We’re all just trying to make our way in this crazy world. As we go about that, we probably run into other photographers. Usually when I photograph a family photography session at the local park I see at least one other family photographer as well. There isn’t a special manual on how to interact with other professionals in our chosen field, but here are four things that you should never, ever do.
Steal their work
It’s not just in Academia that plagiarism is a huge no-no. It’s not only incredibly rude to steal someone’s work—whether by putting your name on someone’s photo or by stealing their ideas or setup—it’s also illegal. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other’s works, but make sure you make it your own.
Put them down
It’s like your mother told you when you were little—if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Don’t laugh at them. If they’re confused about something or doing something wrong, let them know nicely or offer to help them. You were a beginner once, too. You’ve made mistakes, too. Let’s all help each other be better.
Compare your art
Someone else is going to have different experience, different equipment, and different subjects. It’s unfair to yourself to compare what you can do to what other people can do. Be kind to others and yourself by holding each photograph to its own merit. If you’re really struck by a photograph and it’s style, reach out to the photographer and see if they would be willing to give you a couple of tips to help you improve your photography or be willing to divulge some of their process to you.
Sabotage them
Sabotage can encompass purposely standing in somebody’s shot, to bad mouthing them, to calling the authorities because you happen to know they’re not adequately licensed. It could also include your destroying their confidence by leaving nasty online comments on their work. Sabotage is ugly and petty and has no place in a true artist’s or professional’s life. It hurts the other photographer and it won’t make your work any better. There is room for everyone to work. Everyone has different strengths, styles, and preferred shoots. If you’re struggling then you need to work building yourself up, not tearing other people down.
The baseline here is the good old “treat people how you’d like to be treated.” There’s enough ugliness and pain in the world without us adding to it. It’s a shame that some people don’t follow this golden rule and that this article had to be written. It would be wishful thinking that such things don’t occur among adults, but each point above was taken from my own firsthand experiences or from other photographers I’ve talked to. If you have messed up and done any of these things, it’s ok. All you have to do is be better today than you were yesterday. We can all become better people and photographers. Happy shooting.