Clients often ask me what the photography process actually looks like. They know they want good photos but aren't sure what getting from "I need pictures" to "here are your final images" involves. Here's the real answer.
The Brief
Before anything happens, we talk. Not just "what do you want" but what are the images for — a website, social media, print, or client portfolio? The use case changes how I shoot. When do you need them? Timeline shapes everything else. Who's the subject? Person, product, place, or event — each has a different process.
The brief doesn't have to be perfect. Half the time clients come in with a vague idea and we figure out the specifics together. But I need to know the use case before I pick up a camera.
Planning and Setup
For location shoots, I scout in advance — visit the location, check the light at the time of day we're planning to shoot, think through composition and backgrounds. For studio work, that means setting up lighting before the subject arrives. I don't want to waste anyone's time on logistics.
For tattoo photography specifically, I need to capture both the technical quality — line work, color accuracy, detail — and the emotional weight of the piece. Most tattoo clients want both: proof that the work is clean and proof that it's meaningful.
The Shoot
Here's what actually happens on shoot day.
For portrait work, I typically start with a walking conversation — we walk, we talk, we get comfortable with each other. Most people are awkward in front of a camera for the first ten minutes. I give them time. We start with easy stuff, nothing high-pressure. As we go, I direct — not in a "say cheese" way, but in a "try this" way. Small adjustments to posture, angle, light. Most people respond well to specific direction.
For tattoo photography, I photograph right after cleaning the skin — not after it's been in the sun or covered in lotion. I get multiple angles: close detail shots, medium context shots, and at least one environmental shot that shows scale. Fresh ink versus healed ink requires different approaches. If it's fresh, I photograph before any peeling or scabbing happens.
I shoot more than I need. I tell clients this upfront. I'd rather have options than wish I'd gotten one more frame.
Selection
After the shoot, I do a first pass — remove the obvious misses: out of focus, blinks, badly exposed. I don't second-guess the good ones at this stage. Then I share a selection gallery with the client and ask them to be honest. I'd rather know they love the images than have them settle.
Editing and Delivery
Here's where a lot of photographers lose clients to confusion. Retouching sounds like airbrushing, and people worry about being made to look fake.
The reality: exposure, contrast, and color correction are standard — all images get this. Basic skin cleanup means smoothing obvious blemishes, nothing that changes the face. I ask first. Background cleanup means removing distractions and fixing blown-out areas.
For tattoo photography, editing is minimal and technical. The goal is accurate color representation and clean presentation, not artistic interpretation.
Final images go out in the format that matches the use case. Web images are optimized JPGs — not massive files you can't upload anywhere. Print work gets higher resolution files with proper color profiles.
Typical turnaround: portrait work in 5-10 business days, product and studio work in 3-5 business days. Rush delivery available — if you need it, tell me upfront.
What Clients Actually Ask
"Can I get the RAW files?" Usually no. RAW files aren't finished images — they're data that requires processing. If I don't process them, they don't look right. I deliver finished, processed images.
"Can you do the same thing but cheaper or faster?" Faster, yes, for a rush fee. Cheaper, no — not while maintaining quality. If you're getting significantly below market rate, the quality is significantly below market rate.
"What if I hate the photos?" This has never happened, but my policy is: if you genuinely hate the images and we can't resolve it through revisions, we'll figure something out. I'm not interested in making people pay for work they're not happy with.
Russell Cain IV is a tattoo artist and photographer in Somerset, KY. Photography services for tattoo artists, small businesses, and individuals at russellcainiv.com.
