It is hard to describe the feeling of defeat a photographer feels when seeing there work prominently displayed for everyone to see on the internet, yet no photo credit given by the client. 

What we would like you to do: The next time you share portraits on social media, tag the photographer either in the photos or in the post about the photos, so that if someone in your network is interested in becoming a new client, they can easily find the photographer. 

This is probably the most common request across the board. "Can you Photoshop my jiggly thighs?" or "Make it look like I'm (fill in the blank)." 
The thing is, photographers secretly  hate  strongly dislike augmenting the way a person naturally looks for a portrait. We would much rather spend our time enhancing your photos, rather than correcting them.

Repeat after me: "I am Beautiful."  (TWEET THIS♥)

What we would like you to do: Don't sweat your imperfections. It is our job to capture and highlight your strong features, while minimizing imperfections and is nearly impossible unless you to feel natural in front of the camera, not stiff or shy.

5. Photographers Do Not get paid by the hour.

When a photographer gives you a quote on your session, it is not only for the 1-2 hours (or more) that we are actually taking your picture. So much more goes into a photo shoot than showing up and snapping a couple photos. If a photographer charges $200 for a 1-2 hour session, on average, we spend 12-15 hours communicating with the client, gathering needed materials, preparing equipment, taking the photos, processing the photos and delivering them to you, the client. You do the math.

What we would like you (not) to do: Please do not ever ever ever use this phrase: "Hey, while I have ya for the hour, could you please get a few shots of Grandma Rosie?" Just no.

6. Pinterest is not real.

Pinterest is not (dare I say it?) real. GASP!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Pinterest!! I even dedicate a custom "board" to each client before the actual photo shoot. I like being able to add to it and be on the same page as my client regarding what we are looking for out of the session. However, Pinterest should only be viewed as inspiration, and a client should not expect the same exact pictures that they are drawing inspiration from. That would be like two artists painting two separate pictures and expecting them to come out looking exactly the same.

What we would like you to do: Explore and use Pinterest as inspiration to help you find your vision for the photo shoot, but please do not EXPECT the pictures to turn out exactly the same.

7. A Camera does not MAKE a picture, it TAKES it.

This is probably the BIGGEST thing your photographer wishes you knew. There is a common misconception that the better (read: more expensive) the equipment, the better the photographs.

THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE. 

If you hand a high end, top dollar camera to someone who knows nothing about photography and say "here, make a commercial photo." It just ain't gonna happen! This is why it is so important to find a photographer who's work you fall in love with and choose them for their style, not their equipment.
Don't believe me? Check out THESE photos that were taken with a children's 0.3MP Kids Camera.
Want to see more "Cheap Camera Challenges" via Youtube?


What we would like you to do: Understand that if we show up with a camera smaller/less high tech than you were expecting, trust that (because you hired us in your best judgement) we are super familiar with this camera and will do our absolute BEST to capture your photos true to your vision. ♥