The nature of photography has changed massively in the last couple of decades. Cameras are increasing in quality, prices are coming down, and there are plenty of user-friendly editing applications out there. With an iPhone X and an on-point Instagram feed, anyone can claim to take pretty pictures.
It’s no doubt a positive development. But it can also lead to ignorance about the role of professional photographers who have dedicated their whole lives to capturing and producing stunning images. If they’re shooting parties, they seem to be doing what everyone else is doing: having a laugh and clicking away.
While it may look all glamorous on the outside, the reality couldn’t be any more different. It stems from the fact that most people don’t understand the life of a photographer. We hope to debunk certain myths and provide you with the top five comments that photographers are tired of hearing.
1. Your camera takes good photos.
While most photographer will reply with a polite ‘thank you’, they’d want you to know that it takes a lot of time and dedication to update their skills to use all of these cool features available. As trends and technologies are constantly changing, hours are spent on Youtube and Google figuring out which new cameras & lenses to buy, how to use drones, and general tips to improve photography skills.
2. You’re coming to our event, right? Just bring your camera along.
Your photographer friend may as well be snapping from their smartphone at your event. However, it’s a bit unfair to expect the same level of quality and service that goes into a professional shoot. It’s akin to telling your chef friend to bring some food along to your house party. Or your accountant friend to do the budgeting for your birthday bash. Furthermore, the bulk of the work with photography is the editing/post-production process.
3. Can you send us the photos immediately? I would like to post them on social media.
It may be tempting to change your profile picture immediately after the event. For a photographer, however, it’s not as simple as that. The majority of the time is spent uploading high-resolution photos, going through them and selecting nice ones, editing the images and adding filters, as well as backing them up. Despite this, KKSTUDIO has a 24-hour turn around where you’ll be provided with ‘sneak peaks’ of your photos.
4. Why is there a watermark on the photos? I don’t want it there.
High-resolution non-watermarked images are provided to all clients on a flash drive. For pictures that we upload online, however, we prefer to have our watermark there as it is an extension of our brand. As a lot of creativity and hard work goes into producing these images, we humbly request that credit is given where credit is due. The watermark also ensures that the photos can be freely shared.
5. You have a really easy and fun job!
Here at KKSTUDIO, we are a team of passionate photographers who love our work. But that doesn’t mean that it’s an easy job. No matter how experienced or professional the photographer is, technical problems are bound to occur as everything is digitalised. We always have a plan of action in case things go wrong. It’s important to be able to manage stress, have problem-solving skills, and work in a team to minimise risks. We also backup all the photos up until one year after the event.
