Thank you, Deen. Lea ----- Original Message ----- From: "Deen Hameed" <deenhameed@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students" <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 6:33 PM Subject: Re: weddings (might be a bit long-sorry) > At 2005-02-24, 03:18:08 lea (lea@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) wrote: > > >Good Lord. > > > >Shyrell, I'm sure I speak for everyone on this list when I tell you we > >feel your pain. I can only speak for myself when I tell you (and you > >know this, I realize) that 20/20 hindsight is a beautiful thing. > > > >In this situation you are the paid professional. You are in the driver's > >seat. If I may be so bold, may I suggest you assume the responsibility > >and drive this situation the way you want it to go. Your job as a > >professional photographer is not to bend every direction to make your > >client happy at the expense of making yourself look like a dishrag. You > >need to step back, think this thing over and assess what you want. > > > >You have some choices, as I see it: > > > >Give in and give your client everything they ask for, including > >copyrights, negatives and money back so they go away and leave you > >alone. > >(Not an option for a second, in my book..you are definitely a passenger > >in this situation) > > > >OR > > > >Let your client know that you did do what they asked and paid for. You > >photographed their wedding. You supplied proofs. Hopefully you have a > >contract outlining your responsibilities and theirs...if not, this is > >the wake-up call to get one drawn up before your next event. Do you have > >any other obligations to them...enlargements, book, etc? If so, let them > >know you will meet those obligations in a timely, professional manner, > >with professional products and prints. Then do it. > > > >Inform them that they may NOT, under any circumstance without written > >permission from you, reprint your images or scan them for distribution > >in any way. AND don't offer to do this for them. > > > >I am certain that they are disappointed and I'm also confident that you > >will have to do some fancy footwork to undo some of the promises you've > >already made to them (correct the images and burn them to cd so they can > >go to Walmart for reprints, for example. You're killing me with that > >one.). Your job was not to supply them with proofs so they could have > >them copied at sub-par quality. Your job was to supply them proofs so > >they could make choices as to what images they wanted reprinted and > >enlarged. And then you do that for them. Like all professional > >photographers, some of your images will have problems that need some > >correcting...dust, scratches, dodging, burning and the like. Correcting > >these problems should be a matter of course for you...not an > >afterthought once they are discovered by the client. > > > >Going back to the idea of being in the driver's seat. As a professional > >you should CARE what your images look like when they leave your studio. > >One way to ensure they look the way you want them to look is to control > >the process. Find a professional lab, let the lab know you expect > >quality and will stand for nothing less...your goal is to make the lab a > >partner with you in your work. Let them know when a client is thrilled > >and they'll be more than happy to work with you to make an unhappy > >client happier. > > > >The following is the text from a card that I created and insert in every > >order that I send out...proofs and final orders. It lets my clients know > >they can depend on me for quality and it also lets them know what they > >need to do to keep their images safe for a long life. > > > >Enclosed are the proofs from your photo shoot. > >These are yours to keep and enjoy. > > > >Catalog numbers needed for ordering reprints and enlargements are > >handwritten on the back of each print. > > > >A few things to know about the keeping and storage of photographs: > > > >Photographs keep best when mounted behind glass in a frame or > >stored in an album which does not use magnetic pages. If using > >tapes or corners to mount images in albums, be certain to use > >archival materials which avoid deteriorating the paper the image is > >printed on. > > > >Photographs are susceptible to fading; when hanging framed images > >in your home or office, try to avoid any direct sunlight that may > >fall on the print. > > > >All negatives and digital files are archived in my office; they are > >never thrown away or deleted so reprints and enlargements may be > >ordered at any time, even years from now, with confidence. > > > >Please be aware that copyright of these images stays with me and > >any scanning, reprinting or reproducing of any kind is prohibited > >without written permission. > > > >Get in the driver's seat and direct this where you want it to go. > >Vroom, vroom. > > > >Lea > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Shyrell Melara" <shyrellmelara@xxxxxxxxx> > >To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students" > ><photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > >Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 7:24 AM > >Subject: Re: weddings (might be a bit long-sorry) > > > > > >> Yes, and all sorts of problems right from the start. It was only after > >I agreed to do the wedding that I was informed it was only one week > >away! After I recovered from the shock, I still failed to turn them > >down. Next, we had our first interview at which time the deposit was to > >be made. I was told they did not have the cash on them, they left the > >checkbook at home, and they had a car full of groceries so they had to > >leave and could they pay me with a check at the rehearsal which was two > >days away. > >> > >> Again, shock. (Boy, I need to quit getting shocked!) The story only > >gets worse from there. The pictures and negatives come back scratched > >and when the Bride comes to look at them she tells me she does not want > >any enlargements. (What? We had a contract. But she wants to nearly > >double the order with the smaller prints. So I figure, okay, it's still > >good money.) I kept waiting for her to see the lines so I could discuss > >options, but she didn't see them. > >> > >> That's when she says (about the enlargements), "I have a scanner at > >home so I can do my own." (What?) I thought, she has a scanner, she's > >cheating me out of my potential income, she can fix the pictures > >herself. So what does she do? She goes to Wal-Mart and has the > >enlargements done there, discovers the lines, call me up and screams > >about getting all her money back or she's going to take me to court. > >> > >> At 7pm last night her husband shows up at my door! (My studio is in my > >garage.) So I tell him I will fix the pictures myself, put them on a cd > >and they can take that to Wal-Mart for their enlargements. Again cutting > >me out of any potential income, but I'm just trying to defuse the > >situation. > >> > >> Hubby & I go out. We get back home to find a message. They want the > >pictures for the enlargements fixed, but since that is only about 5 out > >of 60, they still want 'some' money returned. And that's where we are > >for now. Personally, now I'd rather fix all the pictures and bite the > >dust on the reprints as opposed to any refunds. My position being, I did > >not scratch the pictures and neither did my camera. I showed the lab's > >letter to the husband, so he knows it wasn't me that messed up. > >> > >> Any ideas as to where to go from here? I'm stuck on the fact that I > >did not damage the pictures so I shouldn't have to refund any money, and > >I'm willing to do the touch ups and eat the extra expense. I'd even be > >willing to let her take me to court if that's what she wants. But I just > >can't swallow refunding any money at this point. > >> > >> Shyrell > >> > >> For the Quality You Deserve! > >> Melara Family Photography > >> http://shyrellmelara.tripod.com > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: wildimages@xxxxxxxxxxx > >> > Your experiences have only confirmed for me why I've always said. > >> > > >> > "I don't do weddings" > >> > Did you have a written contract? > >> > If not, do purely verbal contracts hold up in court in the US? > >> > > >> > > From what I remeber the bride hadn't paid you up front (unless > >they did right > >> > before the service). > >> > > >> > Bob > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> -- > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Find what you are looking for with the Lycos Yellow Pages > >> > >http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/defaul t > >.asp?SRC=lycos10 > >> > >> > >> > > > >. > Thanks Lea, for some excellent advice and sharing your experience and expertise with us. From time to time, when digital/film.. real/computergenerated.. signmeoff threads fade away... we get issues and posts like yours that make it worthwhile to stay on. > > Rich, your sand/beach pix are superb. I especially like the last one (the stones), for the colours and the way they are set into the sand. > > Best regards, > Deen > 2005-02-24 11:31:17 > >
