask for a free cake in exchange for putting a card with your name at the party, don't ask a photographer to do your work for free.
7. «YOU MAKE ME THE COMMUNION OF MY SON THAT YOUR LANDSCAPES ARE PRECIOUS»
This is another of the phrases that you should never say to a photographer. Well, unless you're going to say it to a photographic studio that does reports of this type. But if you have a friend or family member who specializes in landscape photography, for example, it might not be the best idea. Photography is very wide and you may be very prepared for one discipline, but it does not imply that you control all of them.
A doctor is always a doctor, but they also have specializations, right? Would you ask an ENT doctor to operate on your heart?
Well, the same thing, that your best friend takes impeccable product photography photos for supermarket catalogs or your cousin is the best in your province in wildlife photography, does not imply that they know how to handle themselves with ease at a wedding, a communion or any other similar event, because this is not pressing the button and that's it. Each task requires specific skills (and equipment) ?
And here my top phrases that you should never say to a photographer. Now, to laugh a little more, tell us below ??? if you have ever been told any of these phrases or if you have said them (go ahead, we forgive you, but from now on we start from scratch and you don't say them anymore ok? ? ). Do you have any more? Leave it to us too. Thank you and see you soon.
