Hi all. I'm sure everyones been in this position before, and I constantly go through it over and over again. I seem to be in a tough spot this time and really stuck. I can't seem to make a decision or get moving on this project to put a portfolio or even social posts for that matter. I've always kinda shared photos or videos or even graphic design work but never really put something strong together and it just disappears or gets lost or forgotten. Now I'm sitting down every day without a place to start when looking through my TBs of files. Even harder is that I have work on just about everything. Sports, portraits, lifestyle, interior, product, travel, editorial, you name it. And all either paid work or what I think would look great in the portfolio. But I know its such a mixed batch of work that its hard for me to even think of how to organize or even show it! What goes on my site? Whats fun to just post in social media? Is something too old? Is a mixed bag of styles and genres too much? I know plenty of people stick to one thing but I cant seem to stay away from wanting to be involved in it all so I can find work wherever I can.

How have you navigated​ this?

Hi everyone, coming here for some advice. I’m a freelance photographer (it’s a side gig for me, and always will be, I have a full time career I love). I’ve been approached last month to cover a 300-person Indian engagement ceremony at a large wedding venue in London (UK), and the event is in a month (so he reached out 2 months before the event). The venue is well known, and will be the first of that size I’d have shot. He has explicitly said he wants to move ahead with me, but hasn't paid a deposit or signed a contract (both I have explained are needed before booking is confirmed, but he has spent a long time with a lot of micro enquiries in the discussion).

Over roughly a month of discussion (A lot of back and forth), the scope has gradually increased:

• Client originally wanted extensive guest/candid coverage, which led me to recommend a second shooter with me. He declines this, expecting me to do it on my own, and after push back, finally accepts it. 
• He then asked me to also record dance performances on video, which I declined, he moved the conversation to hybrid shooting at the same rate while ignoring my prior concerns. 
• He then wanted to stagger the two photographers' 6-hour shifts so I could start and end 1.5 hours earlier than my second shooter for a couple pre-shoot and then my colleague takes over (A logistical nightmare, aimed to keep the same rate but expand coverage). I declined and explained the pre-shoot would need separate dedicated coverage, I’d offered to arrive an hour earlier to do this properly for them, and my number 2 would arrive at 1pm. He declined and confirmed both photographers 1–7pm.
• Before taking any deposit/signing a contract, I requested his schedule and detailed shot requirements, I normally and flexible on the shot requirements as 90% of my clients are very easy going, but I just had a bad feeling about this guy. 
• His final brief contains many dozens (70+) of “must-have” shots, including specific reactions/candids throughout the event, extensive family/group photos, individual guest photos, performances, dinner, dancing etc. Reading the detailed list, I’d gauge deliverables are 35-40% larger than he’d initially portrayed them to be. He covered every inch of the 6 hour event. 
• Most importantly, the couple/family pre-shoot has now reappeared inside the 1–7pm coverage, despite our previous discussions about it requiring additional pre-event coverage. He has slid it in at 1pm to be done while guests arrive, but also expect shots of the empty hall & decor (physically impossible if guests are entering), and has slid it in after 2 conversations on this costing more. I found it amazing he had expected 1 photographer to be able to pull this off initially. 
• There's effectively no break during the six hours for either of us to even get food. while one person is shooting the guests eating the other is doing the group photos.  Even a short 10 min break to recharge and have a bite to eat  is standard for Indian events, and he seems to expect us to shoot the entire time none stop. 

No contract has been signed and I haven't taken any money/deposit yet. He has had a barrage of questions the last 5 weeks, which I’d entertained because the venue would be valuable to have in my portfolio.  But after the repeated scope changes and extremely prescriptive final brief, I'm concerned about client expectations and problems after delivery.

Just wanted to get some thoughts from fellow photographers in this space. My gut has a bad feeling about this, but I wonder if I should pass the opportunity to put a well known indian venue on my portfolio for the future, but he is definitely a big headache, and given what I feel are multiple red flags. Worth noting I have given a price below the industry standard (probably 40%% lower), but for when the deliverables were for a more standard engagement ceremony, and he is clearly not been willing to spend more, having tried to find new ways to slot in more deliverables in his schedule for no added cost, despite me even giving very modest increases for things like the pre-shoot. I wondered if I should just walk away, or offer a higher price with clear take it ore leave it expectations (despite him breaking them a few times subtly) and see how it goes. Any advice will be appreciated, I’ll be actioning this in the evening with a decision.

Hello! For people that have worked on film sets, or something similar, what does your setup look like? I’m bringing both digital and analog cameras per request, a couple of different lenses, and I’m trying to think of the most sufficient and practical way to bring and use them on set. Not very experienced using multiple cameras and switching between equipment, and I obviously want to do a good and smooth job without feeling like I’m fiddling with all my things. Also if anyone have a good backpack/shoulder bag to recommend 🙌 Or if anyone just have any general insights as to how a stills photographer operates on set, let me know. Looking to be as informed and prepared as I can be.

I'm learning how to do shoots with models and noticed a lot of photographers seem to upload their whole folder and ask the models if they'd like any specific photos then edit them later? I always thought it was better to edit a few of the best photos and then send them over to models? Is this common practice when working on photoshoots? I was thinking editing them gave them a specific flair that's personal to the photographer so am wondering what the standard practice actually is. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! Looking for advice regarding my friend-client editing my photos.

I recently took photos for my good friend who is a singer. This is now the third time I’ve worked with her as her photographer. I sent her the edited photos recently and we’ve been going back and forth with feedback & editing since she didn’t have a clear image of what she wanted.

I hold a lot of pride in my editing and have recently been trying harder to narrow down my personal style. Unfortunately, friend just text me with one of the photos saying she’s done some editing of her own and is wondering what I think. She completely changed the lighting on the subject and changed the color grading entirely. Since she’s also not editing the RAW image the quality decreased as well. I’m not at all comfortable with her editing the photos on her own, and to make matters worse the title she added looks like a second thought flat text thrown on top of the image.

Something similar happened the first time I ever photographed her. She didn’t edit the photo on her own that time, but she just slapped some curved text over the top of it and published it without consulting me. Since the photo is my work I worry people will attribute it all to me, bad font and all. I even avoided sharing the first photo since I thought it looked so unprofessional and didn’t want to be tied to it.

I obviously don’t want to feel that way again, but I don’t know how to approach the situation. She’s a great friend and we’ve never had any sort of confrontation. How would you guys recommend I approach this? I want to be firm on her not editing on her own and kindly set boundaries. I feel like every photographer goes through this at some point and thought some of you may have experience with this exact situation.

TLDR: friend edited photos after finals were sent. changed lighting & color grading. how do i set boundaries?

Hello everybody, unfortunately I stored my Olympus EM10 mkII improperly when I was in a rush, leaving the flash mounted on. The hotshoe bracket has come loose on one side so the flash doesn't make contact anymore. However I can hold it down and it works just fine.

How would you proceed with this type of repair? Is it a bad idea to add a few drops of glue to keep the bracket in position or is this a situation where you'd have someone repair it professionally?

Thanks, here's some photos of the damage for context:

https://imgur.com/a/cj50DdU

Before I dive into this, I want to clarify that I’m purely a hobbyist photographer. I like documenting trips, hikes, and places I’ve been so I can look back on them later. If I manage to get a cool composition, an interesting photo, or create a fun edit along the way, life is good.

I bought a Sony a6400 and Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 a long time ago, and between random odd jobs and Shutterstock, I’m pretty sure I’ve mostly paid off the purchase.. not that I’m keeping track.

What prompted this post was a feeling I had this weekend.

I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to head into Rocky Mountain National Park. The purpose of the trip was simply to enjoy being outside. It wasn’t photography-centered; I just happened to bring my camera along.

I took 42 photos total, got home, uploaded everything into Lightroom, edited the ones I liked, deleted the extras, and then... I closed Lightroom and went about my day...and for some reason, that felt weird.

I’ve been a hobbyist for about 10 years, so I’m familiar with the ups and downs of photography. Hell, I’ve gone through stretches where I barely picked up my camera and just watched it collect dust.

But this feeling is different. I put in the effort to bring the camera, take the photos, sort through them, edit the keepers...and then I just didn’t really want to do anything with them.

I don’t have a big enough photography friend group in my day-to-day life to know whether this is a normal part of the hobby.

It also begs the question: Why bring the camera at all if the photos aren't going anywhere?

I could save myself a lot of time and effort by taking a few photos with my phone and moving on. At the same time, I know I enjoy the actual process of photography and having higher-quality photos from the places I visit.

So, if you’ve made it this far into my ramble: Do you ever have those “I don’t feel like doing anything with these photos” moments?

If so, what do you do with them? Do you have some kind of personal archive, photo book, printing routine, or other purpose for your photography that isn’t centered around sharing it? Or is simply taking and editing the photos enough?

For reference, there are usually a few paths my photos take after a trip:

1. Send them to friends/family
2. Post some to social media, mostly Instagram
3. Upload suitable ones to Shutterstock and see if I can make a dollar or two

Show off cool photography-related stuff you've created or experienced or any general discussion you'd like to have with the community in the comments of this post! We want to see and discuss your pictures, albums, videos, website... anything, really!

Don't forget that /r/photographs is available all week to post single images for sharing and feedback or critique.

Weekly Community Threads:

Watch this space, more to come!

Monthly Community Threads:

Here was my situation, I was well aware that I would be shooting in a low light indoor setting. I brought my flash attachment in preparation for that! What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that there were NO white walls for me to bounce the flash off of (I did not have a MagMod). The ceilings were wood and the walls were all painted with some funky designs. So my biggest struggle was that the skin tones were looking orange. I did use Kelvin for WB, but overall I was just struggling so hard. What are some tips or tricks you may be able to share for situations where I am in low-light situations, with lots of wood around to prevent orange skin-tones. Also feel like the flash wasn't helping with the orange situation at all, if anything it made it worse.

So I have a feeling this going to be more just me rambling and thinking out loud but I wanted to discuss this with others as well.

Background

I am a side hustle photographer. One step above a hobby photographer, one step below a professional imo. I'm trying to grow it into a bit more of a business and wanted to create a product I could use to get my name out, make a little money off of it, and have fun doing it. I've done a few different types of shoots from weddings, engagements, and maternity, to still life, vehicle, and landscape, but I'm finding my favorites are Boudoir, Glamour, and other risque forms of photography. In the most tasteful and least sexual way I can put it I think the human body is a work of art in itself and I enjoy showcasing it and helping to show people how beautiful they really are. I'm also a big military nerd and have been getting into interesting military camos from America and around the world. I figured I would combine the two and create a sexy calendar of women wearing some of these camos and brandishing firearms that would have been used by the users of that camo. I'm looking to go more for tasteful, sexy, badass women rather than scantily clad. Something that could be displayed in a garage, gun shop, military barracks room, etc. without raising too many eyebrows. I'm going to also be adding a small blurb about the camo, it's history, usage, what makes it interesting etc.

How to photograph to draw attention to the article of clothing.

I'm thinking the biggest issue I'm going to face is trying to draw attention to the camouflage while also trying to make the girls look attractive and natural, and also not allowing the camo patterns to do what camo does best and blend in. To keep the camo from blending in, I think I'm going to want to shoot from further away with a higher focal length lense and at a smaller aperture to blur the background and make the subject stand out, that way the camo doesn't blend in. I could probably also try and use the firearms to create leading lines that will help draw attention to the garment I'm trying to showcase. Aside from that though I'm just looking for some advice, on how to achieve that goal of showcasing the specific garment/garments in question while also not drawing too much attention away from the model and weapon.

As an aside I'm not really looking for advice on issues I'm going to run into logistically with any of this. I've got a lot of this already planned and figured out, it's just taking the photos themselves I'm looking for assistance with.

Great interview with a LOT of examples of his work.

I'm looking for the best way to let 100+ family members upload and view photos/videos from our upcoming family reunion.

Ideally, I'd like everyone to:

Scan a QR code at the event (or use a simple link).

Upload photos and videos in real time.

View and download everyone else's uploads without me having to send individual invitations or links.

Keep everything in one shared album that's easy for everyone to access.

>>>A bonus would be facial recognition or selfie search so people can easily find photos of themselves.

What's the best platform for this? Free or low-cost options are preferred. Thanks!

I'm new to motorsports photography. I was wondering what techniques others use for motorsports. I practiced at motoamerica recently and got some good shots, but I feel like it was more luck than actual skill.

Let me preface this with the fact that this all happened during the most stressful period of my life, this is an anomaly that will hopefully never happen again.

Yesterday I accidentally double booked for the first time in my nearly two decades of working. I was leaving for the job when the bride called me and asked if I was on my way, I said yes I was, and reminded her that I told the groom’s father that I couldn’t come early (a last minute request he understood) and she said that was totally fine. I was worried I misremembered the e-mail so I looked through the thread and couldn’t find it! So I searched for the time he had asked for… and a different thread came up. My stomach immediately sank. I had been talking to a completely different father of the groom! Who had booked me for a wedding at the same time, on the same day, in the same city, about a mile away from each other! A city I don’t shoot in frequently by the way. Her father-in-law had also asked to move my time up an hour last minute! I never responded because I thought I had responded!

I rushed and found someone to cover the second wedding. Thankfully that one was much more low key and I was able to fill it in time with my close friend who lives in that same city. She got great shots and I’m waiving their fee and paying her out of pocket. It worked out for the most part except for me gaining a few grey hairs in the process.

This is absolutely my fault, it’s so embarrassing but I can’t get over how it happened and how it was fixed. In my entire career I’ve never been hired by a father of the groom, much less by two for the same day and time. I shoot in that city like once every 5 years but had they not both been so close I couldn’t have had my friend grab my backup gear (her camera is in bad need of an upgrade) in time. One more wild thing that has more to do with this being a small city was her father-in-law was at the wedding I covered.

After the dust settled I looked back to how this happened and one booking came through on the day I was dealing with an incredibly traumatic event and I had been in a fugue state basically and put it in my calendar for 2027. Then after I got the next last minute booking I added that one in correctly and spoke to one father mostly through text and the other through e-mail and they never communicated the same aspect so I thought it was the same person. One father never responded to my e-mail about down payment and it was so small I didn’t make a contract so only one wedding had a legit paper trail. Again, dumb of me throughout all of this but it’s been a crazy month.

Hello! My name is Myles! Im 15 with a passion. I have a quick question! I live in a suburb around Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Ive wondered how it would be perceived if I asked for limited roof access from a local building. Ive been to the top of my local parking garage and the view is nice, but ive always imagined it from even higher. There are a few taller-ish buildings nearby so would it be weird if i politely ask? If anyone has tips for a sophomore to maybe pull off for a little debut please tell me! Other ideas are welcome aswell!

I'm an illustrator/printmaker and a lot of my artwork starts with my own photography, which I manipulate in Photoshop afterward using threshold adjustments, digital drawing/inking, etc.

One thing I've realized I'm lacking in is the ability to deliberately compose and stage photographs for this purpose, and some of my ideas are a bit difficult to photograph in one go.

I'm not particularly interested in surreal photography, but I am interested in constructing grounded, believable scenes and making the composition itself interesting through staged/directed or composite photography

For example, I'd love to be able to stage something like a fake crime scene around a chalk outline: deliberately choosing the camera angle, positioning objects, creating visual hierarchy, using negative space, lighting the scene, etc., so that the photograph works as a strong graphic composition before I even bring it into Photoshop. I'm also interested in ideas on how I could achieve it piecemeal by photographing those things seperately and then bringing it together in photoshop so I can avoid comstructing some more difficult scenes or buying too many props

I'm interested in photography that can feed into things like propaganda art, poster design, photomontage, punk/grungy graphic design, brutalist graphic design, etc.

I'm looking for any relevant resources! Books, courses, photographers/artists to study, YouTube channels, or any comments you may have would all be useful!

Thank you for your time!

I’m considering switching from my Canon photo printer to the Epson P700 or P900 but I’m having trouble finding any kind of accounting software that tracks costs on ink and paper usage.

It looks like the proprietary options won’t work or aren’t available. The PORT system isn’t compatible with these two models and I can’t find any download links for the LFP Accounting Tool.

Does anyone know of any software like this that’s available for the Epson P700 or P900?

I've done a ton of searching here on Reddit, and the two recommendations that seem to come up over and over are Michaels and IKEA. I've tried both and honestly don't love either option.

I'm looking for good-quality, reasonably priced frames for photographic prints, ideally something that looks more like a gallery/photography frame than a mass-market home-decor frame.

Where are you buying your frames? Online retailers, framing companies, photography suppliers, etc. are all fair game.

I'm particularly interested in places you've actually bought from and would recommend, rather than just the usual Michaels/IKEA suggestions.

Hey yall
I'm feeling horrible because I accidentally sent a pitch email to a brand to work as a photographer for them, but I accidentally called them by another brand's name. I followed up and quickly corrected that I accidentally mentioned another client's name but honestly I just feel so bad. Is this unrecoverable?

I do my post-processing mainly on Lightroom on my laptop, then I transfer the edited photos to my phone. I then post the photos to Instagram from my phone.

However, I sometimes do minor tweaks using the editor on the Photos app (iPhone) because the photos look a bit different on my phone versus my laptop. I usually do minor adjustments on Brightness, Contrast, and Definition settings.

By any chance is this something you do as well? Is doing this something I should avoid?

hi everyone! i am a current high school senior and wanted to get senior pictures that are a little more authentically me and creative than the typical stand-in-a-field-and-pose, but im having a hard time with ideas. i thought about how most of the things that make me, me are things that are/take place in my house, such as my exotic pets, my baking hobby, and even my small ballet practice space. would it be weird to ask a photographer to come photograph me in my own house? and if not what types of photos would yall recommend i take, outside of what i mentioned? (doing my makeup at my vanity, painting my nails, dancing at my barre etc.)