Photography Hot Takes

This week on Get the Picture?, we’re trying something new with a photography hot takes episode! I’m reading through hot takes submitted by listeners and giving my brutally honest opinions on each one. From the photography industry and social media to clients, business, and everything in between, we’re getting into the opinions you sent in and whether I agree, disagree, or somewhere in the middle. If you’re ready for some honest takes and a little debate, this episode’s for you!

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey you guys, welcome back to another episode of Get the Picture. I am your host, Tori Elizabeth, and we have a very fun episode for today. Um, I didn't initially plan to do this episode, but I I think I saw something on Instagram that I like someone was posting like their hot take about something, and I wanted to like, it was something that I wanted to talk about on the podcast, and then I was like, what if I just ask you guys for a bunch of hot takes? Um, not that that's a super original idea. A ton of people have done podcast episodes like that, but I wanted to see what my followers like specifically what my followers' hot takes were um and you guys delivered. So I'm gonna read your hot takes and respond to them today. Um obviously this is more of just like a fun episode you can listen to while you're editing or driving or whatever. Um, one thing I do really want in my podcast is like I don't want to be the like the person that never gives their real opinion on anything. Like I don't want to just agree with you guys because you're my followers or listeners or whatever. Like I have opinions on things and I want you guys to know what they are. Um, you don't have to agree. There are certain things that are non-negotiables for me, but when it comes to just like opinions on the wedding industry, if you don't agree, you don't agree. Like at the end of the day, I'm not offended and it's fine. But like I am gonna tell you how I feel about it because it's like I have a podcast that's kind of like the whole point. So anyway, uh we're just gonna get right into it. But like basically, what I'm trying to say is if I disagree with your hot take or you disagree with the hot take that I agree with or something, please don't be offended. We all just have different opinions, it's really okay. Um, we're gonna start off strong with this. I'm just gonna read straight down the list, actually. I'm not gonna go in any particular order. Um, okay, hot take. Your gear does matter a lot uh with a crying emoji. I feel like a lot of people pretend it's all the person behind the lens, but if the lens is horrible, the photo will be worse. Um I mean, yeah, like yes, obviously if the lens is quote worse, the photo will be worse. I'm assuming by worse they mean like it's like a kit lens that doesn't go to a super low aperture. Um, but also like worse is subjective because I guess I'm already doing the playing it neutral thing on this one by saying that. But I can't, I guess I I do agree and disagree, agree, like everything is nuanced. But like, yes, of course your gear matters. I think when like more experienced photographers say, like, oh, your gear doesn't matter, it's the person behind the lens. Don't I think it's like meant to be encouraging to beginner photographers who don't have a lot of money for new gear, and at the end of the day, like I don't know, it I don't know, like it is the photographer that matters more than the gear, I guess. There's just a certain point where you like outgrow your gear. So I absolutely agree with this. Your gear does matter a lot, but I guess I'm feeling like if you gave an excellent photographer a kit lens that doesn't go to a low aperture, and you gave a beginner photographer who's inexperienced and doesn't know what they're doing a lens that goes down to F1.2, in my personal opinion, the kit lens photos will probably be better. But I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Someone needs to do an experiment and prove me wrong. But I feel like experience matters more than gear, but I agree with the hot take that your gear does matter a lot. Like if people are saying it doesn't matter at all, they're totally wrong for that. Like, yes, obviously it matters, it just doesn't matter more than experience, in my opinion. But I'm sure there are some people who disagree with me and they think that if you shoot something at f1.2, it's gonna be a good photo no matter what. So I mean, I don't know. Gear does not a good photographer make. Like, you gotta look for the angles, you gotta be the person that creates moments, and like, so your gear matters, but not more than other things. So I I agree with this. I know there are some people that say your gear doesn't matter at all, so that I would disagree with. Um, like even just objectively, for like getting an on-brand lens versus like an off-brand lens, like the on-brand focus is always gonna be better. Like, if you get like a um like an off-brand lens that's made for your camera brand, like the focus is always slightly off. From what I've heard, I've never bought one of those lenses myself. So, like, yeah, gear does matter, like it makes a difference, but it's not the only factor. Um, this is kind of in law in line with this. So I'll just go. This one says brands don't matter, hot take brands don't matter. I don't know what you mean by this. I don't know if you mean like your brand, like as a photographer or like camera brands. I'm gonna assume you mean camera brands because I feel like that's like the way it's phrased, I feel like that's what people would be talking about. Um, it's kind of the same thing as the last one. I mean, like they matter a little bit, like they're different. People gravitate toward different ones for different reasons, like the colors are different. Um at the bare minimum, everyone can admit the colors are different. We're not gonna argue about like autofocus and whose focus is better and who's whatever. Like, but like they are different, but like, yeah, at the end of the day, like if you're a good photographer, besides the fact that like the user interface is different, you should be able to pick up any camera and take a good photo. Um, so I mean, yeah, they don't matter. It's just fun. It's just fun to joke around and be like, oh, you shoot this. I think some people do take it way too far though. Like, it's fun to slander Nikon, but like it kind of needs to stop Loki because I know great photographers who shoot Nikon and I never would have known. Like, it literally is not that deep. So yeah, brands don't matter. You're right. Um, okay, this one says presets are a scam unless you photograph exactly the same as the person who created them. Um I'm sorry, this is just straight up wrong. Like, I don't know what presets you're buying, but you must be buying like really crappy presets because no presets are not a scam. And this is coming from someone who does not sell presets. Like, I'm not pushing anything right now. Um, presets are not a scam. Presets are how you figure out how to start editing. They're not supposed to be a one-click perfect preset, like you where you don't adjust anything, but you're supposed to use them as like a guideline of where to start editing from so that your photos have like a distinct look, a preset look. And then that'll teach you how to edit and that'll teach you how to create your own preset. But like, unless you're shooting absolutely like underexposing four stops on every photo, or like I don't know, doing something whack, like you shouldn't be shooting that differently from a professional photographer to where your presets, their presets are incompatible with your photos. The only difference would be like, let's say they shoot in Kelvin and you don't, like they wouldn't have to adjust their white balance, but you would like I I don't know, like besides white balance, there's nothing you should really like have to really adjust white balance and exposure, I guess. So, like if you're expecting it to be like a one-click preset, like no preset is meant to be a one-click preset, and presets that are marketed as a one-click preset, it's like fake marketing, and they're usually really cheap, like low quality presets. So if that's what you're expecting, that's why you're disappointed. Um, presets are not a scam. Good presets are worth it. And I've actually used the same, I've used the same creator, same photographer's presets since I started like doing this like professionally, like for real. I've used two of her different preset packs. Now I am gonna plug something, um, but in the in the episode description, I'm gonna link um the presets that I use with a discount code for I think you get 10% off with my code. So if you want, if you've been wondering like what presets I use, or you're wanting new presets that are a little bit more like you can kind of take them either way. You can take them like the more true to color, like vibrant route, like I take them, or you can go like a more film route with them. So if you're interested in the presets I use, they'll be linked in the episode description. Um I think they're amazing. Obviously, I love them. And yeah, if you need new presets, want to switch it up, or you like are still looking for your look. I absolutely 10 out of 10 recommend these. They're great. Um, I really don't do I have customized them to myself, but like they're very user-friendly, they're easy to use. Um okay, this person said hot take, Dutch angles usually don't belong in wedding photography. I disagree. I disagree. And I know everyone says, oh, the Dutch angle is meant for like when you're trying to bring in like suspense or like a sense of unease into your photos. I disagree. Like, I know that's what it was traditionally used for. Why can't it be used for something else now? Like, you're telling me because we used it that way for a certain amount of time means now it can be used for nothing else. I disagree because me personally, I use it to convey a sense of like looseness. Like, I don't know, like you're just, I don't know, you're having a good time. Like, maybe the photographer's having a good time too. Maybe they're slightly tipsy. Obviously not. I would never drink at a wedding. I actually don't drink at all. But I'm just saying, like, it's fun, like it can be fun. It doesn't have to just be to convey unease or like suspense, like how it's traditionally used in cinematography. Like, we can use it in a different way. It's okay, you guys. Like, I just feel like people get very like, and this is my hot take, but I feel like people are like, I don't know, movie snobs or like media snobs, and they like they're like, oh, I know about media, and that's actually not how the Dutch angle is supposed to be used. It's like, okay, you guys, come on, like, we get it. You understand movies, like we've all seen movies, we get it. You're allowed to use it for other things. Like, sorry, that's my hot take. I'm getting kind of heated about this. I just hate when people are like, not hate. I dislike when people act like they own certain like things about art. And it's like, it's art. You're meant to do what you want with it. Like, you can't say you believe in creativity and then like pretend like you own certain things. Like, we can change what they're used for. It's okay. Everyone will live. And a lot of my clients post blurry, not blurry photos, um, crooked photos. Like they love their Dutch tilt photos. So do with that what you will, but I disagree. Um, this person says, hot take low-priced packages when you're still learning is not undermining other photographs they said photographs, photographers, I'm assuming. Yes and no. I would say overall, yes, I agree. Um, like when you're starting out, you have to charge a low amount. That's quite literally like how you get your foot in the door. So I don't know what else what else um people expect you to do when they get upset about that. Um I think it gets to a point where like if because this person said, like, when you're still learning, it's not undermining other photographers. I absolutely agree. When you're still learning, you should have lower packages. But once you start to get up to like that professional level, you should have professional pricing. That's when I think it starts to undercut the market. Um, I don't, it's just like not, it's not good for other people, but it's also not good for you because like you're gonna burn out. So, yes, as a beginner, you have to have low pricing. I also think it's fine to have low pricing to travel, um, to travel for free, but it's again like it gets to a point where it's like, hey, you've done three travel weddings free, you need to start charging now. Like, this is not sustainable, you're gonna burn out. So to me personally, I feel like it's less about undercutting the market and more about like it's just not sustainable. Okay, this person said, hot take, aftershoot shouldn't be doing your culling for you. If you guys don't know what aftershoot is, it's an AI culling, editing, and retouching software. So it's AI. Um, it yeah, it will cull for you. So you can tell it how you would like it to cull and like set parameters and it will cull for you. My question to this person is why? Why is it so bad for aftershoot to cull for you? Is it just because that's what everyone else is saying or is because that's how you actually feel? Or is it because okay, I'm gonna give you my hot take. I feel like photographers that are so against AI say that it's a sustainability thing, but it's actually just because they feel threatened that other people are able to deliver things quicker and they feel like they can't keep up, so they're trying to differentiate themselves by putting other photographers down and being like, I don't use AI, I stand out. I said what I said. Um I think that aftershoot shouldn't be doing all of your culling for you, and I don't think it should be doing like the whole job. Like, if you have aftershoot cull, I think you should be doing a check to make sure it didn't miss anything important and that it like got everything that it needed to and didn't pick anything that wasn't good. Um, but as long as you're checking, like you're quality checking, I see absolutely no problem with using it. Like, genuinely tell me what the problem is because I see none. Um okay, this person said hot take, middle of the day, bright sun can make for some good photos. Amen, sister. Absolutely. Um hot take, stop putting your editing cue on your story. It's so performative. Guilty. I don't do this anymore, but I used to do this only a few times, I think. And then I stopped because I think I spelled Q wrong and then I got embarrassed. Um but yeah, I I think there's a few things about it that aren't great. Like I think if your client is at the bottom of the list, that really sucks to see like 20 names above theirs, and then be like, wow, I'm not getting my photos for like 10 years. Um and then also like I don't know, it does kind of it's giving like look, I'm so booked and busy. And it's like I I just don't know if I don't know. I just don't know if people really care that much. It does feel like the photographers I see do it or like they get really busy and then they start doing it, and it does feel like they're trying to flex a little bit. So, but I also feel like maybe it bothers other people because they're not as busy, and so it's like if those people are posting their editing queue all the time and it bothers you, probably just unfollow them. Like, I don't know if I don't think anyone that I currently follow does this. Um, but I also don't think I would care if they did, if that makes sense. Okay, last one. Hot take. Sometimes y'all need to raise your aperture because the photo is so blurry other than the subject, or the part of the subject, or sorry, I'll start over. Hot take. Sometimes y'all need to raise your oh my gosh, I can't speak. Hot take, sometimes y'all need to raise your aperture because the photo is so blurry other than the subject, or the part of the subject, not even the whole subject's face, that is almost more distracting, that it's almost more distracting, and I feel it takes away from what the image is supposed to be. Yeah, absolutely, 100%. Um, low aperture is really pretty as long as your subject is in focus. Um, you can intentionally blur part of your subject, like if you're just focusing on their eye and the rest of their face is like kind of blurry, that's okay if it's like intentional. But if you just accidentally are shooting on f1.2 all the time and not paying attention to the fact that like the chin is blurry and you're taking like a normal portrait, like that's not it. Um also like higher aperture is like a thing now. Like clients like it, Gen Z likes it, so don't be afraid to just like bump up your aperture a little bit if you're not sure if you're gonna accidentally blur parts of the images image that are not supposed to be blurred because people like a higher aperture right now, anyway. So it literally doesn't matter. Um, gone are the days of f1.2, in my opinion. Okay, those are your guys' hot takes that I decided to read. I know this is kind of a shorter episode. Um, if I offended you, I'm sorry. Please keep listening to the podcast. We can have different opinions, it's okay. And I don't know, maybe my opinion will change, maybe your opinion will change. Um, those are currently my opinions on these things. Specifically, like I guess I just don't feel like I can't I think a lot of these are like, oh, people shouldn't be doing this, people shouldn't be doing this. Like, people shouldn't be using aperture, people shouldn't be um packaging their prices low, people shouldn't be using preset. And it's just like, oh, people shouldn't be doing Dutch angles. And it's like, I just think people should do what they want. Like, I just don't understand why other people like have such uh such strong opinions. I guess my opinion is let people do what they want. Um I don't know, unless it's like like giving the industry a bad rap. Like if you're using after shoot to the point where like you're not quality checking and like your stuff is going out as garbage, like yeah, that's a problem. Like that makes other photographers who use aftershoot in a good way look bad. Um or like the Dutch angle, if it's like every other photo is crooked, it's like, I mean, yeah, that makes people think it's a cringy trend. And like me personally, I would like it to not be a trend. I would like it to just stay a part of photography, but it in my personal opinion, it should be like a a small amount of photos that use the angle, that use the crooked, crooked horizon or whatever. Like, I I don't think it should be like an overdone thing, and I think that's why people are getting so fed up with it, is because it's like every other photo, like when the blurry trend started, it was like every other photo is blurry and you can't even see anything in the gallery. So I don't know, everything in moderation, I guess, and just let people do what they want. Art is art, it was never meant to have rules, and yeah, I don't know why people think they can set rules on things. Anyway, um, sorry, not trying to stir the pot too much, but I hope you guys have a great rest of your week. I hope you are getting through your editing queue this time of the year. I hope you are not burning out. I hope you're taking time for yourself and doing fun creative projects to rejuvenate yourself. And if you want to fight about any of these hot takes, go over to my podcast Instagram at gethepicture.pod and go comment on one of my reels and we can chat about it. I'm joking about the fighting. We can actually like have a conversation about it because maybe I'll change my mind. I don't know. But that's currently how I feel about these hot takes. So yeah, have a great rest of your day, you guys. Bye.