I feel your frustration. I am an art documentation/archival photographer and have a mother-in-law that is an artist. I learned to say “No” after she asked me to document for prints “a few” paintings for free. Specifically, she told my wife to tell me to do it for free. A few paintings became over 50! I mentioned that a job of this scale would cost $2500 and be about 20 hours of work. I got the simular, “You like photography”, “Is this really a job or a hobby?” I no longer shoot for family. (I’m also hanging on to the images until I see some compensation.)

I use a knockoff Manfrotto that I got about eight years ago with the intention of replacing when my budget permitted. Eight years later, I have found that the tripod is very sturdy and durable. I also picked up a gimbal a few years ago which is my go to tripod head unless I am traveling overseas. Look on Amazon for something that is built like a Manfrotto. Hopefully, you will have the same luck that I did.

Yes, and it was my own fault. I am not a portrait photographer. I specialize in Art Documention or create high-resolution prints for artists. So, my wife’s friends split the cost of hiring a Santa Clause, then asked my wife to tell me shoot it for cheap or free. When I said “no”, as expected it started an argument between us. And I was labeled “the bad guy” and I was “ruining Christmas”. I gave in as I was tired of arguing with my wife and her friends. I offered to borrow a Christmas backdrop from a photographer friend and to shoot it in my studio space to it would at least come out well. They declined and told me they had it covered, I had doubts, but went with it. When I got to the shoot, it was a white background, outside, in harsh light. I tried to convince them to move the background indoors, and I would use my portable studio lighting or out of direct sunlight. They refused, so I convinced them to agree in writing that if (when) the photographs were washed out, it was NOT my fault and that I had advised them how to create a quality image. After this experience, my wife agreed to never put me in this position again. I learned a few things from that experience, including: regardless of the relationship clearly establish in writing the expectations for both myself and of the client.