Some photographers offer their customers a disc with all the pictures they shot on that particular job. Similarly, some customers want a disc containing all the photos taken. Why?
To me, this suggests that the photographer can’t edit, the customer can’t make a decision, or the customer doesn’t trust the photographer to do the job properly.
Certainly there may be times when having all the photos might be a good thing, for example, when the pictures are used as evidence in a trial. But quantity is not quality.
Let’s compare:
• After writing a book, does the author also include their early drafts and rough notes?
• Does a chef serve all the scraps of food they cut off while preparing a meal?
• After recording a song, does a musician give out all the earlier takes?
• After finalizing a design, does a graphic designer give away all the early versions?
• Does a store offer to include all the clothes the customer tried on but didn’t select?
• Does a filmmaker release all the scenes that were cut out?
Many customers and some photographers don’t understand that each time the camera’s shutter button is pushed, a picture may be recorded but it’s not necessarily the best picture.
Professional photography is not about snapping picture after picture, although it may sometimes look like that. It’s a process of building towards the best picture.
Maybe it’s the right light, the right expression, the right body language, the right moment in time, or maybe it’s all of those combined. Simply put, the best picture is the one that best suits the client’s needs. All previous exposures were just steps leading to the final image. All previous images were not good enough for the customer.
Giving the customer all the pictures that were taken will, in fact, work against both the photographer and the customer. Increased choice (having all the pictures) decreases customer satisfaction (with the pictures). The customer will then blame the photographer.
Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.
– Freedom of Choice, Devo, 1970s-80s rock band
A customer hires a professional photographer to make photographic decisions so that they, the customer, don’t have to.
After delivering the best pictures to the customer, why would a photographer also include the not-good-enoughs, the early drafts, the scraps? They serve only to dilute, distract and dissatisfy.
After receiving the best pictures from the photographer, why would a customer ask for the pictures that were left on the cutting room floor, the pictures that weren’t good enough?
