Do clients judge based on your gear?

tecboy

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When I do event photography, rarely one out of a thousand guests asked me what camera am I using, and then we had a little discussion about each other's camera. Other times, someone asked me why I shoot at iso 800 or 1600, and I had to explain to this person. When I work with individual client photographing dog, a client does ask me a lot of questions because I bring my lighting gear and more junk as well. I have 5Dm3 and 70D. When I photograph dogs, I use iso 100 or 200, and I do a very little or no processing in Lightroom. There is no way I can tell the difference at iso 100 from my 5Dm3 and 70D. Sometime, I like to use my 70D, because it is lightweight and easy to operate.
 
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All my clients have no idea what I use they just base my work by looking at my portfolio. Sure comes a surprise when they do find out it's all film based.
 
if they are judging you on your gear and not on your results, you have the wrong clients.
 
Clients do judge by your gear, at least at first. You show up with a little mirrorless camera the client immediately judges you.
They see a big black camera with "stuff" sticking out on all sides and they think this guy is a "PRO". Knowledgeable camera buffs know that a big black camera is a D80 or D40 and know the truth.
 
Clients do judge by your gear, at least at first. You show up with a little mirrorless camera the client immediately judges you.
They see a big black camera with "stuff" sticking out on all sides and they think this guy is a "PRO". Knowledgeable camera buffs know that a big black camera is a D80 or D40 and know the truth.

Funny you mentioned this because last year my son (not interested in photography) went to a photographer for a family photo. After the sitting he called me because he thought he had been taken advantage of by someone using a (non professional) camera, because he expected them to have a much larger camera.
 
Of course they do.

They also judge you based on you attire, your punctuality, your language, your car, business premises etc...
 
I show up to shoot weddings with this...

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I don't get judged for my gear, but that may be because I have a 50D with many accessories and modifications. I get judged because people say I'm not a pro because I'm only 12. Professional means you make money from what you do, and I do that. Despite this, I still get judged for my age.


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For commercial work yes. For people work not very often asked specifically about gear.

Earlier in life I did get work taking pictures because I had "pro" looking gear! Thing is I didn't own it. I used to rent a 300mm f/2.8 lens to do sports work for college athletes and their families. With that big 300mm lens on one body, and a second body with a 80-200 f/2.8 or 35-70 f/2.8 I had the look. And people would approach me to hire me for their kids, having not seen one picture I had taken! Of course I worked the price of the rental into my fee. But they were none the wiser. I eventually made enough I bought my own 300mm f/2.8 lens.

And I have myself asked what gear my wedding photographer carried to events. It was more to the effect of if he had spare equipment than lens / flash specific.

Not being equipment snobbish as I own the lowest Nikon DSLR along with some of their pro gear. But I would not hire a photog to do a wedding with low level gear (for normal price). It's not that the cheaper bodies could not do the job in a normal situation. It's just the lower level bodies do not have some of the quick features of dedicated dials / buttons if a quick change is needed. Nor are they constructed as strong. Will a D800 or D5 always survive a fall? No, but I would wager they would fare much better than a D3300 especially if a fast (read heavy) piece of glass is attached. That magnesium frame is not there just for looks.
 
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Whether it is right or wrong, I believe you are judged by your presentation, i.e. how your presentation measures up to what the client envisions a professional photographer to look like. Ultimately it is the end product, but think about going to a nice restaurant. The food is well cooked and professionally plated for appearance. If it was just piled up on the plate, it would be the same food and taste the same, but the experience would be quite different. Someone mentioned it was a combination of "your attire, your punctuality, your language, your car, business premises etc." He is correct, if you want to be a professional, look the part. It is a big part of marketing your services. If I wanted to shoot with a small mirrorless and it gave the images I wanted, I might still strap on a big black "pro" camera just for show if I thought it would put the client as ease.

PS: I am not a professional photographer, but I am a professional in my field.
 
Of the few recent Events I've done I've noticed that people show up with their DSLRs. but then my DSLR w/grip I have on a bracket and flash extender cable with a flash and bouncer on it. They're impressed and know I'm there to take pictures.

So ... it seems some may judge based on equipment.
 
if they are judging you on your gear and not on your results, you have the wrong clients.

Why? A paying client is a paying client.

if money solves all problems, or you cant afford to turn down any work, then sure...any paying client is a good one.
but i found that there were just some people i did not want to work for, and believe me, I hated turning down money.
if someone is already being judgemental because of the equipment you are using, why would you not just refer them to someone with the gear that will satisfy them? some sense of pride that makes you want to prove to them wrong?
I dont want that kind of hassle, because if someone has it in their head that my gear isnt the right gear for the job, i would rather they just find someone that better suits their needs. I never took a job that i didnt feel i had sufficient equipment for, so if the client has equipment concerns i cant easily assuage, i will just take a pass.
a client that is dissatisfied* with you before the first click of the shutter just reeks of trouble later on. personally, and it could just be me, i would rather just move on.








*the real variable here is just how judgemental the client is, and how difficult you feel the situation could become. my statement is based on a fairly high level of criticism and skepticism on the clients part. your mileage may vary, along with your comfort zone.
 
I am unfamiliar with the feeling of being judged for having small equipment.
 

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