So, I'm not a professional photographer, I'm probably barely considered a hobbyist. I got a camera a few weeks ago and I've been taking a lot of photos. Really enjoying the hobby, got myself a subscription to lightroom, took photos at a concert, on a hike, on the street at gameday, buncha stuff, but its been a challenge finding the right thing to be taking pictures of (i hear that matters). So i had this idea, tattoos! I like tattoos, you know who has tattoos? tattoo artists! So i messaged a local shop and said HEY! I wanna take pictures of tattoo artists and their tattoos, can i come in and take some pictures? and one of them said yes! but now I'm all in my head about it, i don't want them to be expecting a professional photographer and then i show up with my 300$ camera, no plan for what to do with the photos, no affiliations with a newspaper, no real good excuse for doing what I'm doing at all....
I guess my question is this; Is it appropriate to message a company and ask to take photos, without a high probability of it benefiting them? I didn't say that anything would come out of it, and i offered to share the RAW data with them if they wanted it, and to tag them on social media with any edited photos i made, i did call myself a photographer. I guess I'm just worried that im going to show up, and not have any idea what to do, and they are going to ask a question like "so who are you and why are you here?" and im just going to die of embarrassment before i can give a sensible answer.... or is it all gonna be chill?
Just be upfront, flexible, but also have some idea of what you're planning to do. "Ok, I'd like to take photos of each of you in x position, perspective, and here's how much time I'd like to spend". You don't want to overcommit to anything and I'll find the right balance with the staff. Believe me, anytime someone gets a chance to get free photos, they may be asking if you can do this again - totally up to you, also good way to get traction on a small side hustle.
How long will it take? I've never taken portraits of anyone like this before. In my mind they smile, i snap a photo and that's it, 30 seconds, but I'm guessing its a whole process i know nothing about. I don't want to take up a lot of their time, but i also don't want to look like i don't care about the shots, and just rush out of there.
lol, I'm all nervous now
That's for you to decide and suggest, you're the one with the idea einstein ;D. I don't know what the reference is to them smiling when it sounds like you're taking photos of their tattoos. What if someone has a full back/arm sleeve, etc?