reneereynolds

<p>I'm in a bind. I have a seven hour event scheduled for this weekend and just got a call from my Stepmother letting me know my father has probably had a stroke. They live in Winnepeg, Canada. I have two local backups, both of whom are booked. I have an "out" in case of emergency built into the contract, so on a legal side, I am covered, but I certainly don't want to excersice it unless I absolutely have to.<br>

Help Please!</p>

Hey guys!

I saw a really cool signature mat on display at a local bridal shop and was wondering if anyone knows where you

can get them. I would love to be able to offer them to my clients. The shop owner had no clue. Help please??

The mat has the traditional 8x10 opening, but the mat was a kind of continuation of the photo in the opening, but

its opacity is way down to allow guests to sign over it. I just think this would look amazing using a black and

white photo in a bold black frame. If anyone knows where to get them, I'd appreciate the heads up. Thanks!!

I honestly don't know any reputable album company that will sell directly to the consumer. They market to photographers and depend on our orders to maintain their profit margin, so undercutting us by selling directly to the consumer isn't in their best interests. That being said, all photographers are not the same, and neither is their pricing. A great deal of the price of an album comes from how many pages are in the album, cover options, the number of photographs being included in the album, and whether the photographer is designing the album themselves or outsourcing that task to a third party. You always have options. If you have purchased a high-resolution disk of the proofs and the limited copyright issued along with it will allow, you could always seek out the services of another photographer or graphic artist to do the album for you. That being said, New York is a high-priced market when it comes to wedding photography. (I recently relocated from Manhattan to North Carolina.) I easily made 3x's per wedding what the market would bear in the city vs what the market will permit here, even to the "high-end" couple. Cost of services tend to be parallel with the cost of living in a given area. Try going outside the city to have the album done. You'll see the price point come down a great deal. Hope this helps!

Honestly, I always over-prepare. I would rather have to box up what's left and carry it back to the studio (like we all don't keep a heap of promotional materials anyway) than have an interested bride approach me for literature and have none left. I see it as my first way to meet a ton of brides face-to-face and that I certainly have no desire to appear like less than the fully prepared, competent professional I am. Just my opinion.

It really depends on what type of display you are using what type of mount you need to use. I use a pop-up with the panels and attach with industrial strength velcro for a flush mount. Never used anything different.

I shoot entertainment contracts for my livelihood. That's where my REAL money comes from. I could shoot four contracts a year and be just fine. I don't shoot weddings because they pay my bills. I do it because I love it, and in this particular area (having relocated from Manhattan in '06), I do it for about a THIRD of what I used to charge. That being said, its about someone trying to take advantage of me. I get to decide how much its worth to me to walk out my door and spend the day documenting someone else's life. That's MY decision, and I price myself accordingly. Anything less than that and it simply not how I want to spend my Saturday. I have three children who play sports, and a husband whom I rarely see in "the season". I have other things I could be doing and I set my prices in order for it to make it WORTH IT to be away from my family. PERIOD.

If she called me and said "I'm sorry, we have overextended ourselves and I am having trouble coming up with the rest of the balance." I would certainly attempt to come up with a solution that would benefit both of us. I could then offer to shoot the wedding and then begin working on the photographs once the balance has been paid, along with a signed agreement outlining the terms and an agreement to go through binding arbitration if a dispute should result.

 

Since all of this has happened, I have redone my contract to include a clause that states "Any promotional inclusion that accompanies this contract will not serve as cause for any future service exchange or credit towards the balance of this contract." It also states that "It is the sole responsibility of the client to schedule any package associated sessions at least 8 weeks in advance of the desired session date and at least 10 weeks prior to the desired delivery date for prints. In addition, the client assumes all responsibility for the preparation required for each session, to include, but not limited to, arranging for dress alterations, coordinating hair and make-up appointments, and making arrangements for the bridal session bouquet. The client shall hold the photographer harmless should these guidelines not be followed and scheduling and/or time frames become an issue. No refunds, credits, or refunds will be issued." Hopefully this will protect me up front and keep this from becoming an issue again.

 

I appreciate all of the feedback guys. 20 heads are certainly better than 1 and I have an appointment with an attorney on Monday and will put a call into PPA in the morning. Sometimes I get so caught up in the fact that PPA is constantly educating us, that I forget they are there to protect our interests as well.

My best to all...

I have...I have left two messages and she will not return my call.

I had recently posted a question about resolving a billing issue with a bride attempting to subtract my normal

bridal session fee from the contract total because she could not have her dress altered in time. The session was

part of a bridal show season promotion offering a complimentary bridal session with the purchase of an upper

echelon package. The original post can be found here: <a

href="http://www.photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/00QeWT">Original Post</a>. After getting all the feedback, I

sent the bride a registered letter explaining why the deduction could not be made, offered multiple possibilities

including a last-minute session closer to the wedding date (Sept 27th) or a pre-wedding session for those shots,

and stated that payment was required within seven days. 10 days later, no payment. My contract states, "No

photography will take place until payment is made in full". I guess I need some feedback as to what my options

are. I haven't been paid, and despite the fact that my contract contains the necessary clause, I have a feeling

that there are holes, and I would like to know where to go from here. I have photographed more than 500 weddings

over the past 15 years and I have never encountered a bride who didn't pay her balance...fortunate I know, but I

have no clue how to handle this without 1, alienating the bride and any referrals that might have resulted

(although I'm not sure I would want them at this point), or opening myself up to legal problems. Help please?

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I appreciate the input and have altered the letter to reflect a couple of the reflected changes.

I really wasn't trying to "talk down" to her in terms of the contract and business relationships, but rather to imply that it is intended to outline each of our responsibilities to one another, thereby protecting each involved party.

 

Thanks again guys!

My website was built with ifp3. Their tech support is great and its certainly a very cost-effective means of doing proofing and ordering. They just added a new uploader that streamlines the process, allow much larger photos than most other sites, and allow you to tag by subject, aspect of the day (ceremony, reception, etc.) and visitors may search for a person or term to find what they are looking for easily.You can also change layouts and color scheme to coordinate with your primary site. Works for me.

Good luck!

In all my years in business, this has never happened before. I had a bride contact me a few weeks ago about

having problems getting her dress alterations done for her bridal portrait. The wedding is Sept 27th, and the

alterations were to be completed this week. I told her "no sweat" I'll grind and get them done quick so getting

prints back would not be a problem. Never heard anything else from her. Today, I received the "balance" payment

for their wedding, $500 less than the contract indicates, with a note telling me she had decided not to have the

bridal portrait done and she had deducted the balance accordingly. Ordinarily, this would not have been an issue,

however they were contracted under a promotional offering for a COMPLIMENTARY bridal portrait session with

packages over "X" amount. So they were never CHARGED anything for the bridal portrait to begin with.

 

The email I got from her regarding this issue read as follows:

 

"I rec the letter in the mail to fill out the info for the wedding photography, however I still have not gotten

the alterations done for my bridal gown. The lady that is doing my alterations is suppose to start on the gown

next week no later that Friday Aug 22nd. This has really put me in a bind in terms of the bridal portrait. I

don't know if it is an option to take it out of the contract and pay the lesser amount. We could use one of our

engagement photos to put on an easel to display at the reception instead. If this is not an option I do

understand that i have already signed the contract maybe it will not take long for my alterations to be done.

Please provide respone on what I can do with in the contract guideline."

 

This was what I have in mind for response: (Please critique)

 

"I have received your payment towards the balance of your wedding photography, along with the

enclosed note. While I certainly understand your predicament with your dress alterations and am

sure that must be frustrating for you, attempting to alter the contract agreement a month prior to the

wedding isn’t an acceptable means of dealing with the issue. The foundation of any positive working

business relationship are the agreements made between the two parties. Your package contains a

“Complimentary bridal portrait session”, implying that there is no cost factored into the package as a

whole for this service. In our exchange of emails I indicated that I would be willing to credit you the

cost of the included 8x10 print. You could also choose one of your wedding proofs and have an 8x10 of

that proof serve as a substitute. Additionally, if you were to allow a bit of extra time prior to the wedding,

we could certainly do some solo shots of you in your dress then to take the place of that session, however

altering the remaining balance on your contract is not an option. I have included an updated invoice showing

your remaining balance as well as a copy of your contract for you review. Please remit payment for this balance

within the next seven days to avoid any late fees that may be applied. If you wish to discuss this issue in

detail, please do not hesitate to give me a call."

 

She is obviously aware that there are contractual issues. The balance for the wedding was due today. My contract

specifies late fees and amounts. I'm not sure if there are other things that need to be specified or if sending a

certified letter

may not be the best means of handling this. Suggestions??

I think we are all a bit loathing of the formal session...but if its done per family requests, it certainly increases reprint sales. True...its a pita, but I try to focus on the positive. Steve mentioned Doug Gordon...Doug uses a great system of flow posing that allows you to change minor aspects of a client's position, thus creating multiple poses quickly, however when it comes to family shots, he does a TON of combinations, and always small groups, so I am not sure how much help that will be in limiting the amount of time spent. His posing for brides, grooms, couples, and their parents is invaluable. You can easily get through 80 shots with 3 -5 minute sessions.

A couple of things that scream at me in this one... You stated that you want to eventually make photography your full-time job...I think you first need to begin by treating yourself like the professional you would like others to perceive you are. You need to do the MATH when looking at pricing...look at what you need to live comfortably and maintain the growth of your business (factoring in marketing and advertising costs, studio/technology needs, accounting costs if applicable, etc.) and work backwards from there. If you want to make X amount each year from weddings, you figure out how many you are willing to do in a year, and divide. But to get there, you need to figure out what your out of pocket costs are. The other thing I would caution you about is "advertising" on Craigslist. If you are literally willing to work for peanuts, fine, just be aware that that is the market you will reach through such an avenue. These are people looking to find a good deal..that's what the site is all about.. not ones looking to INVEST in their portraiture. If you present yourself as a bottom end photographer, you're going to be perceived that way.

The best move I ever made was having a professional help me formulate a business plan. Most areas have a SCORE center that will assist with this free of charge. Jot down your short and long-term goals...where you want this to go and what you are willing to do to get there...take it with you and take the advise you're given.

Good luck to you!

I may be the odd woman out on this discussion, but have honestly found that my best means of maximizing post-wedding print orders is to interact with not only the bride and groom, but their families...before the wedding as family gathers and during the reception. In doing so, I am approached throughout the day by attendees asking to take this shot or that, and I do it. The bride and groom are provided with "business cards" with the link and password to their online gallery that they enclose with their thank you notes. Typically, around 60% of the attendees will visit the proofing site and 55% of those place an order. They want to see the shots of the wedding party, sure, but they really come for the shots they have requested. My print sales average around $1500 per wedding. Makes all the "here and there's" worth it.

Try a Plexiglas mirror. Its light, won't break, works great.

It really depends on the couple for me. My goal for the session is to see how at ease they are interacting with one another in my presence, tailor my interactions to fit that, and provide them with a few great shots to use for announcements, guest book, and the like. I usually provide 24-36 proofs, and how long it takes depends on how naturally they interact with one another with my camera on them. I've been done in 25 minutes, and have taken up to 2 hours with a particularly introverted couple, simply to allow them to get comfortable with me. While it may seem excessive to some, I find the time I spend with each couple an invaluable tool when the wedding day rolls around. If I have taken the time to observe a bit an develop a rapport isn't he engagement session, the portraits that arise from the wedding are so much better. For me, correct exposure, composition, etc. simply isn't enough. I want the "it", and I can usually identify it in the engagement session if I take the time. Editing? Just basic stuff. I will comprehensively edit my favorite 5 or 6 images..things I know they're gonna' love. The rest I do when the order is placed.

Unfortunately, if someone chooses, they can sue you for just about anything these days. Will it result in anything? Not likely..sounds like an individual with nothing better to do. As for the paper, if there is no "right to work" law in your state, any job may terminate your employment at anytime without cause. Stinks, but that's the reality of it.

I like my WD 1TB. True enough, some fail...that goes for any hard drive. If you configure the drive with RAID 1, no worries. Should one of the drives fail, WD will ship you a replacement. You pop that bad boy in and BINGO, there's your data, backed up twice again. Seagates are great drives as well, but it will cost you quite a bit more to get one that is RAID 1 capable.

Living across the bridge in CT, shooting NYC & CT. I lived in Manhattan and the COL is very high, but getting 10K+ per wedding did the trick. Its a superb market if you have a handle on the business end of things and target your marketing and advertising well.

I guess I could use a third receiver to trigger the flash on my bracket, was just hoping for an ETTL that would accommodate the setup.

Where can I find that Nadine? And thanks as always!

I typically use a three flash set-up with Lastolite softboxes with one on either side of the subject, and the

third in front for a catch/fill, a 580 EXII in each, controlled with PW. What I would like to do is use the third

on a bracket, but still control with PW so that I can create more space between myself and the subject than the

master/slave function of the flash allows. Does anyone know of an ETTL cord that has a hot shoe on the top to

accept the PW transmitter?

Albums Unlimited carries the Kingston Albums mentioned above and their print quality is superb as well. Their covers tend to be much more cost effective than some other companies, i.e. Graphi. Lots of options from cameo to having a photo actually etched into the cover, as well as die cut names/dates, etc.

Spontaneous, Personable, Passionate

I shoot a tremendous amount of frames as well and I can typically do all of the basic corrections..color, contrast, WB, etc. within about an hour and a half...depending on how long it takes my computer to save the images on an external drive..and most of that time is spent doing just that...waiting. If you are getting into cosmetic corrections (other than blemish removal or something simple of that nature), the time spent on adding artistic effects, stylizing the image, etc, it can certainly become time consuming to do. However, I think a couple of people have spoke to those really important things...what's your business model? Are you getting paid for that time? Have you calculated that into your pricing structure? Do you really have the time to not be actively building your business? These are tough times, and the importance of marketing is as crucial as I have ever known it to be.

I think though, if you are spending 24 hours on the back end, then either your editing it far more extensive than it need be to deliver nice polished images (I can typically do a wall portrait in about 5 minutes), or, and please do not take offense, as I am certainly not reflecting on your ability, but something is wrong at capture. What is it in particular that you are spending the most time on?

I price my high res CD on a sliding scale according to the portrait order. The more they order, the less expensive the CD becomes. If they place an order under $100.00, the CD is 2x's my average reprint order, and goes down from there. If I am delivering a CD without a print order, I do so in a nice CD cover that holds a 5x7 print opposite the CD. This shows the client the difference between the quality of my prints and the run of the mill Walmart crap. Works for me, entices the client to order more prints from me to lower the cost of the CD they just HAVE to have, and demonstrates the difference in quality while not effecting my bottom line.