Tip #3 in our series “How to Understand & Work with your Photographer” is: Don’t Expect Free Photography. From Leesburg, VA to Seattle, WA, photographers would say: Please don’t ask for or expect free photography. If it’s not offered, it’s probably not very considerate to ask. Dozens of hours can go into one client from the moment they hire a photographer through to post-production time. Asking for free stuff is asking a lot of a small business owner. Our livelihoods depend on our ability to produce quality work and be paid for it.

It’s not just giving away a digital picture. When a portrait photography studio puts a photo out there attached to their name, it represents them as an artist and as a brand. They aren’t served well by sending out a quick shot that has not been properly edited. Any pictures we send out to clients, paid or otherwise, would need to be properly edited.

If you are asking on behalf of a nonprofit, some photographers might be able to make time to help, but that really depends on their schedule, the nonprofit’s event date, and any number of things. Everyone wants to support a nonprofit, but it isn’t always possible. Some photographers are able to provide free services for a nonprofit event, while others will do it for a very small fee. Other photographers simply can’t afford to give up a Saturday night wedding to shoot a charity event regardless of how much they love that charity. It really all depends.

Again, going back to our initial analogy of the mechanic and the contractor, you wouldn’t ask them for free services or free work would you? It’s no different for photographers. While photographers chose their careers for a love of photography and working with people, most still have to pay their bills like everyone else. Asking for free photos or photography can put everyone in an uncomfortable situation.

We’ve built some great relationships and friendships throughout the Leesburg, VA area. All good photographers should build close relationships with their clients, and we’re proud of ours. We hope that our clients believe in our work and continue to choose us as their family photographer.

Other tips in this series:
Tip #1, Understanding the Process
Tip #2, Don’t ask for more photos than the ones we present to you

Family Photographers, Portrait Photography Studio

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter family photography team located near Leesburg, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.
 
Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.
 
Best,
 
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!
 
Professional Photographer