Every photographer knows the drill about work for free requests:

• "It will be a great opportunity to build your portfolio"
• "We don't have a budget for photos"
• "Other people have done this kind of work for free..."

Given the strong competition in photography, it's tempting to accept this kind of "work".We strongly discourage working without compensation. When a Pixsy employee was recently asked by a friend to do a small shoot for free, we wondered how photographers should handle these situations.So we gathered a panel of industry experts and asked them one question: is it ever OK to ask a photographer to work for free?

The consequences of taking unpaid photography work

Photography is your business.It’s a product and service that others will either buy, or pass up on.

Professional photographers are often asked to work for no payment other than “exposure”. When they try and quote a price, the response can sometimes be hostile.The Association of Photographers has plenty to say about the promises that come when you work for free:“Too often, work opportunities are presented to photographers on the basis of garnering 'great exposure' in return; the opportunity to have your work seen far and wide, the oft-heard line, 'It'll be great PR for you!'...Trouble is, it rarely pans out that way.”Filing yourself into the “will work for free” category is not good publicity. It's bad networking and ruins your own perception of value. When you agree to shoot or produce photographs for nothing, you lock yourself out of your own price range.

‍Julia Anna Gospodarou is a multi award-winning fine art photographer. In her workshops, mentoring programs and best-selling books, she emphasizes the business and financial side of photography alongside the artistic.

"My work is my passion but it also has to provide me with financial support for myself and my family,"

"There is a creative part that goes into it that is very energy consuming. There is also the investment the professional photographers have to make in their gear, studios, electronic equipment, professional trips, education, bills, taxes and everything else."From a practical point of view, working for free creates an awkward expectation of quality:

• If the "client" isn’t happy with the photos, do they have a right to complain?
• When you work for free, what standards are you working to?

It’s hard to get honest feedback for free work. It doesn’t matter whether they love or hate your finished photos, everything you produce gets stamped with a “freebie” level of quality.

Working for free is an expensive risk. In gear costs alone, photographers need to replace older cameras, order new lenses, and wedding photographers must invest in specific tools so they can shoot in all conditions.‍

Tiffany Mueller is a professional photographer who also writes tutorials and guides for DIY Photography and Lightstalking. Her work has also appeared on the Pixsy blog. She says that if someone with a budget asks you to work for free, they're not complimenting your work, they're devaluing your skills."Whether they realize it or not, they're basically saying, 'We like your photography, but not enough to pay you to do it.'  Unpaid assignments are even worse in the long term, she adds. You only drag other photographers down with you.

"Each time a photographer takes an unpaid job thinking they're jump starting their career, they're actually destroying any hope of job security. If we all started saying no to unpaid gigs, we'd all be asked a lot less."  

When you work on a handshake instead of a contract, you get none of the protections of regular photography work:

• They will want license rights to the images, and no serious photographer would give those away for free.
• If something happens to your gear at an event, your penny-pinching “client” isn't going to foot the bill.

We often see such stories on 'Stop Working for Free'. This is a Facebook group where freelance creatives share their experiences of being asked to work for little or no pay. The founder, Mark Pringle, is very direct about the effect unpaid photography jobs and internships have on the job market:

"The willingness of (increasingly) young middle-class people, frequently supported by their parents, to work for nothing — this is turning photography and other creative professions into a middle-class ghetto," he says.

Why are photographers asked to work for free?

Photographers aren't the only creative professionals getting these requests. However, there are specific reasons why people want you to take a professional-looking photo for free."Many think that professional photography is just as easy as picking up a camera, shooting a few photos and that’s it," says Julia Ann Gospodarou. "This is a distorted perception and it is happening because many don’t know what goes into doing photography as a profession."

The commoditization of photography means that every person walking has a camera in their pocket, and less will appreciate the skills and services of a professional photographer.

‍"I even hesitate to say we enjoy photography, because of Snapchatting, Instagramming, and Facebooking," says Bryan Caporicci. He's a wedding & portrait photographer, and host of the Sprouting photography podcast. "We take the image, we share it quickly and then it’s on to the next one almost as quickly as that one came to us,"An entrepreneur before becoming a photographer, Bryan believes many photographers simply don't have the necessary passion for business:

"We need to be embodying professionalism, because if we don’t it’s easy to see why a lot of people see what we do as a glorified hobby."

Marketing and advertising are vital for a successful photography business - more so than taking photos.

One photographer who certainly does is Matt Druin. He put himself on the map offering free travel on all his U.S. destination wedding shoots. Hardly another photography freebie, he turned his love of traveling and easy-to-fly-from Atlanta location into a key selling point. "I use it as marketing; I put it everywhere. It’s all over my website, it’s all over our social media posts every time, just because it’s something unique."

Photographing for your own benefit

Sometimes photographers will waive their usual fee for personal reasons. Perhaps the client is a friend or family member in a really desperate situation. Maybe they have a beach house that you hope they will lend you for the weekend. Or, you just owe them a lot of money and want to stop the crowbars coming out!Here are some scenarios where our photography panel has offered their services strictly for their own benefit:If new to the field, some work for the sheer experience of shooting an event or in a studio to build their portfolio, and to start establishing industry contacts."If you want to start a portrait studio you can start building up your portfolio by shooting your friends and acquaintances for free so you can show your skills," says Julia Anna Gospodarou. "Same thing for real estate photography. You could ask some building owners to shoot their buildings and give them some photos for free in return for you being able to showcase this work."

When an experienced professional wants to move into a new field of photography, they may not charge initially if they don't have working shots or a strong list of clientele in that industry. However, that doesn't mean the client/company can't cover additional costs."When I got into doing destination weddings, the very first one I ever did I did for free, in exchange that they would pay for my travel expenses," says Matt Druin. "Once I have that one destination wedding, and I was able to showcase that to other people on my blog.'

‍Some feel justified photographing without compensation if it’s for a worthy cause or campaign. Just note that Charities and NGO’s often do have the budget to pay photographers."I've done pro bono work for local animal shelters and low-income families who aren't in a position to have professional portraits taken and found the experiences to be rewarding in ways outside of finances," says Tiffany Mueller.

Experienced photographers may want to develop their portfolio and diversify their collection. Rather than work for free, you can always ask customers if they'd be willing to stay a little longer after a shoot to help you with your experimental photography. You can even offer the prints as appreciation for their time."I set the expectation that it’s for a specific purpose," says Brian Caporicci. "This is not you hiring me as a photographer, this is me hiring you as a subject to photograph. When you frame it that way, I think it really helps keep that value really high."

Shoot for 'payment in kind', not 'for free'

If you want to provide your camerawork for something other than money, here are some ways you can make it worthwhile:Agree on some kind of goods and or services trade: I.e. Is your client a web designer? Then they could help design your webpage.Bryan Caporicci: "When we were looking to do some container gardens for our home, there was a local florist that specialized in doing beautiful urns and all these great things with outdoor florals. So she came over, realized I was a photographer and said: “I actually need pictures…” I told her...let’s actually just pay that difference."

Set out how much work you’ll do: Make sure your client understands you won’t take a single photo more than required.

The Association of Photographers:"If the brand/company/organisation in question are capable of paying for professional photography (and indeed, seem to be paying for everything else but), then why should the photographer be the one to succumb?”

Don't accept any vague promises of “exposure”: Sort out something concrete. Set up a stall with your portfolio, prints and business cards, or put an advertisement on their website.

BC: "I always use magazines, because in the wedding industry it's very prevalent. They’ll ask you to shoot a free creative in exchange for advertising or for photo credit, and I often say 'that’s nice, but photo credit doesn’t feed my family.'"Regardless of the money, always sort out a contract: This negotiates what's expected from both parties. It can guarantee that you'll be able to use the images in your portfolio.MD: "All the free shoots I’ve ever done, even for my own personal stuff, there’s always some kind of contract that outlines the who, what, when, why and how things can be used."

Explaining why you won’t work for free

When the person asking you to shoot for free is a close friend or family member, the situation can get awkward...sometimes even ugly.You don’t have to take it personally. Non-photographers don’t always understand or appreciate the amount of work that’s involved, and may not fully recognize that this is your business. Instead of typing up an angry email or burning a few bridges, you can gently decline their request for unpaid photography work in the following ways:

• Make them understand that your photography is not just about “taking photos and sending them to print.” Explain the time commitments, the cost of gear, studio rent and expenses etc.
• Compare work for free to them offering the same priced service to you. For example, imagine if you had a friend who made designer cakes. Now imagine asking them how much time and money they'd lose out if they were to plan, bake and decorate a cake, free of charge.
• Gather and present price quotes from other photographers for the same amount of work - it doesn’t matter if they charge more or less than you, the point is to demonstrate that there is a standard cost for what's being asked
• If you're attending a wedding and suddenly you're asked to be the photographer, explain that you won’t be able to enjoy the occasion when working
• Tell them that you have a strict “I don’t mix business with family/friendship” rule (in practice, this is probably a good thing to have!)

We hope these tips help you get paid. Make sure you're also protecting the value of your work with a copyright protection service like Pixsy. Find out when people take your images without permission and get paid for their use!