A problem paired is a problem shared – it’s a problem we can communally commiserate about, bond over, and maybe even laugh about. From the moment you pick up your first ILC you’re on your way to encountering a phenomenon that is, perhaps, unique to the photography world: non-photography folk associating the quality and product you produce not with your skill, but with the equipment you use.

The first and most common form this will take shape in is the casual and platitudinal, “Wow, this is a great photo. You must have a really good camera.” I’d wager you run into this within the first month of shooting anything. It could be your kid’s little league game, a basic portrait or a sunset from a recent vacation, but really, it’s not even the end of it.

It seems that the association of good imagery being a product of the camera and not the photographer is reflected in the value these people place on your time and the other associated skills required to execute a vision, because invariably you’ll run into people assuming that you can ‘just‘ do a lot of things. ‘Just shoot a few photos of my birthday,” or “Just shoot this hideous scene and photoshop the bad stuff out,” or “Just shoot my courthouse wedding in this casual style of Kim and Kanye’s wedding,” having no idea what goes into it.

And of course if you are not inclined to acquiesce, fear not, your services are always replaceable by (insert random family member with a DSLR here).

Now I say this all with a wink and a smirk, and that’s kind of the point. We can’t be kept down by it, but laugh at it and trade stories, just like this in this video from The Social. Check it out, have a laugh, and if you’ve encountered this lately, drop the story in the comments.

[REWIND: The Sony Story No One Tells, Not Even Sony | It’s Not In Our Nature To Snuff Out The Fire]