Why free photography and my experience

My dear friends, Family and the beautiful community please let me share some reflections of my photographic journey; occasional constraint and flaws, sometimes motivational and inspirational. I will love to serve you all on your compliments with no price (free of cost)  but there are some obligations that obstruct my way to do so. Have you ever heard the following been asked by any customers presented for the service?

• To: Restaurant Manager: I have 50 guests Can you offer a free dinner?
• To Hair Salon: Tonight I have a birthday party Can you do my hair Free?
• To Beauty Salon: Tomorrow my 25th Birthday can you do facial FREE?
• To Clothing store: Next week my Birthday Party and So many people will attend I will recommend your shop and can I have this dress FREE?
• To the Cab Driver: I am going to my birthday party, can you drop me off to venue location for FREE ??
• To flower shop: Can you give some bunch of flowers to decorate my venue for FREE?
• To DJ: Can you play a few kinds of music for Free, I will recommend you to my friends?

These examples are may not suits you but as a photographer, I get lots of requests to work on Free Basis, offers for weekends evening most of the occasion. Sometimes I wonder why I get this kind of offer and oblige me to think about the quality of my work, I would love to get feedback if there is otherwise.

But the reality is not like so, even initial talk FREE words drop first. I see photography as an art, not merely the shots we capture usually by our phones and the electronic gadget.  It is understandable why should paid to the professional if our mobile does the work but I believe a shot by professional sometimes is priceless if it captures the unseen beauty and indescribable moments seen by many. Now, all we are into the social network we need to show off better than others or could be coupled with hundreds of likes and comments have more values than the beauty of the photograph itself.

I always tried to convince what are the differences and what we do, what is our motive for the events. How we do, on this kind of events, normally people do they understand the work where we do care of their fun, family togetherness, beautiful moments and family friends and they could be few extra times could be considerable. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any types of queries you may have, we will answer you.

In some condition, anyone can consider a certain degree of compliments to their new clients or future clients to do extra work.

I would suggest my dear friends give a glance at the following point so that I can sustain and even raise higher on my carrier with your help and cooperation. I will rather break into few Bullet points what involves on my every shoot I serve in your doorsteps.

Involve travel cost

Travelling with all expensive equipment itself is a risk of attack, stolen, or forgotten if I am travelling in public transport. Extra curiousness when travelling in any part of the busiest city. Involves extra waiting time, delays and cost also occurred for every means of transport to the location.

A small amount in power pack

Need some AA & AAA batteries to runs small equipment like speed light, remote control and cheap batteries they don’t come with durability and fast recycle time capacity. In just speedlight, need 4 to 8 extra batteries depending on the length of events or shooting time which involves a small amount of cost.

Work behind the Scenes

Once shooting finishes on the location come back to the computer station, copy all the files and separate them, process them and upload to the website and send a link to clients for their initial view online. It involves some hours of work on the computer. If you are working in the weekend any Highstreets shop you will get paid extra on the regular pay. Where peoples are asking for free photography for nothing.

Unnecessary high demands

Once they have your photo viewed, people asked for extra edit, touch up, removing the logo, raw files, and they will download all photos posted in social sites without the consent of the photographer. The will keep screen saver, on phone, laptop and computer but no need to buy a copy of it. Need everything free and need free for forever. Need an extra touch up involve a cost to the photographer, either he has to do or outsourcing the job, both ways cost involves to the photographer.

Apart from the above conditions cost is incurred to the photographic equipment, lighting, software and website services, which are considered as expensive and basic tools for photography.  In this situation, may I humbly request to you all to see my work from a different perspective? I would have no alternative but to refuse to present in your service if you do not consider and see the picture from my angle. I will always honour your suggestions, advise and comments as always, I still have to learn a lot in the upcoming days.