darylann

<p>Try www.photographersdirect.com. They have listings of photographers by geographic area.</p>

<p>I'd suggest just adding a reasonable "rush fee," if in fact you gave him some indication there might be extra expenses, and leave it at that. Personally, I wouldn't charge him for the total cost, as this is something you'll probably add to your gear and use in the future; if not, sell it on ebay as "like new" and recoup the rest of your expense.</p>

<p>Another vote for PayPal!</p>

<p>How about a very reasonably priced book through Shutterfly? It would definitely look more professional than pics attached to a wobbly poster board (and blowing away in the breeze)!</p>

<p>Have issues with ImagePro been resolved yet? I'm just trying to find out more about it, and see others' websites who are using it.</p>

<p>She signed the contract and gave you a non-refundable deposit. She's a business person also, which likely explains why she didn't ask for it back. I think if you offer to refund it, it only serves to lessen your professionalism in her eyes. If she's honoring the contract, leave it at that!<br>

I personally would not refund it, even if they asked for it, but remind them why it's non-refundable (to reserve the date while you turn down other jobs for the same date). An option would be to tell them, "If I do end up booking another wedding on that date, then I will refund your deposit." I also really like the idea of offering them a credit for the amount IF they re-book with you in the future. I'll have to revise my contract to include that option!</p>

<p>I require half down to book the wedding, and the balance paid in full by 1 week prior to the wedding -- no exceptions! It's in the contract that I give them to look over before they book, and everyone gets the same contract. I'm friendly about answering all their questions, but have learned to be firm and consistent to avoid problems. I've never had a complaint about requiring payment before the wedding date, but used to have one problem after another when I tried to make allowances, give special deals, etc. It's important to realize that you gain more respect as a professional when you are firm about sticking to the same contract for all clients.</p>

<p>I've gotten the request to be hired, from someone I've never heard of and who barely knows English -- and wants to fly me half-way across the country to do their wedding! Of course I wondered, why me? I didn't even reply, as it screamed "scam!" I figured it would end up being the fake check thing, or some such dishonest attempt to take my hard-earned money.</p>

<p>I just ordered a book that fit your exact description, from Shutterfly.com. It's shipped and on its way to me (hoping it comes today). They always have specials going, it seems. My client actually wanted two copies, which I ordered. My cost including shipping for the 2 books was about $63. Get on their emailing list and you'll be advised of all the sales! They have an assortment of "OK" templates, but you can also create you own pages with your software and drop in entire pages of your own making (my personal preference)</p>

<p>...Now if the quality's acceptable, I'll be very happy and will be ordering more books from them in the future. I'm thinking positive and have the next one in the works, so I hope I'm not disappointed.</p>

<p>Second group, third one down. I agree with Rachel and Kris. It looks very elegant and

professional. Don't try to make it more glitzy! And I <em>hate</em> the bumps, whatever they

are -- <em>forget them!</em><br>

Er, wanna design a logo for me...? (That's how much I like it!)</p>

I'm confused as to why you'd print an 8x10 on 8x10 paper and then trim some off? Or why you'd want to print an 8x10 on 11x17 paper (you could fit 2 on an 11x17, BTW, and be less wasteful). Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question.

 

Regardless, if you're selling just the photo itself (unmatted, unframed, etc.), you give the size (dimensions) after trimming. But I'd personally stick to standard sizes so people aren't confused about what size frame they need.

I went through the same thing when just getting started. It gets to a point where you have to say, "Hey! I'm trying to

make a living here!" It's all well and good to want to give friends and family, etc. a break, but not when it's the

profession that you're pouring your lifeblood into. I would not expect a mechanic friend to maintain my auto at huge

discounts, or a doctor friend to give me bargain rates at the office! You've got to draw the line. Here are several ways

I deal with this:

 

If a friend/relative/acquaintence is trying to wheedle a deal out of me, I say something like, "Gee, I'd love to give you a

discount, but I promised my husband that I wouldn't do that anymore since I've got all these business expenses to

cover now."

 

If it's someone that I'm sure can't afford me, I give them an easy-out by saying, "Thanks for asking, here's my

standard rate, and I'd love to do your daughter's wedding. But to tell you the truth, I wouldn't be offended if you asked

someone else, so I can come and enjoy it as a guest instead of having to work it!"

 

People get the message, and you'd be surprised how much easier it makes your life! Be polite, be tactful, but be

firm as a professional. And they might even be thinking, "Wow! She must be doing pretty well with her business if

she's willing to turn a job away!" ...which doesn't hurt your business image any!

OK, I've found enough out about VistaPrint to not take a chance with them! I googled for reviews, and found this site:

http://blog.omnux.com/index.php/2006/04/25/my-vistaprint-experience/

 

If anyone asks me, I'll tell them, "Don't go there!"

Has anyone tried VistaPrint.com? They're spiral bound, but pricing seems quite reasonable. I was thinking about doing some calendars with them, but would like to first read others' reviews of color reproduction, etc.

I agree that you should be confident, and don't be afraid to take charge. The one thing I personally have a problem with is not being loud and bossy enough! I'm normally a quiet-natured person anyway, and impatient brides (and their relatives) sometimes get impatient with me if I'm not hurriedly (and loudly) ordering everyone into position for shots after the wedding. There's a time to be polite, and there's a time to take charge. It's a delicate balance, though, because you can also offend if you come off as arrogant and self-important. Never make yourself more important than the bride -- it's all about her, after all! You're doing your job if you're making her look beautiful.

"...he just asked me for another free shoot, 5-10 pics only, in return for me being able to use some of the shots for

my portfolio use... "

 

Is this guy for real? He's a professional scheister, if nothing else! How nice of him to allow you to use your own

images for your own portfolio! Geez!

 

Stick to your guns, don't give away anything else, take pride in being a professional, and if he never calls you again,

say good riddance to him! He's only bullying you into giving him all he can get without paying for it, plain and simple!

I think Richard said it well. I get plenty of clients who love my work, but they don't know why. The don't understand lighting or how it affects their portraits, but they know when they try to take pics of their kids pressed up against a white wall with a built-in flash, the results don't even come close to what I can give them. Most people don't have the time/desire to learn how to take good photos... that's where we come in! Just like we trust a doctor to fix us up, instead of going to medical school so that we can doctor ourselves and our family. I would liken the "elves" you observed to medical quacks with false licenses on the wall. They're just going through the motions and making people believe they're getting a professional service at bargain rates!

Do you have any idea where they got them from? Did you have them in a "Creative Commons" on Flickr or anything like that? If you, you may be out of luck.

 

I would suggest that, if you don't hear from them, you politely send them a bill for the use of your images, at an appropriate rate. You might find out first what they generally pay for using photos, and go from there. Others might have better suggestions...

I was interested in checking this out... until I googled it and found the following comments:

 

http://www.ephotozine.com/topic/t-35492

Joseph, I can't agree with you more! I used to try to please my clients with lower sitting fees and reasonable

packages for them to purchase after providing them some really nice proofs. I even resisting putting watermarks on

the proofs, specifically so they could be used and shared among family members and put into an album if they so

desired. But I got tired of clients taking the proofs to WalMart and printing all their copies for friends and family and

for Christmas cards, instead of coming back to me with orders for what they needed. I put all my professional

expertise into providing nice portraits, and offered them quite reasonable quotes for packages and individual

prints/enlargements, and ended up losing money in the end. So I finally jacked up my prices for sittings and don't

give proofs anymore. I do all the work on the images, then upload them to a hosting site where clients can view

them all and order what they want. It's made my life so much easier -- and I'm finally making enough money to

almost justify my struggle to make a living at this!

 

I feel I've been forced to do this to protect MY images (yes, they ARE mine!), and I really don't like it. But it's very

frustrating and discouraging to put all my hours aof skill and training into producing quality portraits, to get ripped off

in sales and have to deal with calls from WalMart asking me if so-and-so has been given permission to copy my

images!

 

Something to think about... A painter can sell a painting, but that doesn't give the buyer the right to reproduce it at

will. Why should a photographer's art be considered any differently?

Great points, Dennis! And in response, I guess it's lenders I'm dealing with, not investors. So I guess I'll see if I can find the appropriate forms online and go from there. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post!

I'm expanding my business and have some people who might be interested in short-term investing as a way to help

me with expansion expenses. I'm thinking that I will be able to get it all paid back within about 6 months, 12 months

max. But I've never borrowed money for my business or had investors before, and I haven't a clue about what to

promise them in return for entrusting my business with their money. Suggestions?

 

I've also considered hiring a lawyer to draw something up for us to use, but that would surely cut deeply into my profit

margin. Are there recommended (free) online forms I can tap into somewhere?

This is such a touchy subject. I've had some of the worst experiences when trying to give good friends a deal. In fact, I now do everything possible to avoid getting hired by friends who might expect special considerations! I lightheartedly tell them that my feelings wouldn't be hurt if they asked someone else to do their kid's wedding, for instance, so I can enjoy the festivities as a guest instead! For portrait work, I also try to find any excuse not to work with friends. This is just me, but I just got tired of being taken advantage of and having them expect even more "freebies" after getting a major break in my usual pricing. I don't expect them to give me freebies from their business or where they work. We're all trying to make a living in our jobs and businesses, and I believe this should be totally separate from our private/social life.

If you plan to stay in the Morro Bay area, I'd go with that. Nothing against your name personally, but "Morro Bay" is much easier to remember than... "What's that guy's name again?"

Is it really worth ticking off a client? And all the bad publicity when she tells all her friends? Regardless of your rights, I'd honor and respect her wishes.