In the day and age when cameras are everywhere and used by everyone it’s hard to remember that photography is a complex and challenging art. The craft requires not only talent but technical knowledge. As with any industry becoming a master of your trade involves a lot of practice, time, and perseverance.

Photography, however, is one of those misunderstood areas that are often overlooked in terms of its difficulty and value. Maybe because it’s only clicking a button, right?

This belief of some leads to a loss of appreciation and value for one of the world’s oldest art forms. It also sadly leads to some very strange and often rude questions/statements made by people who converse with photographers.

We all love a giggle, and in the essence of a good bit of fun, below is a list of the top 10 things not to say to a photographer – with a little bit of an explanation if you still need it. ?

10. Are you team Canon or Nikon?

Or generally mock your chosen photography brand because it does not conform to a misplaced belief that their own preferred brand is ‘better’. A statement made which usually has a follow-up question of ‘Do you shoot RAW?’ The idea here is that the person asking the question is trying to give the impression that they know what they are talking about and can hold their own in a conversation about photography. The truth is, it does not matter what your using; Canon, Nikon, Contax, Fuji, Sony, Hasselblad – they all have their pros and their cons, some are better at certain styles of photography than others. Writing off a brand of football boots as awful because Ronaldo doesn’t play in them is just ridiculous.

9. Thanks for your quote, but we have a family friend/student/Uncle Bob who has offered to do it for free…

Ouch. This is always a painful one for reasons that are twofold. 1. It’s possible that your family friend, a rising star student or Uncle Bob knows and owns the necessary equipment to do the job, and of course the knowledge. It’s also highly unlikely. 2. Moreover, if you have seen their work previously and think it can compete with a professional with years of experience you probably don’t know a good image from a banana.

8. We saw on ‘insert photographers site here’ and we really want you to do it for us

The first and obvious question is; Why aren’t you hiring them? Most photographers are open to suggestions and even actively encourage couples to find images they like (I know I do!) But asking to copy someone else’s work is just a big no no. If you want the original go to the maker.

7. We know you’ve taken more photos; can we have the rest?

Nope. A lot of people are firm in their beliefs that the more images you get the more value for money you are receiving. Personally, I would rather hand over 100 perfectly executed images to a customer than 1000 pot shots with those 100 perfectly executed images thrown in. In giving 1000 images the impact of those perfect 100 shots gets massively diluted. There are a lot of factors we simply, can’t control when shooting subjects. If granny has her eyes closed in 2 out of the 3 shots we’ve executed why do you need the other 2 when I’ve given you the best outcome? Trust the professional you’re hiring.

6. Don’t take photos of this here, this is a private moment.

Is this not exactly what I have been hired for?! *Headbutts Desk*

5. What megapixel is your camera?

Popular, but needing to know this is mostly irrelevant. Unless of course, you understand the actual difference between megapixels and resolution. Or you need to use an image I’m taking to cover a 30x40ft billboard (in which case we would all like to presume you already know I have the correct equipment for the job). It’s very true that some mobile phones do indeed have a larger megapixel count than some professional cameras. But that mobile phone is also capturing an image through a £2 piece of glass the size of a pinhole with a sensor whose output does not go above 72dpi. In other words, literally, no comparison – no matter how many filters you stack over it.

4. Why don’t you include the digital copy?! I brought the print!

Never quite understood this one. I might try it the next time I go shopping. ‘Hey, I’ve brought a shirt and tie, why on earth are you not throwing in the suit for free!?’ Not sure how far that one will get me.

3. We would love your use your photos for our magazine/website/publication. We won’t pay you, but you’ll get loads of work from it!

If I had a £ for every time…

2. I could do that too if I had your camera.

Oh really? *Resets all settings, hands camera over* Show me. I’ve employed many people over the years for related photography jobs. I’ve never, in nearly 20 years found anyone with anything less than 5 years hands-on experience that can take an image to the standards I need and do it consistently on every job in every environment without serious training. Fact. In fact, more people quit because it’s not as easy as they think.

1.You can just Photoshop that, right?

I probably could if you’re going to pay for the time it takes. Photoshop or any other editing program, is not some mobile one-click wonder where all your issues magically disappear at the touch of a mouse. Photoshop, like photography, is an art form all to itself. Any photographer worth their salt will tell you it’s quite common to spend 3 times the amount of time spent capturing the image on processing it. Especially true if you are working with an image that needs extensive editing. Unfortunately, with terms battered around in the media such as ‘airbrushing’ where joe public thinks we take a spray can and viola! Instant make-over! Anything may seem possible.  A little industry secret: there is no such thing as airbrushing in digital imagery, there never has been. It’s called retouching. And if you want your image to end up looking akin to a Maybelline advert, expect a team of no less than 6 people working in shifts 24 hours a day one week to complete a single image. I’m not sure but I’m guessing your budget probably just exploded.