e_rin

<p>If your wife has really shot 20-30 weddings herself, she NEVER should have hired a photographer who did not ask you sign a contract. That would have been a HUGE RED FLAG for me immediately. Unfortunately, without a contract, you don't have much to fall back on. It sounds to me like you did not do your research ahead of time, you hired an inexperienced and unprofessional photographer, and you got what you paid for.</p>

<p>How do you know that she did not shoot in RAW? Did you ask her for the RAW files or are you making that assumption based on the files that she delivered to you? Most professional photographs will not release RAW files to clients.</p>

<p>When I first read your post, I was expecting these to be so much worse that they are! I think your post-edit photographs look great! We are always are own worst critics.<br /><br />In situations where the color differences are REALLY bad, you could always try converting those images to black and white, or sending them off to somewhere like Retouchup.com for more editing.</p>

<p>My first piece of advice to you is not to include her business name in your original posting (as this is a public forum). You probably should post under an alias as well.</p>

<p>Personally, I don't reserve a date until I have a signed contract and retainer in hands. Usually if multiple couples are inquiring about the same date, I let them both know that their Wedding Date has had multiple inquiries, and that the first couple to have a signed contract and retainer in my hands will get the reservation.</p>

<p>I think this Photographer's biggest mistake was refusing the shoot the wedding <em>because</em> it was a same-sex wedding.. by doing that, they pretty much opened themselves up to this legal battle. They would've been better off declining it politely or just informing the couple that they were already booked on their requested date, not currently accepting wedding inquiries, etc. As a business owner, it's crucial to understand the laws in your area.. and it sounds like this Photographer overlooked the fact that discriminating against a potential client based solely on their sexual orientation could have legal repercussions. Live and learn..</p>

<p>I would run far away from this and never look back. The fact that they're already using your name to promote something you haven't even agreed to doing yet (or gotten any concrete information about) just screams wrong to me. </p>

<p>Respect your clients wishes and move on.. stuff like this happens. If someone doesn't want you sharing their images with the world, you need to respect that. The last thing you want is a bad review from a client just because you chose to go against their request to keep their images private.</p>

<p>If he isn't stealing the images that you took with your camera, there really isn't much you can do other than let it go.</p>

<p>George is not a photographer. He is a fraud who deserves any fines and legal problems that come his way. He asked for this the second he started posting photographs that he did not take on his websites and claiming them as his own. He's still asking for it by leaving these stolen photographs up. You can't lie and steal your way to the top. The truth will eventually come out.. if it's not someone catching him in his lies, it's going to be by someone who hired this photographer with "a background for producing high quality work" to capture an important moment in their life and got terrible photographs in return.</p>

<p>The only way to gain experience as a photographer is to BE a photographer.</p>

 

<p>You made a really good point about knocking money off my packages just because the client was my friend. I guess I hadn't really thought about it that way before. When we originally met up to go over the pricing and contract, I hadn't given her any discounted pricing compared to my other prospective clients. I approached the situation knowing that she was a friend, who valued and appreciated my work, and I gave her my standard prices hoping that she would respect them. If she had asked about a discount, I would have politely declined because I feel that my prices are fair for all of my time and effort.</p>

<p>I really like your approach to the meeting as well. I have a third photographer lined up with the hours and payment all agreed upon and will take your advice. Thank you so much for your response!</p>

<p>I have a meeting with a client tomorrow to go over some details about her wedding next month. She has expressed interest in adding a third photographer, but we have not gone over any additional costs this may add to her package price. All of my wedding packages include myself and a second shooter, but I have never had a client express interest in adding an extra photographer on top of that, so I don't really know what to charge. I'm not really looking to "make money" by adding this third photographer (especially since the client is a good friend of mine), but since I will be expected to pay the third photographer for their time (12 hours of shooting), I would like to make sure I am being compensated fairly so I can cover those costs without taking a big hit myself. The wedding will be a traditional Indian wedding, so there will be lots to cover, which is why she is interested in possibly adding another photographer.</p>

<p>How would you quote adding an extra photographer? My second shooter typically provides me with 200-300 edited photographs per wedding and we have agreed upon an hourly rate for her services. I would like to pay the third photographer the same hourly rate. How would you approach this issue? Since she is a friend of mine, I was thinking about being honest and telling her how much I pay my second shooter and hoping she'll agree to cover that cost, or at least meet me half way.</p>

<p>What are your thoughts?</p>

<p>It really is sad how many people think they can get away with this sort of thing.. most of them never apologize to any of the photographers they stole from, and it's even sadder that most of them can't ever admit that they did anything wrong.. and continue to lie, steal, erase watermarks from images that aren't their own, etc. What's even worse is that once they're outed, most of them don't stop.. they just change their name, get a new website to fill with stolen work, etc. I've been following the PhotoStealers Tumblr account for awhile now, and the excuses some of these people come up with are unbelievable. </p>

<ul>

<li>"They're stock images that represent what my work will look like."</li>

<li>"My website came with those pictures on it already."</li>

<li>"My graphic designer did it."</li>

<li>"All 50 of those photographers must have stolen from me!"</li>

<li>"I never said those photographs all over my website, Facebook page, etc. were my actual pictures.. my potential clients should know what my photographs will look like."</li>

</ul>

<p>What's your excuse, George?</p>

<p>Do you not understand that there are people in this field who actually work towards their success and make a name for themselves without STEALING from other photographers and LYING about their experience to their clients? Being a THIEF does not make you a photographer. You should be ASHAMED of yourself.</p>

<p>Definitely check out PPA - they offer a variety of services (including equipment insurance) for a pretty low rate. I pay under $30 a month for my membership with them!</p>

<p>Thanks for both of your input - it's much appreciated!</p>

<p>I definitely agree with you about the fact that travel costs might end up costing more than the shoot itself.. which is why I posted here looking for some help. I really don't mind making the drive, but at the same time I know that I do have to keep in mind that in the end I'll be driving at least 360 miles and spending at least 6 hours in the car.. all for a total of 4 hours of shooting. With that in mind, that's 10 hours of my time before I spend time sorting through the images, editing everything, transferring files to DVDs or flash drives, and mailing everything.. twice!</p>

<p>I was thinking about asking her if she was trying to keep everything within a specific price range.. but I feel like that might just backfire since she'll probably throw a really low number at me that doesn't even begin to compensate me for all of the time, hard work, and effort I'll have to put into everything.</p>

<p>I'm so stuck on this!</p>

<p>I was recently asked to photograph a bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. The bridal shower would take place over the summer and the rehearsal dinner will take place this fall. Both of the events will be taking place about 90 miles from my home and the drive time is a little over an hour and a half each way - so it'd be at least 3 hours of travel each day. She is only requesting about two hours of coverage for each event.</p>

<p>I've never been asked to photograph a bridal shower or a rehearsal dinner so I'm really stuck on how to price this type of event and am looking for some advice. Since the events are both a bit of a drive from my home and I'd be spending more time in the car than behind my camera shooting, I'd like to make sure I am being compensated fairly for all of the time I will be putting into this before, during, and after each event.</p>

<p>Do any of you have any ideas or suggestions?</p>

<p>I am filing taxes for the first time this year for my Photography business, which was formed as an LLC in December 2012 in New Jersey.<br>

<br>

Do any of you have any advice for someone filing taxes for an LLC for the first time? Was there anything you didn't do your first year that you wish someone would have told you about beforehand? If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently? Or give yourself any advice?</p>

<p>Ciderr.com :)</p>

<p>Have any of you used both of these lenses? I've rented the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens quite a few times and truly love the quality of the images this lens is capable of producing. I've used the original Canon 24-70mm lens a few times as well and was just not as impressed as I was with the newest 24-70mm. I am hoping to add this lens to my collection within the next month and am wondering how the new Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens compares.</p>

 

By using Instagram, you agree to their terms which will be updated on January 16th to read:

<ol>

<li>Instagram does not claim ownership of any Content that you post on or through the Service. <strong>Instead, you hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use the Content that you post on or through the Service</strong>, except that you can control who can view certain of your Content and activities on the Service as described in the Service's Privacy Policy, available here: <a href="http://instagram.com/legal/privacy/">http://instagram.com/legal/privacy/</a>.</li>

<li><strong>Some or all of the Service may be supported by advertising revenue. To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.</strong> If you are under the age of eighteen (18), or under any other applicable age of majority, you represent that at least one of your parents or legal guardians has also agreed to this provision (and the use of your name, likeness, username, and/or photos (along with any associated metadata)) on your behalf.</li>

<li><strong>You acknowledge that we may not always identify paid services, sponsored content, or commercial communications as such.</strong></li>

</ol>

<p>I actually also work in the music industry, so I completely understand how all of the iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify content works in regards to copyrights. Their system is much more complex then you'd think, and even though you might be listening for "free" on Spotify or Pandora, these companies are actually responsible for paying ALL of the artists each time one of their tracks is listened to. Streaming plays only yield about $0.001 per play (yes, a fraction of a cent) but at least in that respect, the musicians are still making <em>something.</em> Their music also wouldn't be available on these sites if they hadn't signed an agreement granting these companies permission to share their music.<br>

<br /> We desperately need a similar feature for Photographs. People don't even think twice about stealing other people's work and passing it off as their own anymore.. and it's sad that big corporations are now granting themselves permission to steal your photographs and do whatever they please with them - without even asking.<br>

<br /> I guess all I can really do is hope that this causes a huge uproar and that they change their minds to help Photographers and artists like us, who are slowly losing control over our own content.</p>

<p>I am just curious if any of you currently have any mentions of Instagram in your contracts at all? Personally, I like the app itself for one reason - it is a photo based social networking site, and as someone who loves photographs, it is interesting to me to be able to see my friend's photographs in one place.<br>

<br /> On the other hand, as a photographer who puts a ton of time and effort into editing photographs before handing them over to my clients, it really does bother me when one of my clients poorly crops one of my photographs into a square and throws a crappy Instagram filter over top of it in a matter of seconds. My contract specifically states that the images are not to be altered in any way, but ever since Instagram - it's happened.<br /> <br /> And now <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57559710-38/instagram-says-it-now-has-the-right-to-sell-your-photos/"><strong>this</strong></a> happens - Instagram announced today that as of January 16th, they will have the perpetual right to sell any and all of their users' photographs without payment to the user, a request for permission, or even a notification - even for advertising purposes. I feel like this is one of those things I should have seen coming and I will probably delete my account sometime in the near future, but moving forward, what's to stop my client's from sharing my images on Instagram? What's to stop Instagram from selling that image to another company, pocketing the cash themselves, and granting that company permission to use my images however they please? Who knows - maybe I'll wake up one day to find one of my photographs on a magazine cover in a poorly cropped square with a crappy Instagram filter over top.<br>

<br /> What are your thoughts on this change? How will you let it affect your business moving forward?</p>

Jealously is one of the most unprofessional

traits out there. Don't let someone this

unprofessional make you question how

professional you are being.

It sounds like he is upset that couples find

your prices more reasonable and you are

scooping up all their clientele. If this

photographer communicates with their

potential clients like they do with you, then

the fact that their clients are going elsewhere

makes perfect sense. I would either ignore

this message completely, or kindly reply and

say thanks for the suggestion, but that you

are very happy with your current rates and

so are your clients. You are running a

business and there is nothing wrong with

being better at it then your competition.

<p>I am just curious how most of you deal with the issue of sales tax when discussing pricing options with your clients. Do you give them your package rates and let them know that __% sales tax will be added onto the final cost (assuming that the final product will be delivered in the same state your business operates in)? Or do you build the sales tax into the rates you discuss with your clients?</p>