I'll write today about an important topic that has been recurring almost daily since I joined several photography groups.
This is a question that comes up from clients: **"Can I get all the photos you took during the session?
I don't need them edited, just send me everything, please."** Hmm...
From what I see, this question appears especially often after wedding sessions or other event photography, but it also frequently happens after family or lifestyle sessions.
The answer to this question is usually "No".
Why?
Many people, upon hearing this refusal, explain:
-> "Well, you already took them anyway, what's the harm in sending them..."
When agreeing to a specific session, we agree on a specific number of shots.
That's understandable.
A contract is a contract ;) If you hire a painter to paint your kitchen, do you expect them to additionally paint the living room and bedrooms after the work? ;) Of course, there's usually the possibility to purchase additional shots (if available), and when establishing session details, you are informed about how much such an additional shot will cost.
-> So what makes up a photographer's work?
A photographer's work (for which you pay) is not just the moment when they open the camera shutter.
It includes:
- their post-processing of that photo,
- often hours of photo selection after a shoot (seriously, would you want to sit through thousands of photos selecting the best ones?),
- adapting the photo so it can later be printed without quality loss (not like phone photos),
- photos from a DSLR can't simply be sent via email, they must be processed through professional graphics software,
- speaking of graphics software, each one requires paying a monthly subscription - this is included in the photo price,
- the photographer's experience,
- the finished photos that the photographer delivers are their business card.
When your friends look at them and ask who took them, the photographer proudly wants you to give their name.
Photos straight from the camera are taken in RAW format - this is a photo format that is specifically designed so the photographer can add their unique character through post-processing.
When it's missing, photos are "raw," and the photographer doesn't want them circulating on the internet signed with their name - because their effect isn't what they intend.
Please understand, photographers - the photos they finally deliver to clients reflect their view of photography, their style, colors, atmosphere. "Raw" photos are not the same thing.
And if you want more shots, even though they're already taken, they require work again - post-processing, which sometimes really takes a long time.
That's why every photographer has established rates for such additional shots.
So, do you understand us a bit better now? :)
For comparison, I'll show you a few examples of what I mean by "creating atmosphere."
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