These are the worst 20 things you can say to a photographer [NSFW]

All photographers have gone through awkward and unpleasant situations throughout their career. And I believe we all have some of the sentences we find especially annoying when we hear them from clients, friends or even family members. Mathieu Stern asked his Instagram followers what are the worst things someone can say to a photographer? And in this fun short video, he shares the answers he got.

1. “Can you make me look skinny?”
2. “Can you send me the RAW files?”
3. “Can I see your camera screen?”
4. “My new iPhone is better than your big camera?”
5. “Come to my wedding, I can’t afford a photographer.”
6. “Your lens is not big enough.”
7. “You ask for too much money, all you do is click a button.”
8. “Can you make it warmer but with more blue?
9. “Why is it all blurry in the background?”
10. “Tripods are forbidden here.”
11. “I hate having my photo taken.”
12. “Can I have all the reject photos too?”
13. “You don’t even have to edit them, it’s fine.”
14. “What do you do the rest of the week?”
15. “I only need one photo, will it be cheaper?”
16. “Would you edit my selfie I shot with a phone?”
17. “Sony or Canon, shat should I buy?”
18. “You don’t have a degree, so you’re not really a professional.
19. “Shoot for free, I’ll promote your work.”
20. “Your camera makes every photo easier to take.”

Although I’m not a professional photographer (but I’ve done a couple of paid gigs here and there), I’ve heard some of these as well. When I did paid photo shoots, there were always poor attempts of “negotiating” such as the one under point 15. Or people wanted to “promote my work,” asking me to, naturally, shoot for free. There was one time when I heard this: “But the [other guy] would charge me the same, and he is a professional, he has a degree.” And then people ask me why I don’t want to turn photography into a business.

I still occasionally hear some other things from Mathieu’s list. Some of them are funny and a bit awkward, and the others are annoying or uncomfortable. Most commonly, people ask me which camera to buy, but I find it kinda cute that they trust my judgment and knowledge. And one of those annoying things I keep hearing is “well it’s easy to take photos that good with your professional camera.” And I have a Nikon D7000, for god’s sake.

What are the worst things that you hear as a photographer? And how do you deal with them?

[20 Worst Things to Say to a Photographer | Mathieu Stern]