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AIBU?

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Original poster

Photographers and unedited images?

79 replies

Jadefeather7 · 13/02/2020 14:32

I’m currently trying to find a photographer for a family photo shoot. I have a certain number of images in mind. The photographer I like can only provide 10 images in the budget that I have. I asked if she could give me another 10 unedited but she said she can’t. I don’t really understand why not?

OP posts:
safariboot · 13/02/2020 16:51

You wouldn't go into a clothes shop, buy 10 dresses, and ask if they could give you fabric to make 10 more dresses for free. Most clothes shops wouldn't do that. There are some that do sell both finished garments and fabric but you'd have to specifically find them.

Same with photographers.

iklboo · 13/02/2020 16:53

I would think it acceptable if they were taking wildlife photos but taking photos of people who a biddable and predictable

You'd think but...no. Blinking, sneezing, moving so shots are blurred, children turning round, yawning etc to name just a few.

85notout · 13/02/2020 16:54

The only reason I’m not going with her is because I think the pictures will end up looking samey because she doesn’t have a lot of variation in her photography.

Then the quality isn't comparable. Composition is a major part of a photographer's skill.

How are you defining quality in terms of photographs?

Original poster
Jadefeather7 · 13/02/2020 17:03

Even the more expensive photographers photographs are samey because she has her own distinctive style. What I’m trying to say is that I want a slightly different look this time to the previous set.

OP posts:
xILikeJamx · 13/02/2020 17:04

I would think it acceptable if they were taking wildlife photos but taking photos of people who a biddable and predictable means there should be more than 20% of the photos which are acceptable.

The problem with 'acceptable' is that it's subjective. What one person thinks is acceptable, another might not. This is even more pronounced when it comes to creative type things.

The photographer will only want the few exceptional images to make it into the public domain, not the many that are 'acceptable'.

EddieVeddersfoxymop · 13/02/2020 17:08

All of the above! I'd never let unedited images out of my sight. Plus, RAW images look flat, uninteresting and pretty rubbish. The magic, and therefore the skill that you pay for, happens when edited. If you want 20 images, pay for them. Sorry OP, cant see any way this will ever work.

85notout · 13/02/2020 17:11

You'd think but...no. Blinking, sneezing, moving so shots are blurred, children turning round, yawning etc to name just a few.

That's not comparable to sitting in a field all day for weeks on end waiting for that right moment though.

The photographer will only want the few exceptional images to make it into the public domain, not the many that are 'acceptable'.

Yes, I agree. Acceptable in terms of what a consumer wants is different to what the photographer is happy with - we're our own worst critics.

LonginesPrime · 13/02/2020 17:15

I found one other local to me who I liked but she’s quite a lot more expensive.

So you're happy to pay more for something you like aesthetically. She has good composition skills that you'd like applied to your photos.

Are you looking at her polished photos or her unedited raw material to make that decision, OP?

74NewStreet · 13/02/2020 17:18

It’s a negotiation point
It really isn’t. They’ve made their terms and conditions perfectly clear; they’re not open to negotiation / haggling. Stop trying to get a professional service on the cheap.

lyralalala · 13/02/2020 17:22

The last time we had a photo shoot I saw the unedited images and honestly I would have taken most of them as is. It may just be because I’m not a professional or because I have lower expectations.*

You’ve just made your own point

The photos are good enough to be sold. Therefore you should expect to pay for them

The fact that the upgraded photos are the ones that are for sale in packages is because so many people wouldn’t pay for the unedited ones as most people generally don’t appreciate the skills of a photographer

There is actually a much cheaper photographer (the one I used last time) whose quality is very similar in my opinion. The only reason I’m not going with her is because I think the pictures will end up looking samey because she doesn’t have a lot of variation in her photography

So you have a choice. Pay less for the photographer with less variation, or pay more for the more experienced one

You can’t expect the expensive one to come down to the standard of the other one because of your budget

Herringbone31 · 13/02/2020 17:22

That’s wasn’t Negotiations

That was. I want this and I WANT it for this price

Do it!!!!!!!!!!!

Then. She won’t do it. How bad is that? I WANT images free

Do you go into Tesco and ‘negotiate’?

Original poster
Jadefeather7 · 13/02/2020 17:22

It’s not about photographers skills or quality. They’re both great in my eyes. It’s more to do with backdrops, props, poses etc. You just get a different look if you use someone different. One isn’t necessarily better than the other.

OP posts:
Louiselouie0890 · 13/02/2020 17:25

Your crazy, negotiating would be can I have the raw for a smaller price, not for free

Dragonfly3 · 13/02/2020 17:26

It's not a negotiation point and the solution is really quite simple. Pay the price for the photographer you want or go elsewhere. You don't get to tell the photographer how much they should charge for their services, it is their business and they get to run it how they wish.

bridgetreilly · 13/02/2020 17:29

Look, you have two choices: pay the full amount for what you want, or don't. You don't have the choice to decide how much someone else charges for their work, no matter how much you whine about it.

Original poster
Jadefeather7 · 13/02/2020 17:29

Well my expectation when I asked about the unedited images was that she would say she can give them to me for £20/25 (or whatever is appropriate) each rather than the £35 each for edited photos. I wasn’t expecting her to say I could have them for free!

OP posts:
Sonders · 13/02/2020 17:29

Oh gosh this is a depressing thread. OP, the photographer is an artist and a business.

You want to buy 20 unedited pictures? This business doesn't sell the product you want to buy. You don't walk into a restaurant and ask for a bag of ingredients to cook later, because they don't sell that product.

What you've asked for is really disrespectful for any professional creative, and I hope you take the time to reflect on the comments here.

74NewStreet · 13/02/2020 17:31

You said you could only afford 10 photos with the budget you have, op.
Of course you were expecting the other 10 for free Hmm

Clymene · 13/02/2020 17:34

Tell you what. Why don't you offer your employer 10 hours of unpaid work which is at a slightly poorer quality than the work you usually do.

YasssKween · 13/02/2020 17:35

The photographer I like can only provide 10 images in the budget that I have.

But now people have said you are being a CF, you've changed the story to:

I wasn’t expecting her to say I could have them for free!

You don't need to cover your arse to us, we are strangers on the internet!

Why can't people just say ok I was being unreasonable, I can see that now. Instead of fibbing to make themselves sound reasonable.

You said your budget only stretches to ten of her pictures. So you weren't expecting to pay for more, you wanted them for free.

You may as well have just admitted it because now you look more silly!

Original poster
Jadefeather7 · 13/02/2020 17:39

When you’re negotiating you always go in lower so that you can meet somewhere in the middle. Can’t believe how naive some people are.

OP posts:
Ughmaybenot · 13/02/2020 17:41

Um... there’s going low... and there’s asking for shit for free.
You may call us naive ( Hmm ) but I think the overwhelming feeling on the thread is that you’re a CFer.

iklboo · 13/02/2020 17:44

When you’re negotiating you always go in lower so that you can meet somewhere in the middle. Can’t believe how naive some people are.

But only if BOTH parties are willing to negotiate. Otherwise it's CFery.

LonginesPrime · 13/02/2020 17:47

When you’re negotiating you always go in lower so that you can meet somewhere in the middle. Can’t believe how naive some people are.

But asking for her raw materials isn't negotiating.

You can't afford her prices so you asked her to compromise her professional and artistic integrity and lower the quality of the product because you don't see any value in the editing process.

iklboo · 13/02/2020 17:47

That's not comparable to sitting in a field all day for weeks on end waiting for that right moment though.

What's that got to do with the OP wanting family portraits? With the studio setting with lots of people rapid action cameras more is likely to go wrong that ruins a shot. That's why the 'celeb rolling drunk out of a club' pics are bollocks. They've been caught mid blink most times.