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Mom Demands Free Photo Shoot For Her “Babies”, Gets Told She’s “Embarrassing”
Imagine seeing a group of construction workers building a house and coming up to them to ask them to build one for you, too. They’re already there, so why not?
While this is an exaggeration, that is pretty much the situation this photographer found herself in. While working with a couple who paid for a private session, she was approached by a woman, asking her to snap a couple of pics for her, while she’s at it. “You’re already shooting, so what’s the harm?,” she said.
RELATED:
Some people don’t realize that professional services are not free
Image credits: zamrznutitonovi/Envato (not the actual photo)
This woman told a professional photographer that taking a few pictures “costs her nothing”
Image credits: mauriciotoro10/Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Anilabattle_321
Some professionals might be exploited more just because they love what they do
For some reason, certain jobs are viewed differently than others, even if they, too, require time, skill, and equipment. That’s why some people might not expect someone to fix their plumbing for free, but they will see no problem asking for pictures from a professional photographer, as was the case with the women in the redditor’s story.
Unfortunately, such situations are not that rare of an occurrence. According to Fstoppers, an online community dedicated to educating and inspiring photographers and other creative professionals, representatives of the field are constantly asked to work for a reduced price or free of charge altogether. And one likely reason for that, according to the source, is the fact that they love their job.
Image credits: Charles Chen/Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business found that the idea that people love what they do tends to make others feel more comfortable exploiting them. Known as “passion exploitation,” it reportedly arises from two beliefs: the idea that for passionate professionals, work is its own reward, and the assumption that they would have volunteered anyway. According to the researchers behind the study, that is an example of compensatory justifications.
“We want to see the world as fair and just,” said Professor Aaron Kay, the senior author on the study. “When we are confronted with injustice, rather than fix it, sometimes our minds tend to compensate instead. We rationalize the situation in a way that seems fair, and assume the victims of injustice must benefit in some other way.”
Data suggests that photographers seem to be quite happy with their career choice
While being happy with your career choice should never be a reason to be undervalued or exploited, photographers seem to be quite content with what they do. According to Career Explorer, representatives of this particular profession (in the US, at least) rate their career happiness 3.9 out of 5 stars, which reportedly puts them in the top 12% of careers.
While they’re not entirely happy with their salary, giving it 2.6 out of 5 stars, they score much higher when it comes to their personality fitting with their work (4.1 out of 5 stars), enjoying their work environment (giving it a 4), making the best use of their abilities (3.7), and finding meaning in what they do (3.6).
Image credits: Portuguese Gravity/Unsplash (not the actual photo)
As of 2022, the photographers’ workforce was 114,773 strong, divided almost equally between men and women (54% vs 46% respectively). It’s safe to assume that many of them are happy with their jobs. It’s also safe to assume that at least some of them have been asked to take pictures for free in the past, as, after all, it “costs them nothing,” right?
Well, the OP made sure to let the woman in the park know that, no, that is not the case. She made it clear that it costs her time, energy, editing, storage, and equipment wear. Needless to say, fellow netizens sided with the redditor, applauding her for standing her ground.
Fellow netizens shared their thoughts in the comments, the OP replied to some of them
Some people have seemingly gone through similar situations themselves
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What do you think ?
ElfVibratorGlitter 9 months ago
I'm with the people about the couple. If I paid for a photo shoot and someone decided they needed photos then too.....oh héll no. I would have LOST my s**t on the mom.
Tabitha 9 months ago (edited)
I would’ve told the woman if she wants pictures of her kids now, she’ll have to pony up the cash for the session FIRST. Send her off to the ATM, finish your present shoot, then leave before she gets back. If you can’t leave, then make sure you quoted her an outrageous price for her shoot. If she comes back without the full total in cash, then tell her you won’t even take the camera back out of the bag for less than what you told her. Then you can leave. But I doubt she’d come back anyway. If you want to get rid of a******s like her, hit them in the pocketbook—-hard. They’ll STFU and disappear so fast it’s amazing.
PHOTOBOB 9 months ago
I don't normally do portrait work, but I have done photo shoots at corporate events. Typically I would set up a backdrop and have some props matching the event theme. The pics would be of the various groups attending and would g up on the company website. Oh, and "just a few headshots for my business cards", and "I am an author and need a profile shot for my new book". No offer of payment, of course or even a "I'll tag you for the exposure you will get." I asked if I could get a free copy of the book. He looked at me like I had two heads.
Kat Alison 9 months ago
“corporate events”—that explains it. Business people are constantly trying to rip other people off.
Load More Replies...
Dragons Exist 9 months ago
"Wow, you're seriously going to deny two innocent children a memory just because of money? Just snap a few. It costs you nothing.", fúck literally anyone who says things like this.
heather jamieson 9 months ago
The same thing happens to landscape painters. I love to paint from nature. No matter how remote an area I choose inevitably some rando drops out of the trees or crawls out from under the rocks and accosts me we stupidity. Asking to buy my unfinished oil painting and then arguing about my costs. I spent 10s of thousand$ on an art school education, then thousands more on supplies. People have no clue how expensive decent art supplies are. A small tube of paint can run $20-35, depending on what pigments are used. A small painting easily takes 40 hours or more of my time. No, I don't give my art away. It is work, work I love, but I have high standards for what goes out into the world with my name on it. I won't sell something I value to someone who merely seeks a bargain. Too many people are clueless about how much work- time, effort, and resources- artists/artiisans invest in their products. Eff those people who think they're entitled to something they're too lazy to make/buy themselves
WonderWoman 9 months ago
I have no doubt there are unhinged people out there, but this doesn't ring true.
Damned_Cat 9 months ago
As the child of a "pushy" mom who always tried to get free stuff, the only memories I have of those times are how much she embarrassed me and sometimes my dad. Those kids don't care about any other memories of that one day, walking through the park.
Kat Alison 9 months ago
Women with kids sometimes act like Republicans: always expecting other people to work for free and give them whatever they want.
ElfVibratorGlitter 9 months ago
I'm with the people about the couple. If I paid for a photo shoot and someone decided they needed photos then too.....oh héll no. I would have LOST my s**t on the mom.
Tabitha 9 months ago (edited)
I would’ve told the woman if she wants pictures of her kids now, she’ll have to pony up the cash for the session FIRST. Send her off to the ATM, finish your present shoot, then leave before she gets back. If you can’t leave, then make sure you quoted her an outrageous price for her shoot. If she comes back without the full total in cash, then tell her you won’t even take the camera back out of the bag for less than what you told her. Then you can leave. But I doubt she’d come back anyway. If you want to get rid of a******s like her, hit them in the pocketbook—-hard. They’ll STFU and disappear so fast it’s amazing.
PHOTOBOB 9 months ago
I don't normally do portrait work, but I have done photo shoots at corporate events. Typically I would set up a backdrop and have some props matching the event theme. The pics would be of the various groups attending and would g up on the company website. Oh, and "just a few headshots for my business cards", and "I am an author and need a profile shot for my new book". No offer of payment, of course or even a "I'll tag you for the exposure you will get." I asked if I could get a free copy of the book. He looked at me like I had two heads.
Kat Alison 9 months ago
“corporate events”—that explains it. Business people are constantly trying to rip other people off.
Load More Replies... Dragons Exist 9 months ago
"Wow, you're seriously going to deny two innocent children a memory just because of money? Just snap a few. It costs you nothing.", fúck literally anyone who says things like this.
heather jamieson 9 months ago
The same thing happens to landscape painters. I love to paint from nature. No matter how remote an area I choose inevitably some rando drops out of the trees or crawls out from under the rocks and accosts me we stupidity. Asking to buy my unfinished oil painting and then arguing about my costs. I spent 10s of thousand$ on an art school education, then thousands more on supplies. People have no clue how expensive decent art supplies are. A small tube of paint can run $20-35, depending on what pigments are used. A small painting easily takes 40 hours or more of my time. No, I don't give my art away. It is work, work I love, but I have high standards for what goes out into the world with my name on it. I won't sell something I value to someone who merely seeks a bargain. Too many people are clueless about how much work- time, effort, and resources- artists/artiisans invest in their products. Eff those people who think they're entitled to something they're too lazy to make/buy themselves
WonderWoman 9 months ago
I have no doubt there are unhinged people out there, but this doesn't ring true.
Damned_Cat 9 months ago
As the child of a "pushy" mom who always tried to get free stuff, the only memories I have of those times are how much she embarrassed me and sometimes my dad. Those kids don't care about any other memories of that one day, walking through the park.
Kat Alison 9 months ago
Women with kids sometimes act like Republicans: always expecting other people to work for free and give them whatever they want.
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