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30 Times Influencers Had The Stupidest Photoshoot Idea And Got Refused By The Photographers
Influencer industry is a tremendous market. In fact, influencer marketing grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to a mind-blowing $9.7 billion in 2020. This year, the market is projected to expand to a whopping $16.4 billion industry. But with social media becoming saturated with influencer content, from digital creators to fashion influencers, activists, and opinion makers, standing out is harder than ever.
A quick search on your Instagram reveals that one good photograph with a well-written message can amass millions of likes. No wonder influencer photoshoots are getting more professional from the brands that sponsor them to the incredible photographers that create them. Speaking of the latter, they have seen this and that, and while some influencers are great to work with, others are anything but inspiring.
“What is the most outrageous photo shoot request you have received from an Instagram 'influencer'?” asked Redditor u/peaches1687 and the thread went viral, amassing 61k upvotes. Photographers used the opportunity to speak up and share the most delusional requests they received from social media creators, so get ready for some cringe and eyerolls.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Not a photographer personally but a few of my close friends are. My friend we’ll call Sara is a pretty successful photographer for only being college student. About a month ago Sara and I were meeting up for lunch at our University’s Food Court and shes fiddling with her cameras prepping them for a big shoot she has that night when this very attractive girl walks over and starts chatting us up. She makes a few minutes of casual conversation mostly inquiring about Saras cameras, and then finally asks if she’d be interested in doing a shoot. She immediately throws her pitch which had to do with modeling some very risqué outfits up in the mountains just outside of the city and then a few photos directly in the center of downtown. Overall the whole pitch was something that bordered very close to being p*rnographic in nature. Sara tells the girl her typically rates and also states that because of the nature of the shoot she’ll have to charge extra as its not something she typically does or is super comfortable with. The girls face when Sara mentioned the price went from enthusiastic to very “are you kidding me?” She then buts in and says “I have over 85k instagram followers, do you know the kind of exposure working with me would give you? This is a once in a lifetime chance for you.” Sara responds telling her that shes an in house photographer for 3 of the cities largest concert venues, works as a photographer for the newspaper, and is a highly recommended wedding photographer on top of it all. “I don’t work for free” My favorite line she said during this was “I work with people much more famous than you on an almost daily basis. I’ve shot photos for Marilyn Manson, Motley Crue, Shania Twain, Post Malone and a bunch of other musicians that come through and was paid for all of it. Your exposure isn’t worth anything to me” after that the girl got really upset and walked off.
Anna Banana 3 years ago
The funniest (most disconnected from reality) part was how Sara already said she doesn't normally do this type of shoot, and the influencer still thought that she should be grateful for the exposure. Sara literally said she doesn't want this kind of exposure and would even charge extra for it.
Ellen Ranks 3 years ago
Seems that being an influencer affects your hearing.
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Amy Pattie 3 years ago
If her photoshoots are pornographic in nature, the exposure isn’t worth much. Back in the day, no one buying Playboy magazine thinking, “gosh, I love the lighting! I wonder who did the photography!”
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
Exactly, everyone only bought it for the stories anyway 😉
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#It'sthatonepersonscrolling 3 years ago
To me, compensation from exposure is similar to exposure to radiation: you don't make any profit off of it, & it usually leaves you feeling sick/nauseous when you're done.
AnnaBanana 3 years ago
I hope Sara said it in the matter of fact way it was written - I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation, just to see the instahore's face!
Uber Mensch 3 years ago
As my grandmother used to say: "I'd like to buy them for what they're worth, and then sell them for what they THINK they're worth."
WhatEvenIsLife 3 years ago
I do not get influencers. Every single thing I've ever heard about them is how obnoxious they are.
Linda Mermaid 3 years ago
You need to pay me for my skills ‘Cause exposure doesn’t pay my bills….
RELATED:
#2
I got invited to a friends wedding as a guest. When the wedding was a few weeks away I posted on facebook about some arm surgeries. They messaged me asking if I could still shoot photos. I could not - and they uninvited me. I was never asked to shoot photos, just invited as a guest. Perhaps they assumed I’d bring my camera? I’m a hobbyist, not a pro.
Alan Strachan 3 years ago
I was invited to a wedding. A few days later I was asked to do the photography. I declined the offer as I'd never done a wedding before. Next day I was uninvited!
John Smith 3 years ago
Time to get some friends* Those were never friends to begin with.
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Susanne B 3 years ago (edited)
Was she really a friend if she wouldn't have you at her wedding, if you were unable to shoot photos?
Jacob Erickson 3 years ago
I wonder what would have happened if they hadn't seen the photos and you had shown up without a camera.
Audrey Kern 3 years ago
I had two 'friends' get married and they asked if I could shoot their wedding photos. I unfortunately agreed and after they got the photos, they dropped me as a friend. Better for my mental health I guess but I wasn't reimbursed in the slightest for the drive or my time
Gary Harkins 3 years ago
Obviously not a good friend seeing as he couldn't take advantage of you so he uninvited you
#3
Had an "influencer" try to set up a shoot with me. When I mentioned my price she was shocked because she was under the assumption that I was going to pay her for some reason.
Michael Sanders 3 years ago
These are all going to be the same. They are entitled shiits. If you want to hear the same story you already know in a different setting, stick around. If not meet me in another post.
xolitaire 3 years ago
So? Photographers are treated like s**t on a daily basis, they have the right to vent. If that is too much for you, you are welcome to skip this. But spare us the whining.
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Richard Portman 3 years ago
Influencers are bad news. They don't have an identity of their own, so they go around taking pictures of cool places, just to show how cool they are. They feel so special, and all they do is leave trash behind them.
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
I would say they are leeches but leeches are an important part of the ecosystem.
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Andrew (I <3 Cats =.=) 3 years ago
They're called influencers because they're under the influence
Rebekah Conard 3 years ago
So like, does the influencer pitch ever work on anyone? They must get SOMEONE to bite, and that's why they keep trying it... right?
Bored Toadette 3 years ago (edited)
Are you kidding me?!? Why the h*ll should YOU pay HER to do a JOB for HER?? Damn influencer's. Most of them believe they are celebrity's and think in they're head that other people owe them, like the photograpers are lucky to "get the job",🤢... I dont understand and i know i never will. To me they're just rude wannabe models who think they are important..
Bored Panda reached out to Rich Soublet, a headshot and portrait photographer in San Diego, California who shared a couple of insights into his work, as well as what is it like to work with sometimes difficult influencers.
In a response to the question "Photographers of Reddit: What is the most outrageous photoshoot request you have received from an Instagram 'influencer'?" from Ask Reddit, Soublet wrote: "Been a wedding photographer for 12 years. I ROUTINELY get asked to do entire weddings for free. Not even always from Instagram influencers. One time this guy (whom I didn't even like that much) asked me to do a wedding for free for his friend. Someone I didn't even know existed at all until this interaction."
He added: "I just imagine walking into a restaurant and asking for the absolute best meal they have for zero dollars and then telling them it will be good for their business to do so." The post received 2.5k upvotes on the thread.
#4
Influencer asked me to shoot and before I even had the chance to give her my prices she decided to give me hers, over $300 for ME to shoot with HER for 30 minutes, one of her main selling points was she could “teach me how to leverage and grow my social media”.
Girl was 15...
Edit to clarify: She was asking me to pay her $300+ when in reality at a minimum she should be paying me. I don’t even charge that much haha
Kimi Tomminello 3 years ago
15 year old influencer thinks that she can teach this photographer how to grow her business and that this photographer should be paying her for it... And take pictures for her.
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Rick Greene 3 years ago
I was in a restaurant and noticed a table in the corner where three very pretty people were enjoying a large meal. The server delivers the bill, one of the girls writes something on it and hands it back. Shortly afterwards the manager shows up and the party starts in about a free meal for "exposure". Got ugly, all in attendance were exposed to their entitled huff, but there was no free meal.
Jennifer Lewis 3 years ago
I wonder how many "influencers" are reading these and seeing nothing wrong with them? 😆
Per-Ole Sjuve 3 years ago
What confuses me is that we accept that a 15 year old girl is influencing people enough to hold the title as Influencer. And noone bats an eyelash.
Laura J. Davis 3 years ago
All these so-called influencers have no idea that the people they are "influencing" don't care about them. Their celebrity is all in their own heads.
#5
Had someone ask for me to do a videography shoot of their new house being built. They said $200, but they wanted me to go each weekend for 2 years and shoot it to build up a time lapse and stuff. I definitively said no
June’s Very Own 3 years ago
ONLY $200! For your services that would last for 2 whole years? Are they crazy?
Viktor 3 years ago
That’s a solid 2 dollars per weekend. Back in 1922 that might have been appropriate pay…
Elena Alonso 3 years ago
You forgot to factor in editing. That gonna take HOURS if not DAYS
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Denise Melek 3 years ago
For that price they can send you a picture they took with their mobile each sunday and you put them into an automated slideshow after 2 years :D.
AngelWingsYT 3 years ago
$200 a year? I make MORE then that in a WEEK at my PART TIME job XD thats ridiculous ass pay
Owiella Freddie 3 years ago
Are you sure it wasn’t $200 for each visit? That’s what I would have responded with.
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
Make it $200 a weekend (if I lived nearby) and its a deal. $200 a day if I have to drive a ways.
#6
I own a wedding photography and videography company in Florida. A YouTube “famous” couple inquired with us for their wedding and demanded all of the unedited images and video along with the copyrights so they could edit themselves for their YouTube channel. It’s a request we’ll gladly honor, for the correct price. For those of you who don’t know, copyrights to 800-1500 images and 12+ hours of video goes for tens of thousands of dollars.
They offered to pay us less than half our regular coverage price for everything. Hah. Bye girl. When we told them we wouldn’t accommodate their request, the bride had her MOTHER call me to yell at us for “ruining” their wedding.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
If their wedding was "ruined" by your inability to accommodate their ridiculous "offer", they shouldn't be getting married.
Amy Taylor 3 years ago
Ugh.... I've been a film and TV makeup artist for a few decades now and this whole "influencer" culture kills me. I've always been paid for my work, and now a lot of companies want to give us "a mention" or "tag our SM" in lieu of paying us. Hard pass.
Jacob Erickson 3 years ago
I'm confused. Copyrights on wedding photos? I gave my photographer a hard drive and asked for all the photos and videos, even the ones they weren't going keep or ones that were taken badly. He said there would be a lot and I made sure to get him a 2 TB hard drive just in case. Im not a social media person, I just wanted every moment of my wedding. No extra charge was asked for.
Megan Boomershine 3 years ago
Why didnt they just hire someone else lol how could it all be your fault geez somethings wrong with that whole situation
Tom Hanlin 3 years ago (edited)
Holding onto the copyrights does sound like extortion. Do you normally make lots of money selling someone else's wedding pictures to random buyers?
Dillon Brown 3 years ago
I might agree with you if this wasn't obviously some sort of publicity event where supposed YouTube celebs were trying to cash in on the event to make themselves more famous
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Vicki Mathison 3 years ago
I do always live a "YOU ARE RUINING MY WEDDING " Storry they ALWAYS include a bride that didn't het their way lol
Apachebathmat 3 years ago
Hi supermarket, let me eat your produce for free every week and I will feature you, soon everyone will be using supermarkets that’s to my 35 follow EXpOsUrE
Linh Ngüyën 3 years ago
You're not really famous or influencing anything if you can't even make enough money from actual sponsors.
Soublet recounted that he politely told him "No I'm not going to do that." He said: "Not only were they asking for a free shoot, but it was also on Halloween! Give up a holiday I love to make no money for someone I don't know? No thanks."
Soublet who is a professional photographer said that photography has been a hobby since he was a kid. "In college, a friend asked if I could do their headshots and I thought 'It's just a photo of their face, how hard could it be?'" He added: "Hard. The answer is hard. They came out nice though (for how good I was at the time) and I figured 'Maybe I have something here.'"
#7
A few years back I was in Acadia National Park and we did the Beehive Trail hike. For those unfamiliar it’s basically as close to rock climbing as you can get non harnessed as you are going straight up a cliff on iron rungs and stuff, so super fun and you are rewarded with an amazing view at the top. Most people take a quick snap there at the lip, as most do at the peak of their hike, and then move on to the more rocky area (but less a nice view) to rest.
Anyway while we were there resting two Instagram girls got to the top, and promptly took over the best view of the lip to take various yoga poses. (Because that was totally a natural thing to do after scrambling up a cliff?) For at least ten minutes- families were coming up asking if they could take a picture, but they literally said “we were here first” and “we’ll be here awhile” when asked if they were almost done.
We ended up leaving before they were done but it still boils my blood thinking about it.
Zophra 3 years ago
Shame the families etc. couldn't photobomb the influencer's pictures (not sure how close they were to the cliff) after a too-long wait.
BigOrangeTractor 3 years ago
Oh, I definitely would have. Would have taken my sweet time about it, too.
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Denise Melek 3 years ago
Just sit beside them, unpack a beer, scratch your ass, fart, exploit a bloated belly, laugh and point at them ..
AnnaBanana 3 years ago
You should have pushed them off the cliff! The world needs two less effluencers!
Lori Harper 3 years ago
I was thinking they should grab the cameras/phones and throw them off the cliff, but your idea works, too!
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Apachebathmat 3 years ago (edited)
I’m female so urinating requires a squat position, so as long as they don’t mind that look in their self absorbed nonsense photos, crack on! Otherwise move! (Literally crack on btw)
#8
I do documentary film and I had a non-film job in college and I met this lady who was maybe 30 ask me to do an "Instagram video like this" and she showed me a professional video-shoot done with a greenscreen, lights and set. I told her I could probably get pretty close to quality (with my University's equipment) but it would take time to get a crew together & reserve a studio. She told me no, that I should just record it with my phone. I told her that's not what they did for the Instagram video she just showed me and she said "It's on Instagram, that means they recorded it with their phone." She dropped it after I mentioned I charge money and wouldn't just "do it to be nice." She has like 10 followers and three of them were pornbots.
June’s Very Own 3 years ago
Why do people expect that people with jobs are just gonna so things for them for free?
Gregory Mead 3 years ago
Because they have a huge sense of entitlement and self-importance.
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Mary Rogers 3 years ago
"It's on Instagram, that means they recorded it with their phone." Is this person for real? That's the logic of a 5 year old.
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
You can ask a photographer for free photos, but all hell breaks loose when you ask an influencer for free poses.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
"Excuse me, but your ignorance is showing..." She obviously assumed you would enjoy showing your FREE work on Instagram for the exposure (to 10 followers?). If her previous video shoot was recorded on someone's phone, why didn't she just use their "services" again?
#9
Work in a camera store and do photography myself, hear stories about this sort of stuff all the time. Usually just ask model shoots for exposure but I’ve heard and seen stories (there is a fairly popular one at the moment about a photographer in Chicago) about people asking for full wedding shoots for exposure. Not always ‘influencers’ asking these questions either, sometimes arsehole people ask this stuff and then say stuff like ‘well if I had that equipment then we’d be able to get the same results’.
They just don’t have respect for the time that goes into the art form.
AnnaBanana 3 years ago
People who are not artists, or creative in any way, have no idea about what goes into creating art. No idea of the time spent mentally planning, experimenting, testing over and over again until you get it 'right'. It's hours of work before you even start the actual work!!
Anna Banana 3 years ago
[At the risk of causing the world to implode] I disagree. You don't have to be an artist to know how much work, experience and money the photographer is putting into each project.
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Jon Jobling 3 years ago
It’s like saying “ if I used the same word processor as JK Rowling, I can write an epic multi million dollar childrens fantasy series”
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
Photography, good photography, is not just point and shoot. If they want their event photographed for free, they can ask a "budding" photographer (a niece or nephew, perhaps) who not only wouldn't mind NOT being paid, but who would be thrilled by the potential "exposure".
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
A friend of mine is a photographer and runs a blog, while being fairly popular on social media as a photographer. An influencer offered her services to pose for him. She said "because I only have about 100k followers, I'll cut you a deal and charge about $100/day". He said "so if its $100/ day/1k followers, then... you'd owe me $3,000/day". He has nearly 30x the followers as she does.
Plato 3 years ago
I'd tell them to just go buy the equipment and see how "great" their results really are if they're that sure of themselves 🙄
Plato 3 years ago
They might even spend more money on all the equipment itself than just hiring a wedding photographer (depending on the equipment and the rates ofc)
Load More Replies... Jennifer Lewis 3 years ago
I think cellphone cameras have made the concept that there's a lot more that goes into real, good photography. Why pay you when they can just make everything black and white. You know. Art. 😆😆
Ellie Rosser 3 years ago
Even if that was true, they do NOT have that equipment so the point is still wildly invalid.
When asked why so many influencers and people in general try to get free photoshoots, Soublet said that "it's a combination of people thinking photography is easy and knowing that photographers love taking photos. They're banking on your love of creativity to jump at the chance to make something new and have people see it. Also, a lot of people want to get without giving."
#10
Not an influencer necessarily, but a band. I have a really close family friend from high school who plays in a local band, and he usually does a pretty good job at getting me on the guest list, whether or not I actually want to take pictures. However, I do bring my camera with every time, just in case. I usually use the opening band(s) to dial in my settings and see what angles look good for the stage setup, because they didn't even know I was going to be there in the first place, and I'm there because of my friend, so obviously I want anything I give to him to be some of my better work. Sometimes if the other bands notice me walking around and snapping pictures during their set, they'll come find me after the show and ask for some of the pictures. If I managed to get any that look decent, I never have a problem sending them copies of the photos for their social media pages. Some bands even offer to give me a free t-shirt or hat or vinyl of their newest release, etc. Which is always appreciated. As with any photo that hasn't been purchased, (done for exposure) I place my watermark on the lower right corner of the picture after I'm done editing. It's not obtrusive, it's pretty tasteful in my opinion, and it just ensures people know who took the photo. Sometimes bands can't remember my name or forget to tag me in a post, no big deal, humans make mistakes, I get it. So after this one concert in early 2019, the lead singer of an opening band (one I had never heard of) comes up to me and says "I saw you taking pictures during our set, would you mind sending those to us for our Instagram?" I said no problem, give me a few days to import, edit, and upload the photos and I'll email you everything. She followed it up with "We're on tour right now, so we're pretty hard pressed for money, but we'd be happy to give you a shout-out on our page and direct bands in the area to look into you for concert photography." I said "yeah that's fine, I already got free admission to the concert through another band so I'm not super worried about the money, besides this is more of a hobby than a job." And we went out separate ways. Fast forward about a week and I decide to go check their Instagram to see if they had posted anything from that show, and sure enough, they had. However, not only had they not tagged me in the post, they had completely cropped out the watermark I put on the picture. So much for the exposure I guess. I reached out to them on Instagram and also commented on the post using my photography profile, not my personal one, and just politely asked them if they'd add my tag to the photo as not only was it my actual photograph, but it was also my edit. Well, they blocked me. Only on my photography profile though. I checked their Instagram on my personal when I started reading this thread, and sure enough, that picture is still on their page, and they hadn't even deleted the comment I made on it saying "I'm sure it's an honest mistake, but I'd appreciate you giving credit to the photographer who kindly sent you these photos with nothing promised but a shout out." Some people's kids, man
BigOrangeTractor 3 years ago
Sadly, a verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on. Even if it's just scribbled on a napkin, get it down and signed if it means anything to you.
Gregory Mead 3 years ago
Ironically, musicians also often have to put up with people suggesting they play for free at a venue or event "for exposure". As an amateur (occasionally paid) musician, our band decided that (other than occasional charities) we would always require payment for a gig. We might not ask that much, but we also weren't as good as some of the other musicians we know. You get what you pay for! I don't get the "cropping out the watermark" thing. You weren't asking to get paid, they weren't stealing your photo. It just seems the decent thing to do to include your watermark.
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
I certainly wouldn't have been so nice. I'd have threatened a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Likely not in that realm, but photographers usually know more about photo copyright than bands do.
Akiyamasama lamadingdong 3 years ago
Strike with a DCMA. Instagram will take it down. Sucks for the band but they went back on their word.
Briana Landers 3 years ago
Hah time to find their fb and families profiles and directly tell on them no matter how old they are
#11
Wedding Photographer here, they said they were influencers with a great following that they'd promote me to but when I asked for their handle online, silence.
I get this is a lot as I'm fairly well known so an easy target when people look.
Exposure? People die from exposure.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
Sounds like you're not an "easy" target though. So good on you. Why do "influencers" (if indeed they are) think they're so damn desirable?
Felicia Dale 3 years ago
Yep. Organizers will schedule payment for anything from ice sculptures to portapotties but musicians are offered “exposure.”
#12
Someone asked me to shoot her entire wedding, a full day, an engagement photoshoot underwater (I do underwater photography also) and some 'honeymoon' shots somewhere... All for 'exposure'... I straight up said no, politely and she kicked off in a patronising way asking me if she knew who she was and what it would do for my career... She had about 10k less followers than I did and I don't even do weddings as I had pointed out so it wasn't even in my best interest even if she had millions of followers. Oh and an 'influencer' guy asked me to do a nude photoshoot for him for free. I declined but wished him luck... He then sent a dick pic. I reported him.
BigOrangeTractor 3 years ago
If you think about it, 'do you know who I am??!?' is such a self-burn, because no, no I do not because you're nobody much.
Alan Strachan 3 years ago
A friend asked if I could help 1 of her friends out as she was looking for some family photographs. The friend of a friend gave me a phone and said she was looking for some photos of her and her kids. "I think it would be great if you could come to my house and do some family photos then do individual ones too. Then we could go to the local park and do the same there." To put you in the picture she lived about 30 miles away from me! I said "Ok, I'll come to you. Do you 30 - 40 shots in the house. Go to the park and do the same there. I'll edit them, do any post work required on them all and send them to you on a USB stick. Now, normally I'd charge around £160 for all that work but since you're a friend of my friend I'll only take 80 quid" She replied "80 QUID! I'm not paying anymore than 20!" Told her that wouldn't even cover my travel costs there and back but for £20 I'd tell her how to switch the camera on her phone on and she could take the photos herself!
The pizza girl is here! 3 years ago
Ohhh bored panda, you slipped up on the last sentence there, I see you
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
I'm beginning to understand that "influencers" (cough) are nothing but cons with huge egos and small bank accounts.
Margaret Martin 3 years ago
I offered to take pics at a couple of weddings as my gift to them. BOTH hired "Professional" photographers- BOTH said my pics were better than the pros. One paid me for multiple copies that they gave to Family. Sadly... NEITHER ended up posting my "Better than the Pro's" pics on their Social Media feeds OR referred me to any PAYING gigs... so that sucked.
Steve Fischer 3 years ago
Would have sent the picture back saying it was too little compensation
Bored Turtle Princess 3 years ago
Was that "influencer" thinking that the photographer will agree to do a nude photoshoot of him for free if he send them a d**k pic of himself? What an idiot .
What's important for people to understand is that photographers provide a service that holds value, otherwise you'd never ask a photographer to take photos, Soublet argues. "These humans deserve to eat and be housed and those things can't be paid for without money. If you value the work someone creates, pay them to create it for you."
#13
Did a shoot with this girl- supposed to be a typical collab. Once we met up she was bossing me around, wouldn’t listen to my suggestions and was talking to me like her employee. After the shoot she demanded I send her the hundreds of raw photos so she could edit them herself and that she didn’t want me to post any so that they would seem like she took them herself. I sent her 3 pics and erased the rest. Never talked to her again. Some models are a trip.
Zenozenobee 3 years ago
Maybe they send 3 when she had her eyes closed or made faces ;p
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Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
Girl sneering, girl demanding, girl picking her nose...
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Man in the ceiling 3 years ago
Large watermark in the center at 80% opacity
Load More Replies... Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago (edited)
If you boss me around, that means I'm your employee, yes? So pay me.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
I wouldn't have even developed the photos. Developing and erasing took YOUR valuable time.
#14
I do street photography every so often. I was once offered "influence credit" for pretending to be in shock that I found her in the streets of my town. I would take a bunch of photos of her at the spot and give them to her. This would all be recorded by her, I hope, boyfriend. I wasn't allowed to use the photos myself and all I would get is a tag at the end of the description.
I said no thanks. Then snapped a couple photos of her.
She said she would sue me.
I said we were on public streets and I'm a hobbyist who doesn't sell. I dont need model waivers.
Never heard from her again.
Never used photos either. Shes not interesting.
HurlWurk 3 years ago (edited)
Not sure about the rest of the world, but in the US, pictures taken for personal use are not illegal. If someone was to use your picture in a magazine or ad, you could sue. It's a civil case though, not criminal. Only private property can have no pictures rules.
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Lisa Valen 3 years ago
"Influence credit"? What the heck is THAT anyway? Sounds illegal, to be honest...
Got Myself 4 Pandas 3 years ago
Unrelated, kinda, but I so wish I had the woman in the photo's figure, just gorgeous
#15
Been a wedding photographer for 12 years. I ROUTINELY get asked to do entire weddings for free. Not even always from Instagram influencers. One time this guy (whom I didn't even like that much) asked me to do a wedding for free for his friend. Someone I didn't even know existed at all until this interaction.
I just imagine walking into a restaurant and asking for the absolute best meal they have for zero dollars and then telling them it will be good for their business to do so.
Anna Banana 3 years ago
And if they say no, try saying that they've just ruined your engagement proposal. Works like a charm, I'm told.
Paul Davis 3 years ago
I have seen plenty of stories about "influencers" shrieking at restaurants for not knowing who they were and daring to present them with the bill. And have to get threatened with prosecution to pay up.
Birdie OHara 3 years ago
I've read plenty of posts from restauranteurs where that very thing has happened. So tired of the whole " influencer," thing - hope it finally goes away for good, soon.
Rachel Ainsworth 3 years ago
We should all buy whistles and blow them anytime a bad person (aka influencer) contacts us).
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Pamela Blue 3 years ago
Influencers DO go into restaurants to ask that very thing! Influencers are their own worst enemies, because the term "Influencer" is now synonymous with "talentless grifter."
Marco Hub-Dub 3 years ago (edited)
I think the idea of “side hustle” has permeated thinking in some cases. Society somewhat celebrates hustling new ways to make an income and that spills over into some peoples thinking. It becomes how to save money on one situation or make a quick buck in another. When this becomes a dopamine trigger and one is chasing the hustle, they tend to forget who and where that’s coming from. Even when it’s a friend.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
Gee. I don't know why I never tried that. Free meals at the best restaurants to provide them exposure.
#16
Had someone ask me to do more than a week of videography for them and create a promo video for $200... Not a day... For the whole week.
June’s Very Own 3 years ago
I feel like some people in this thread need to put themselves in the photographers shoes and decide whether the price they are offering would suit them.
Phil Vaive 3 years ago
Exactly. I'm self employed as well, and when people ask me to do a week's worth of work for only a few hundred dollars, I ask them when I'm supposed to earn the rest of my money for that week to be able to pay for my rent and food etc.
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Jennifer Lewis 3 years ago
As long as sites monetize people simply for their vanity, this will never stop. 🤷♀️
#17
I noticed an ad on Facebook for a local bar that was looking for a photographer, so I fired them over an email asking for more info. The bar wanted me from midnight till 2am on a Saturday morning, for approximately 300 photos, all edited and delivered by midday the same day. For this extraordinary amount of work, said bar was willing to pay £50. I politely declined and informed them that any professional photographer would consider those kind of rates an absolute insult.
Jaekry 3 years ago
So for 12 hours for 50$... At night. With expensive equipment.... (Low light lense are really expensive... Think 2000-5000$ it even up, and the the rest of equipment)... I really think this must be a result of the bar owner to be underpaying staff and relying on tips from customers.
Winter's Dream 3 years ago
Fifty bucks isn't even a decent bar tab. At least give the guy a drink.
#18
I have a friend who owns a popular bar. He has signs up discreetly saying there is a $100 up charge if you are an “influencer and ask for comps.” He literally charges people $100 if they ask him to comp the check because they will mention him. So far he says he hasn’t gotten a single chargeback from a credit card company when he’s done it (I think he has only done it a few times with particularly obnoxious people).
Paul Davis 3 years ago
Truthfully I doubt he could enforce that if the influencers wanted to fight it. Despite influencers being dipshits, you also don't want to order a $5 drink from a bar and then have them able to take $10,000 from you just because the owner doesn't like some trivial thing you said or did or doesn't like the color of your socks.
Dog Thievery 101 3 years ago (edited)
why not put the sign up in neon lights? patrons and customers alike won't bother to read it anyways. a store i used to work at has signs on the door, counter, and face shield, all saying IDs were to be checked. this did not stop everyone but the regulars from being shocked by this "revelation". um, even tho there was a sign 3 inches away from their face and a copy of it 6 inches in the opposite direction.
Nina Wang 3 years ago
Hey Barbie, a word of advice for you, stop this. You're really not funny :)
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#19
A related story but exactly what OP is asking for, we were on a road trip and at the Toketee falls near southern Oregon. Now this falls is located at the end of a trail about a mile long. The trail leads to a vantage point that’s about 40-50 feet above the fall. If you are a rock climber, then you can probably scramble to the base of the falls but it’s quite a scary endeavor. The day we were there, we saw two influencer couples at the parking lot. We noticed them because the girls stripped down to their skimpy bikinis at the parking lot and they had some snorkeling gear as well. Now this is a pretty popular spot on insta and so the parking lot was packed with quite a lot of kids and families around. They started the hike the same time as us and were planning on various poses and shots the whole time. Finally we reached the end of the trail and they realized that all those cool shots on insta means scrambling 30 ft down a wet rock face to the bottom of the falls. The disappointment was palpable that day. The bickering while hiking back was even better. It still cracks me up to think about that day.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
"Influencers"! Wow. I really wonder what they think they have. A pretty face? Good body? Clothes (or lack thereof) that look great on them? These are egotistical people who are trying to promote themselves. They don't consider that true modeling and photoshoots are HARD on both the model and photographer. It's not fun.
#20
I do photography on the side since I’m mostly film/video.
But I have a friend who has an Instagram account as a side business for fun. I told her I would do a photoshoot for her if she helped me with my resume and cover letter.
Although she has tons of company’s that give her products to review for free, the photo credit she gave me honestly didn’t lead to any followers on my Instagram. So yeah, anyone who wants exposure for crazy work I don’t think knows that they actually don’t give any exposure.
In my case I was the one who brought up the deal and honestly I would have done it for free to get out of the house because she’s my friend. But yeah, that photo credit doesn’t do anything in my experience.
AustrianGirl 3 years ago
From my personal experience, when I try to watch something online and there is an influencer trying so get me to buy whatever, I do everything I can to skip the video to what really want to see. I make a point of never buying anything an influencer advertises.
ToGo 3 years ago
I'm the same. To me, if an influencer is plugging something, that something gets immediate negative connotations of low quality etc. There are 2 YouTubers I look to for reviews and product recommendations. They've been around since before Instagram and have clearly kept their integrity (eg. They aren't shy to say if a product, in their opinion, is bad). They've been overlooked for or taken off of most PR lists - make of that what you will!
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Anna Banana 3 years ago
This doesn't provide enough context. How many followers does the friend have? Is her audience the same as the photographer's target audience? It seems to me that there is much more to (actual, professional) influencer advertising than helping out a friend who does it for fun. You can't just extrapolate from that that influencers don't provide any exposure (otherwise companies wouldn't be spending millions on them).
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
Friend of mine had a deal to work for exposure. They haggle and worked out a contract that if her "exposure" lead to him getting more than 10 jobs in 2 months, he'd repay her the full cost. He got 1. And that was 3 months after the shoot. Its now been a full year. Not a single other mention of it.
gedwards1 3 years ago
If an 'influencer tries to sell me something, I immediately e-mail the company and tell them I was interested in their product/service, but this influencer put me off completely and I am no longer in the market for it. A lot of my friends do the same, we even tell each other about new ones and all send the same e-mail.
Michael Largey 3 years ago
It occurs to me that anyone idiotic enough to be influenced by the typical "influencer" are the kind of people I wouldn't want as customers in the first place.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
You're better off promoting yourself. If you show quality samples of your work, without necessarily advertising, people will contact YOU.
#21
Influencer once DM'd me on Instagram to ask me to go over to the US for a shoot. I replied and was like "sounds like fun, send me some details." She was like, "sure, you fly over here. Pay for your flights, obvs. Book a hotel, hire a car and pick me up. I want to do my shoot at the Grand Canyon." So I replied and was like "and how do you see me making money from this?" She replied with "well, I'll share the pics so you get followers and I'll promote your page for a week." Again I replied, this time saying "that doesn't help me make money. You could either pay for my flights, hotel etc. And a wage?" Her response ended up being "why the f**k would I pay some blame ass photographer to come out here and take pics of me? I'm not some wannabe you know. Do you even know who I am?" For the record, she had less than 2000 followers. I was boasting at just over 5000 legitimate followers.
Dana Ondráčková 3 years ago
This influencer "I have more followers" or "I give exposure" reminds me of episode of Black mirror where people are classed by how many stars they have on an app
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
What I don't understand is the responses of the influencers. "Why the f**k would I pay some lame ass photographer...?" Well, if I'm just some lame ass photographer, why did you contact me in the first place??
Rob Williams 3 years ago
I know I'm a bit old and befuddled but I would have thought that anyone who has to say "Do you even know who I am?" probably doesn't have the influence they think they do…
Honey Rose 3 years ago
I wonder if influencers can be influenced to get some common sense, or just ANY sense 🤔
#22
An "influencer" contacted my production company to shoot both a photo session and promo video. They sent ME an estimate on how much I HAD TO PAY to do the work for HER. I politely declined.
John Smith 3 years ago
Nah they just think they 1) actually have a job and 2) someone gives a rats ass about them.
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Glen Ellyn 3 years ago
I swear these so-called...er, self-called influencers believe having an Instagram account makes them an influencer. 🙄
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Spiral Agent 3 years ago
Politely? Should have printed that email, crumpled it u, and toss it in the toilet. Then take a picture and send that as a reply. No need to be polite when there is a big ego looming over you.
#23
She came to me, wanted $200 an hour for three hours work, but also wanted full rights to the photos so I couldn't sell or display them. Basically, to use me as an ATM and for me to pay the pleasure to work with them. Absolutely not. While I have paid $200/hr for a model, I get full rights and 99% of the models agree.
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
So. You pay her $600 and get nothing for your time and money? Shoot. What a deal!
Spittnimage 3 years ago
Influencers seem to live by PT Barnum's mantra, "there's a sucker born every minute."
#24
As a photo assistant in Chicago, I had a friend tell me there was a popular NY photographer looking for an assistant on Instagram for a shoot in Chicago. I inquired with the gentleman, and he said he only had a day rate of $150. On top of that, he said the day would be a 14 hour day, and he asked me to pick up his equipment rental which included a 12 foot sweep, and store it at my place to be ready for the shoot the next day. Hell no. 150$ for 17 hours worth of work? Idc which photographer you are pay your assistants correctly.
Megan The Viking Traveler 3 years ago
I used to be a photo assistant too and that is very crazy! Also keeping the equipment at your house???
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
I've never met a photographer who would allow their equipment out of their sight, sure as hell not at an underpaid assistants house. That's asking for things to get broke.
Spittnimage 3 years ago
You would've probably had to pay for the rental when you picked it up.
#25
Not a photographer but related story...
I was at a private event, The insta user actually had a camera man shooting video. 2 hours into the event one of the celebs noticed this random videographer and spoke with security. Security told them to stop filming and destroy any footage already shot. She refused and started yelling and making a fuss. Another (very large) celeb who didn't like his party being ruined, grabbed the video camera, smashed the camera, took the memory chip and his private bodyguards escorted her away.
She ended up posting an expose` which she bashed the celebs that were there and threatened the location with retaliation. This got her account banned from both Instagram and Facebook. Instagram Influencer no more.... 25+k subs lost..
Sorry no names or I don't get to go to these events anymore.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
When OP was asked if the celeb was Leonardo De Caprio big or André the giant big? He replied, "Big like Jay Leno's chin... lololol But yes, big like André the giant.". That's the only comment on the topic of identities of the celebs involved in the incident or attending the party.
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LB 3 years ago
It says she threatened the location with retaliation. Given the subsequent ban, I would guess it was a threat to commit violence.
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John Baker 3 years ago
Definitely not siding with the "influencer", but willful destruction of private property other than your own is a crime.
Nemo 3 years ago
Security told them to stop filming and destroy the footage. If they did that they walked out with their property intact. Security did their job. Random videographer just didn't know when to stop
Load More Replies... #26
An ‘influencer’ with just over 1k followers thought I should be paying her $150/hour because of all the positive exposure and business I’ll get from her sharing my work. I declined.
L Melville 3 years ago
I would say that's NOT influencer status. My food truck has more followers than that, and none of them are bots. lol
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martin734 3 years ago
1k followers? is that all? My dog has over 2500. He regularly gets collab requests but would never dream of asking for anything for free, except maybe a few belly rubs, ear scratches or the occasional meaty treat.
Rene Simons 3 years ago
I think that the title “influencer” should only be applicable when you have >250000 followers.
Jennifer Lewis 3 years ago
Maybe put it in a way they understand. Would you go into Chanel, grab a bunch of outfits and expect them to let you walk out with them for "exposure"? No. Pay people for their services!
Lisa Valen 3 years ago
How is it that these supposed influencers think that 100 or even 1000 followers is a boon to the photographer?
#27
I’m a ceramicist and use Instagram as my main channel for selling and promoting my work. I often get ‘influencers’ asking me to send them things so they can show it on their profile. Most recently and bizarrely, I had a bunny Instagram contact me, wanting to ‘promote’ my work. I have about 15k more followers than this account, so whilst I wouldn’t really even want to, it wouldn’t be worth it for me regardless. I hate the influencer society we live in, but even if we were to accept it for what it is, this effing account doesn’t even come close to having enough followers to be considered an influencer anyway. I looked at this bunny account and have zero idea of how they could possibly promote me regardless - every photo on the grid is just someone’s pet rabbit doing various s**t, not at all ceramics based in the slightest. 0/10 wouldn’t be influenced again.
Sarah Moeding 3 years ago
It was more than likely a bot. I get several of these a month, for "brand ambassadors" nonsense and the like. They're all messages sent by bots. I just delete them.
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BRODOOLERINGO 3 years ago
Until it got to the end I was assuming it was a new or child's account, like the bunny hill at a ski slope
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John Baker 3 years ago
We could bring "influencer society" to a crashing halt if people would just stop paying attention to them.
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
Oh, you wanna promote my work? Well, click those like and subscribe buttons. If you really enjoy a specific piece. Then please feel free to click share.
Briana Landers 3 years ago
Maybe they wanted a tea cup of a custom size to make the bunny look smaller/bigger! Sounds adorable
Margaret Martin 3 years ago
If a "Starving Artist" was interested in your work but they can't afford it (because they're starving) would you be willing to look at their work to see if they had something you'd be willing to trade with them?
#28
She asked for $200/hr with a three hour minimum, without any real prior modeling experience, and had conditions that the photos could not be posted anywhere and that she was going to have them sold exclusively on her Patreon.
WoodenLion 3 years ago
finally, you said something beneficial to the public.. (don't look at your skin under magnification either).
Load More Replies... #29
Ohh wow! Not a photoshoot request for me as a photographer but sort of connected. I own a small business, I did not want to do unpaid influencer collaborations as those never leave an impact,one influencer was adamant to do a barter deal with me to get my products in exchange of photos. She had low followers & average likes, her content was very elegant. I agreed as I was empty for the month with influencer posts. Anyway, she took more products than discussed at the end moment, threw a fit when I went to deliver & it’s been 4 months since I got any photos.
#30
The "Us naked" because of the influencer's ego. I was young so I did partake. I'd be more cautious now as it turns out that girl wasn't as responsible as I'd prefer with those photos.
Katie Nelson 3 years ago
An influencer’s ego is certainly more sizeable than the actual influencing they do.
ᔑᓵᒷ 𝙹⎓ ᓭ!¡ᔑ↸ᒷᓭ 3 years ago
you know what happens when you have nudes with somebody, but said somebody isn't careful, and they got on the internet? that happened.
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
EM 3 years ago
Influencers are some of the most obnoxious, entitled, and delusional idiots I've ever seen. Love the bar owner who chared them for this nonsense.
ShareMusic 3 years ago
How do influencers support themselves, anyway? I haven't read or heard anything positive about them. Ever.
NsG 3 years ago (edited)
The ones who aren't entitled brats actually put some work in - spending their own money initially and working very long hours establishing what works and what will lead to sponsorship. This can take a long time. Good influencers (by which I mean those who are good at being influencers, and are like hen's teeth in rarity) have products approach them to work out collaboration deals, and this leads to further "success". Unfortunately, they also hide the amount of work and time and *their own money* that goes into the success, and we end up with this bunch of delusional twits who believe success comes in weeks and they can earn thousands in a day.
Load More Replies...
V Martinez 3 years ago
Legit people who influence others don't behave like jerks. I want to meet one of these entitled brats and ask them if they understand how the service industry works. You pay to have someone perform a service for you. Not, do this for me, and btw, you will need to pay me! How were these a$$hats raised or become this way?
Lasagna Is Like Crack 3 years ago
"Don't you know who I am?" I give the deadpan "No." and the walk away.
Random Anon 3 years ago
I am an influencer too. I can influence someone's mood with some choice words. Usually for the worse.
Scotira 3 years ago
I was at a family barbecue some years back and there was this "big" thing on the news about a youtuber/ influencer bashing (and rightly so) the current politics, which resulted in the main party loosing a lot in the following elections. So we sit and my nephew, 15 at the time, proudly tells me, he's going to be an influencer and youtuber and shows me the video online. I had to work real hard, not laughing at him 🙈 🤣 and said, how about you learn something other first and work on this goal later on. I know to be a good and professionel influencer you put in a lot of serious work most of the time. But still I can't wrap my head around the concept and have yet to buy anything bc an influencer prompted me to. 🤷♀️
John Baker 3 years ago
If people would just stop paying attention to these egotistical, entitled idiots, they'd go away.
Mason Dalmau 3 years ago
This reminds me of a story that my old boss told me, related to exposure but not influencers and how exposure can have value if coming from the right source (not random ass "influencers"). She owned the business that I worked for with her husband, but was trying to get into website design, which they had added into their computer repair business that her husband started. One day she told me the story of this young guy that she was trying to get hired by as a website developer for his company. This guy was just finishing college for website design when his parents died in a car wreck, and he was their sole inheritor. Fast forward past the shock and grief, and he runs into an opportunity where a non-profit was taking bids for new website designs. The guys goes in, gives his pitch, shows what he envisions, and states that whatever their lowest offer was, he would do it for a dollar less. The board of the non-profit glanced at each other before one spoke up and (continued)...
Mason Dalmau 3 years ago
Kindly informed him that a personal friend of theirs worked for Disney and had offered to do it for free. The kid was devastated, and started to pack up, a little upset that they wasted his time when they already had someone doing the work for free. Someone piped up and pointed out to him that while he wouldn't get paid for the work, they would still accept his offer if he considered the kind of exposure and how much credit it would lend to his new business if he had been the one to develope their website. He thought it over for a while and made his decision. He pulled $1 from his wallet and put it on the table in front of the chairman (or chairwoman, I can't recall). He then went home and mortgaged his new inherited house and hired a team of people to work with him to complete the project on time. He poured everything he had into it and got it done. And he paid $1 to do it. Today, his website development company makes millions. The non-profit was Make-A-Wish. That's true exposure.
Load More Replies...
Billy Allen 3 years ago
Wife and daughter met an incredibly nice influencer a few months back by the name of Allyellowjosh. Really great guy, down to earth, warm, personable and a pleasure to talk with. He was in town for a meet up with a friend and he mentioned how much he loved meeting my family and how they made him feel welcome and loved on his Instagram account. Really good guy.
EM 3 years ago
Influencers are some of the most obnoxious, entitled, and delusional idiots I've ever seen. Love the bar owner who chared them for this nonsense.
ShareMusic 3 years ago
How do influencers support themselves, anyway? I haven't read or heard anything positive about them. Ever.
NsG 3 years ago (edited)
The ones who aren't entitled brats actually put some work in - spending their own money initially and working very long hours establishing what works and what will lead to sponsorship. This can take a long time. Good influencers (by which I mean those who are good at being influencers, and are like hen's teeth in rarity) have products approach them to work out collaboration deals, and this leads to further "success". Unfortunately, they also hide the amount of work and time and *their own money* that goes into the success, and we end up with this bunch of delusional twits who believe success comes in weeks and they can earn thousands in a day.
Load More Replies... V Martinez 3 years ago
Legit people who influence others don't behave like jerks. I want to meet one of these entitled brats and ask them if they understand how the service industry works. You pay to have someone perform a service for you. Not, do this for me, and btw, you will need to pay me! How were these a$$hats raised or become this way?
Lasagna Is Like Crack 3 years ago
"Don't you know who I am?" I give the deadpan "No." and the walk away.
Random Anon 3 years ago
I am an influencer too. I can influence someone's mood with some choice words. Usually for the worse.
Scotira 3 years ago
I was at a family barbecue some years back and there was this "big" thing on the news about a youtuber/ influencer bashing (and rightly so) the current politics, which resulted in the main party loosing a lot in the following elections. So we sit and my nephew, 15 at the time, proudly tells me, he's going to be an influencer and youtuber and shows me the video online. I had to work real hard, not laughing at him 🙈 🤣 and said, how about you learn something other first and work on this goal later on. I know to be a good and professionel influencer you put in a lot of serious work most of the time. But still I can't wrap my head around the concept and have yet to buy anything bc an influencer prompted me to. 🤷♀️
John Baker 3 years ago
If people would just stop paying attention to these egotistical, entitled idiots, they'd go away.
Mason Dalmau 3 years ago
This reminds me of a story that my old boss told me, related to exposure but not influencers and how exposure can have value if coming from the right source (not random ass "influencers"). She owned the business that I worked for with her husband, but was trying to get into website design, which they had added into their computer repair business that her husband started. One day she told me the story of this young guy that she was trying to get hired by as a website developer for his company. This guy was just finishing college for website design when his parents died in a car wreck, and he was their sole inheritor. Fast forward past the shock and grief, and he runs into an opportunity where a non-profit was taking bids for new website designs. The guys goes in, gives his pitch, shows what he envisions, and states that whatever their lowest offer was, he would do it for a dollar less. The board of the non-profit glanced at each other before one spoke up and (continued)...
Mason Dalmau 3 years ago
Kindly informed him that a personal friend of theirs worked for Disney and had offered to do it for free. The kid was devastated, and started to pack up, a little upset that they wasted his time when they already had someone doing the work for free. Someone piped up and pointed out to him that while he wouldn't get paid for the work, they would still accept his offer if he considered the kind of exposure and how much credit it would lend to his new business if he had been the one to develope their website. He thought it over for a while and made his decision. He pulled $1 from his wallet and put it on the table in front of the chairman (or chairwoman, I can't recall). He then went home and mortgaged his new inherited house and hired a team of people to work with him to complete the project on time. He poured everything he had into it and got it done. And he paid $1 to do it. Today, his website development company makes millions. The non-profit was Make-A-Wish. That's true exposure.
Load More Replies... Billy Allen 3 years ago
Wife and daughter met an incredibly nice influencer a few months back by the name of Allyellowjosh. Really great guy, down to earth, warm, personable and a pleasure to talk with. He was in town for a meet up with a friend and he mentioned how much he loved meeting my family and how they made him feel welcome and loved on his Instagram account. Really good guy.
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