07/09/2026
Monday Musings.
Photographers.
Are we shadow boxing?
Something I’ve noticed increasingly in photography content — particularly from photography influencers — is an argument that goes something like this:
“People think photographers charge too much.”
“They think all we do is press a button.”
“Clients don’t understand what goes into creating an image.”
It’s usually followed by a passionate defence of our equipment, experience, editing time, creativity and the hours that happen behind the scenes.
And there’s nothing wrong with explaining the value of what we do.
But I started wondering…
Who are we actually arguing with?
I’m sure photographers occasionally hear these comments. But is this really how most clients think? Or have we repeated the story so often within our own industry that we’ve created an opponent to defend ourselves against?
There’s a term for constructing an argument that’s easier to knock down: a strawman. And when we continually fight against it, perhaps we’re just shadow boxing.
More importantly, I wonder what message it sends to the people who actually hire us.
Most of my experience has been with people who value photography enough to trust me with their car, their story, their image or their time. They’re not the enemy. They’re the reason I get to create this stuff in the first place.
Perhaps instead of continually telling people why photography isn’t overpriced, we could simply show them why it has value.
Show the work.
Show the creativity.
Show the experience.
And most importantly, value the people who value what we do.
Just a thought.
Have you genuinely been told, “All you do is press a button”? Or have you mostly heard photographers telling you that people say it?
I’d genuinely be interested to know.
