Should I bill the client?

<p>Here is my situation: do photography as a hobby, that pays for itself. I get paid by a local adult sports league, and recently went to shoot an indoor soccer league in a new gym. I did not do any scouting prior to the shoot, and when I arrived, found the lighting to be horrible. Having to crank the ISO left with sub-standard shots that the club was not very pleased with, and didn't put on their website. Since then I have bought some strobes and that's alleviated my problem, but should I charge them for this shoot? I did spend 3 hours shooting the games, then another 3 in post processing trying to get the images decent...</p>

<p>What do y'all think? Please, no comments about techniques or using DxO or anything else for noise reduction... I have one of those threads started.... this is purely a business question.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Well, if I get bad apples from the grocery store because the store bought them from some guy that didn't know how to grow apples, I'd take them back for a refund. You don't get paid for a product that's bad unless you're a religious leader, politician, or meteorologist.</p>

<p>I'm a statistician, so I do build models... kinda like a meteorologist, except my models work... lol...<br>

<br />Thanks!</p>

<p>I would not charge for what is pretty obviously substandard work. Indeed I may well have elected to tell the client they weren't good enough and decline to show them, never mind sell them. If you'd checked out the lighting beforehand, found it OK and then it was bad on the night, then I think you might have a rationale. Maybe that's what should have happened , but it didn't. Let me also say that if you're accepting money for photography then professional standards apply. </p>

<p>That's really what I thought, but I just wanted to get some feedback, as I am still very new to this stuff. Still figuring out best practices :)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"sub-standard shots... ...but should I charge them for this shoot? I did spend 3 hours shooting the games, then another 3 in post processing trying to get the images decent..."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Seriously? You really expected them to pay for completely failing to deliver what they paid you for? http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131206201308/sonicfanon/images/4/47/3221507-2307282-55860_jj_jameson_laughing_meme_1.jpg</p>

<p>Seriously for real, its important to step back and be objective about what you are doing. Whether it be being prepared to perform a task and to know what the consequences are otherwise. Also to use common sense. If you get a charred brick for a steak at a restaurant, is it going to fly if the waiter says we had it in the oven for a long time?</p>

<blockquote>

<p><em>"Since then I have bought some strobes and that's alleviated my problem, but should I charge them for this shoot?"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Russell, have you done a reshoot of the gym with your newly acquired strobes? If not, I'd offer it to the client with the proviso that they pay for the second shoot if they like the results, and forego payment for the failed session. <br /><br>

It's important to keep clients happy and doing this might also help toward reclaiming your credibility. </p>

<p>No, I would not bill them. As a pro (once you get paid, you are a pro), it is your responsibility to be ready to handle different situations. Take this as a lesson learned. Wish you the best.</p>

<p>Russell - before asking such a question you should first answer this question - If you went to a restaurant and was served a meal that you rejected because of poor quality and the chef admitted that it was not good, would you expect to have to pay for that meal that you did not eat?<br>

A second question - If the owner of the restaurant insisted that you pay for that rejected meal, would you return to that restaurant?</p>

<p>What is left to be said. Under no circumstances bill them. There are two important lessons to learn here. The first is that a professional does his/her preparation. A professional would NEVER have just showed up to a venue on the outside chance he could shoot with available light and unequipped for the alternative.</p>

<p>Second and most important. When someone hires a pro to cover an event they are expecting that the pro will anticipate the unexpected. Not only that but the professional should always have the responsibility to remember that if he/she does not get the shots that an important event in one or many people's lives goes unrecorded and can not be recovered. </p>

<p>I mean no personal disrespect but all too often we answer this question, "I am going to be a professional wedding photographer, what camera should I buy?" A am angered every time. Not camera....cameras....on and on. One is never "going to be a professional" one either is professional or one is not. As a photojournalist I feel a strong responsibility to take my job seriously. If you are going to be taking on paid assignments then you ought to also. If you ever approach an assignment with a cavalier attitude, turn around and go home. It is not far to those who are counting on you. </p>

<p>So its nice you bought some lights. What is your backup body? Backup lenses? Training in flash photography to go along with your new "strobes"? You get my point.</p>

<p>As others have said, no you shouldn't charge. You failed to adequately prepare for the job and as a result what you produced was not of an acceptable quality.<br>

For future reference you need to be aware that gym lighting is often really bad and, in addition, some gyms wont allow strobes (and if they do they may want you to show you have the necessary insurance). Knowing that in advance will allow you to buy/rent fast lenses and a camera that is good in low light (full frame) to avoid problems.</p>

<p>****PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE REPLYING FURTHER*****</p>

<p>Yes, this was a stupid question to ask. As stated above, I received the the answers I expected. However, since so many people have taken the time to give me such detailed and helpful responses, I feel that I should give some feedback.</p>

<p>Barry... short but sweet. "Once you're paid, you're a pro." Truer words haven't been said. Over the past 4 months, this has gone from an occasional shooting for fun to something that is starting to pay decent cash. I was able to splurge on a couple Einsteins because of this.</p>

<p>Allen... Touche. That is the perspective I was hoping someone would give me... you did.</p>

<p>Rick, and many more, I guess I need to start visualizing myself as a professional, not a hobbyist. And as Barry said, I need to start acting like it. Oh, and by the way, my backup is a 7D (which I sometimes prefer to my 5d3). This initial post was misleading... the shoot in question was a few months ago that they finally gave me clearance to bill for, and I have shot 3 (free) events (2 basketball and 1 volleyball games) to test the strobe equipment. Outside of this, I have shot about half a dozen sessions with a Sports Illustrated photographer, I have read every article available on Strobist, along with watching any video on YouTube I can get my hands on. Remember, I'm a statistician. I don't like to know solely outputs, I like to know why things happen the way they do. </p>

<p>Everyone, I really appreciate your feedback. It put me in a perspective I needed to be in. Thank you.</p>

<p>And if you didn't read this reply, and still criticize me, I probably won't reply to you.</p>

<p>Hey there Russell,</p>

<p>While you might have a legal right to demand payment, I think you should consider looking at this from the client's perspective. Put yourself in their shoes and decide how you would want to be treated if the tables were turned. Again, while you might have a legal right to the money, what is the better decision in the long-run for your business? Making a client pay for what you acknowledge isn't up to your own standards of excellence, or making the situation right with the client and maybe getting their business or a referral in the future?</p>

<p>If I were you, I might also suggest to the client that you now have the necessary equipment to get the job done in an acceptable manner, and request that they give you another chance to create the photos for their site. This would allow you to give them a product that they can be happy with, and it would give you the opportunity to take their money and feel good about it.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>David Henry<br /><a href="http://www.dashlegal.com">Dashlegal.com</a></p>