I would not hire a photographer without the agreement specifying that I get to keep the raw files (either in addition to or instead of whatever retouching the photographer wanted to do).
I have met a few photographers who absolutely will not agree to that and it infuriates me. Must be some new trend of pro photographer influencer bull to hold your raws hostage.
I’ve been working as a portrait photographer in business for myself for almost a decade, and in my experience the overwhelming majority of photogs aren’t giving access to their RAW files except in very, very specific situations.
I really don’t think this is a new trend. I think it’s just smart business. They’re not the client’s RAW images, they’re the photographer’s.
Ah this is perfect you can enlighten me then.
How are you a photographer trained in the art of capturing a moment with appropriate focus, lighting, timing, and framing providing a service to me?
By not providing me that moment in its purest form.
If I’m hiring you to photograph me not to be my digital artist. Or at least offer both.
By not providing the RAWs you’re literally providing a restriction in my access to the moment I hired you to capture.
If I designed a web site for you and then when you tried to move your hosting to someone else and said “Oh sorry that web site is only provided as part of my services.” And forced you to create a whole new design to host somewhere else. It’s quite plain to see that’s manipulative business practices.
In my view it comes from an insecurity of photographers that they can’t compete with photoshoppers but the reality is I’m paying you to use your skills to capture the moment correctly. Frankly idgaf how good your Photoshop skills are. Especially now with A.I. “authentic” photos will become all the more valuable to people.
I’m in a few photography groups on FB (not sure why🤔)…anyway some of them claim that sending the raw photos would mess with their “image”, since clients generally don’t know how to edit/choose photos and will often choose terrible shots/edits to post on social media.
they are absolutely right.
I’d even go as far as to say most clients don’t know how to open those. I’ve had people struggling with opening a .zip file, if I sent them a .zip full of .cRAW they’d probably think I’m trying to scam them.
Imagine someone asking a chef to not bother with fixing up a meal and to just throw the ingredients on the plate, and then posting all over social media the photos of “the chef’s work”
Photography very, very rarely ends when the shutter release is pressed. For an hour shooting you’ll spend roughly 3 days in lightroom. I’ve had exactly 1 photo in recent memory that I felt looked fantastic without any post processing, and I still wanted to balance the shadows a little bit because the contrast was too high
The raws affect the photographer’s reputation, if someone else presents them as “This is some of that photographer’s work”
So watermark the raw as unedited or something so you can verify it wasn’t your finished product. Don’t lock me out of being unable to see the actual moment of me and my family.
