So what's the deal?

I had this strange client interaction over the course of the last month. A fairly young ambitious web designer approached me to shoot some images for one of her new "Big" clients. Right out of the gate, she's promising lots of repeat business and another big shoot just weeks down the road. This always makes me nervous because we don't know each other yet. She hasn't seen any of my work beyond the online portfolio and I've not yet created one successful image for her. But the promises spew forth. Sadly, I know I've got to watch the chess board and think a few moves ahead of someone I'm hoping will be a long term friend and business partner. She either doesn't know what she's doing and will need educating- -which is the easy part, or she knows exactly what she's doing and will need to be fired.

Well, it turns out to be a little of both. A few weeks later, I get a call asking for prices on another shoot. Immediately, these prices are too high and I was told I should consider lowering them for this phase of the relationship. So we start to negotiate and it's clear that the only arrangement that will be acceptable is if I PAY THEM for the privilege of creating image that will help them make money. I'm being sarcastic, but that's how I see it when the fees dip below my overhead.

The next call I get proposes that I charge them money to train their warehouse personnel to shoot photos. Now they need two kinds of photos: high end images to run in the banners of their website, and simple product shots of expensive wine bottles. I offer them every kind of solution I can imagine and prices that would floor you, but she, my client, will hear none of it! I'm being unreasonable she says. Further, I being temperamental and overly sensitive about giving away 25 years worth of experience and education. She says she teaches her clients all the time how to handle their own design work and when they screw it up, she charges them to fix it. I've heard enough!

I had to fire her. Bad manners, bad ethics, everything that's wrong with small business. Do anything to get the work no matter who it hurts, including yourself.

So here's the big question: has photography for you boiled down to who's got which camera? Do you think that it you had the right combination of equipment, computer and software that the actual photographer, the artist, the craftsman, is obsolete or unnecessary? While it's true that technology today will allow you to simply point and shoot and get fair results, you still need a great photographer. In fact now more than ever! If mediocrity will serve you fine, then do it yourself. But if you're building a business and selling a product of a service or even yourself. You better find a professional photographer that can lift your image out of the visual mire.

Okay! Rant complete!

Here's a fun link:

http://yourclientfromhell.com/

Take the test and take out the trash!