<p>While not typically a wedding photographer, I still own and operate a photography business and I do marketing and promotions for another. I feel that the bottom line to this question is that you have policies in place for a reason. <em>It's how you choose to operate your business </em> and I think all of these responses have validity...everyone here does things differently for the reasons they've outlined.<br>
Your clients chose you because of your work, your reputation, your affordability, a friend's recommendation or because the caterer gave them your name. Regardless, they made the choice to use you as their photographer. This means that they are choosing to use your business...in the way that you operate it...to do the work.<br>
If your policy is 50/50, then you should not make exceptions to that. My reasoning is thus:<br>
a.) I understand that they want to keep some sort of control over you in terms of getting their final prints...but when push comes to shove, <strong>their lack of trust in your business practices is NOT YOUR PROBLEM.</strong> Seriously. I'll say it again...it's not your problem. They can do the research and legwork to find out how you do business. Provide them with references and former clients if need be. If they find you untrustworthy, so be it. Send them down the road...don't trip over yourself trying to prove anything.<br>
b.) <strong>Have confidence in who you are as a photographer and a business owner.</strong> Don't approach dealing with clients from the perspective that "I must keep these people's business at ALL costs." Having a strong and resolute approach is far better in the long-term growth rather than settling/compromising for a short-term gain.<br>
If you do compromise your practices, these are things I feel that could (and have happened to me, personally) happen:<br>
c.) <strong>Stay the course.</strong> Once you make exceptions, the word gets out that you will do so...potentially you will always be making exceptions because that's what people have come to expect (word of mouth clients, anyway.) Also too, for yourself...once you make exceptions, you open yourself to doing so again. Best to stick solidly to the business practices that you have established. You put them in place for a reason, remember?<br>
d.) <strong>Keeping your business efficient and organized and running smoothly is important.</strong> Once you start making exceptions, they become difficult to keep track of...especially if you're a busy photographer. It's a huge hassle to even have one "exception to the rule" that you have to bend over backwards for and approach differently than your other clients. In terms of time, do you want to have to go out of your way? How cost effective is that?<br>
e.) Although not always the case, <strong>opening the door to negotiations is asking for trouble.</strong> Who's to say that the parents will stop with payment issues? Sounds to me like they could be the kind of folks that you're not going to make happy no matter what you do. If it isn't how you take payment, it will be your turn around time. If it isn't that, then it will be your lighting, your background, your angle, the hours you worked...whatever. I would hedge my bet that they'll be on the phone several times a week checking on your progress. Best to not start with negotiations now. Stay firm and fair.<br>
Don't go for the "times are hard" approach either. Ick. Don't even get me started on that one.<br>
Sorry you have to deal with this. There's always one out there, isn't there?<br>
Being solid and uncompromising in your practices really does help you and your clients do business in an organized, efficient manner without the hassle of dickering over prices and payments. It's no fun to taint a wedding (or any other job) with worry over whether or not you're going to get paid - and really clouds your mind with a lot of negativity and is going to make every dealing with these folks a pain in the butt every step of the way. Sometimes, that's not worth any amount of money.<br>
My apologies for being so verbose. I know that I come across as an idealist in a lot of ways, but experience is a great teacher. When we (photographers) set up our businesses, we pick the best and most efficient routes to doing what we do for good reasons. It irritates me when someone wants me to change those when they came to me <em>for the way I do business in the first place. <br /> </em><br>
Brides parents want to delay payments for work
in Wedding & Event
Posted
<p>While not typically a wedding photographer, I still own and operate a photography business and I do marketing and promotions for another. I feel that the bottom line to this question is that you have policies in place for a reason. <em>It's how you choose to operate your business </em> and I think all of these responses have validity...everyone here does things differently for the reasons they've outlined.<br>
Your clients chose you because of your work, your reputation, your affordability, a friend's recommendation or because the caterer gave them your name. Regardless, they made the choice to use you as their photographer. This means that they are choosing to use your business...in the way that you operate it...to do the work.<br>
If your policy is 50/50, then you should not make exceptions to that. My reasoning is thus:<br>
a.) I understand that they want to keep some sort of control over you in terms of getting their final prints...but when push comes to shove, <strong>their lack of trust in your business practices is NOT YOUR PROBLEM.</strong> Seriously. I'll say it again...it's not your problem. They can do the research and legwork to find out how you do business. Provide them with references and former clients if need be. If they find you untrustworthy, so be it. Send them down the road...don't trip over yourself trying to prove anything.<br>
b.) <strong>Have confidence in who you are as a photographer and a business owner.</strong> Don't approach dealing with clients from the perspective that "I must keep these people's business at ALL costs." Having a strong and resolute approach is far better in the long-term growth rather than settling/compromising for a short-term gain.<br>
If you do compromise your practices, these are things I feel that could (and have happened to me, personally) happen:<br>
c.) <strong>Stay the course.</strong> Once you make exceptions, the word gets out that you will do so...potentially you will always be making exceptions because that's what people have come to expect (word of mouth clients, anyway.) Also too, for yourself...once you make exceptions, you open yourself to doing so again. Best to stick solidly to the business practices that you have established. You put them in place for a reason, remember?<br>
d.) <strong>Keeping your business efficient and organized and running smoothly is important.</strong> Once you start making exceptions, they become difficult to keep track of...especially if you're a busy photographer. It's a huge hassle to even have one "exception to the rule" that you have to bend over backwards for and approach differently than your other clients. In terms of time, do you want to have to go out of your way? How cost effective is that?<br>
e.) Although not always the case, <strong>opening the door to negotiations is asking for trouble.</strong> Who's to say that the parents will stop with payment issues? Sounds to me like they could be the kind of folks that you're not going to make happy no matter what you do. If it isn't how you take payment, it will be your turn around time. If it isn't that, then it will be your lighting, your background, your angle, the hours you worked...whatever. I would hedge my bet that they'll be on the phone several times a week checking on your progress. Best to not start with negotiations now. Stay firm and fair.<br>
Don't go for the "times are hard" approach either. Ick. Don't even get me started on that one.<br>
Sorry you have to deal with this. There's always one out there, isn't there?<br>
Being solid and uncompromising in your practices really does help you and your clients do business in an organized, efficient manner without the hassle of dickering over prices and payments. It's no fun to taint a wedding (or any other job) with worry over whether or not you're going to get paid - and really clouds your mind with a lot of negativity and is going to make every dealing with these folks a pain in the butt every step of the way. Sometimes, that's not worth any amount of money.<br>
My apologies for being so verbose. I know that I come across as an idealist in a lot of ways, but experience is a great teacher. When we (photographers) set up our businesses, we pick the best and most efficient routes to doing what we do for good reasons. It irritates me when someone wants me to change those when they came to me <em>for the way I do business in the first place. <br /> </em><br>
Good luck!<em><br /> </em></p>