I was having a discussion with a few fellow photographers the other day about not being given credit for your work. One of them had photographed an event for free, with the only stipulation that credit was given. They didn’t. Now I have had similar things happen; I am sure most photographers have. There are so many people out there who don’t get it. They think if you have a nice camera anyone can take the picture, so why the big deal?
There is also a trap you can fall into. You can end up being known as the one who will do it for free. I worked for a non-profit for a number of years. Your mindset is to help provide things for those in need. So when events come up for something dear to my heart, I want to document it. I have no problem shooting it for free, but why is it so hard to get the credit? If you ask, you become the one that only does it for the publicity. Is there something wrong with that? Isn’t it human nature to desire acknowledgement for a job well done. Whether it be a check, or a simple thank you.
There comes a point when you just have to say ‘no’, and boy is that hard! In my case I had a medical issue, my foot – what this blog began from. Bit-by-bit I pulled away from free jobs, and I just simply won’t go back. But there are a few I will constantly stick around for. One big reason is because they make me feel appreciated, and we all need that once in a while.
