Forum Topic: Creativestem Forum - Design for Print

Connect with creatives.

Forums / Design / Design for Print

Dilema

Last post 25 Oct 2007 by

meredith

Page 1 of 1

meredith

did a shoot about a month ago. basically for practice. $50 for the shoot and included all low-res photos on disc. Also included make-up hair, and stock props. shoot was done, they were given the photos, though, they werent incredibly thrilled with them. I know partially this was because they lacked enthusiasm. They really didnt even look like they wanted to be taking photos i just wanted to ask... "why are you here"?

For starters i dont want people to think i can magically transform them into something they are not. I can enhance what they are but not make them what they are not.

So anyway they give me the photos they want touched up, and i agree to make the changes for their distribution for free because they are un happy with the photos.

so Me? I'm like okay cool i can do that. So i open the photos up. Check them out.

In Short, the quality of the photos turned out not so great, but mostly its the composition and the entire i dunno VIBE or FEELING of these photos is just ughh.. its terrible. i absolutely hate them.

We do not have the resources or time to do another photoshoot. and i dont know how
i am going to be able to do what she wants with these, without just doing the damn things even if i hate them because im so sick of her asking about them....

ugh they are HIDEOUS PHOTOS. im stumped. truly stumped.

Reply 16 Aug 2007

carly

What exactly did they expect for $50? More importantly, what exactly is she expecting in the way of fixing them?

Handling clients expectations can be quite a tricky thing to do. I know you can't turn back the clock now, but in future you need to be upfront with them about anything you think is not going to go how they expect it. They will probably get angry, but it will save your back in the long run.

On the other hand, I have done completely shitty work before where I could just cringe and pretend it was not me, but the client loved it.

You have to weigh up what it is worth to you in the end. If you tell her there is nothing that you can do, and she gets angry and you lose her as a client, is this going to matter? Or is it not worth the trouble in the first place?

Quote 16 Aug 2007

noir

Doing a photo shoot for $50 with hair and makeup and all qualifies you as a saint!

I have found through the years that there are some clients I just do not have chemistry with and it is tough as a photographer to pull the best out of someone you have no chemistry with. At this point be honest with her and tell her you will do the best you can with them but it is probably not going to match her expectations or yours. Like Carly said - this was a great learning experience! Chalk it up as that and do not worry too much about it - this client may have been the first not to be excited during the shoot and final product and will not be the last.

----
** This space for rent **

Quote 16 Aug 2007

meredith

i know right? i was thinking the same thing. and i really didnt expect the woman to be on my ass about it so harsh when we told her upfront it was for experience, we are amateur etc. etc.

it was an irritating situation to begin with. the client was found thru a group that the girl i am shooting with is involved in. the girl who i shoot with, shes got some creative ideas and an interest in film and photography, and she set the appt for a monday. (we had done a couple practice shoots on each other before we decided to start this)

I told her i cant do shoots on weekdays. Weekends are better for me because of my obligations. She set the appt for a Monday anyway because i told her it would be a couple weekends before i would be free, and told me i was welcome to be involved and split the $$ if i had the time and could come do the shoot & the make up.

So i happen to be free for an hour that day. And it was a mess - i wont even go into detail. SO yeah my collaborative partner clearly didnt have everything together. I didnt particularly care for how she interacted with me during the shoot, she wasnt open to change or suggestion, and was just trying to control the flow and it was a bad flow and bad angles and lighting. PLUS i knew there would be no way i could communicate this to her without her blowing up - usually you can tell, and if i cant talk to you honestly then it pretty much sums up there if i can be successful in any business with you.

(Im sorry this is a much bigger disaster than just the photos for print lol).

SO anyway now the client is contacting my collaborative photographer even though.. ive she has my info and i am in contact with her and told her its in my hands. SO now i have my partner asking me during the week if they are done and they are not so i think im just going to do them this weekend.

Its shitty because people will see my work/creations and they are like "I want to look like that" and i think they have something in their mind that is unrealistic. I can do colour enhancing, but ultimately you can only do so much polishing off.

THe main thing i need ot do is take one of the family photos and place a present in the little girls hands, because they want to use it as their xmas card picture. Well it basically comes down to the fact that i just hate looking at it lol. I mean the other girl shooting with me did this shot, and the top of the guys head is all chopped off (she says her reason for this was because his wife said he is concious about is bald head!! LOL WTF i dont think she meant cut his brain out of the picture), hes standing up when he's the tall one. The wife is sitting down, and the kid is sitting in a lower stool so its like everythings all stretched to the corners. i dunno.

I really couldn;t careless if she was no longer were a client of mine, but shes a "friend' of the other photographer and she wants to keep the bridge tight.

sigh. - dude sorry this is long thanks for listening x.X

oh ps. ontop of that i really wasnt looking forward to a sheduled "family shoot" she knows my experience lies in "individual portraits"

i know this is my fault for not opening my mouth, and getting myself into this mess.

Quote 16 Aug 2007

carly

Red flags!!

If the client is your partners friend then let your partner sort it. She'll probably get pissed at you but she'll get over it and realise she was being stupid, if not...pfft!

Good thing to do is, if there is something that you really don't want to do and are having doubts about it, just quote the client WAY more money then what it's worth. This way they are most likely to back out, or if they accept you will at least be making a bucket money profit for a painful job!

Quote 16 Aug 2007

meredith

noir: lol. yeah it is a deal thats what i was thinking!! especially since its a month later and this junk is still on my plate. bleh. thanks for your response, it has helped! i appreciate it :]

Quote 16 Aug 2007

meredith

carly: yeah def a good idea. and i have used that high quote before in my day job ;] im still debating if its worth it to me to just do her edits, then offer her my print package, and bump up the price on that ;b

Quote 16 Aug 2007

carly

At least you got photos though.
I once was commissioned by a friend of mine to take photographs of a gig he was playing with his band.

I got all done for the night thinking I had taken some pretty cool shots, then got home to realise that the film I loaded had not wound on properly....

Since then I refuse to take anyone's offer for taking pictures of them!

Quote 16 Aug 2007

meredith

that sucks for real! did they give you issues with payment?

i hope no one ever discovers me and these photos were ever in any sort of collaboration with one another.

Quote 16 Aug 2007

carly

Nah luckily he was a good friend and just laughed at me. He was more upset than angry

Quote 16 Aug 2007

meredith

yeah i feel the upset vibes coming from my co-photographer..

Quote 16 Aug 2007

luisaraujo

i wont get out of bed for 50bux
----
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Quote 25 Oct 2007

carly

luisaraujo said:

i wont get out of bed for 50bux

That's only £25 too!

Quote 25 Oct 2007

meredith

Yeah it was a really stupid Idea. Seems I'm good at agreeing to stupid things these days. But i was hoping that by doing it this way it would get my foot in the door, and instead i got my neck caught in the fucking door... lol.

Quote 25 Oct 2007

Have your say

Want to share your thoughts? Sign up

for an account, or log in if you already have one.

If you find any bugs please let us know by posting in the Bug Reports

Browse Gallery InFocus Exhibitions	Featured Artists Browse Artists Currently Online	Home Contact us About us	CS News Forums	Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © Lucid Creative Ltd 2008 All Artworks & Content used & featured on this website are Copyright © their respective authors. Lucid Network