Prom can be one of the most important days for a young girl. She will remember this day, as much as her wedding day. So everything needs to be perfect, from her dress down to her shoes. Even her date, corsage, transportation, and dinner must be up to her high standards.
I was contacted recently, by a young girl in high school via text looking for a photographer to capture her special moments with her posse. Lately, I have been a bit weary accepting jobs via text, because 95% of them tend to be scammers; looking to relieve you of your money and you should see some of the stories they conjure up.
So, in this situation, the client agreed to the cost, day, and time. I arrived 15 minutes early, as usual. Upon arriving, I saw a young couple posing for some cell phone pics, so I immediately sent a text to the client asking if she was here. When I did not get a response, I waited till 30 minutes past the hour and called, no response, so I left. About 45 minutes, I received a phone call from the clients friends asking if I was there. I had informed her that I tried to contact her friend, but was unsuccessful. She informed me that they were running late and to please return. I drove back to the location and started shooting the posse, while we waited for the client. When we the client showed up 1 hour and 10 minutes later; we finished the shoot. After about 2 hours, it was time to wrap up. I told the client the total cost and she claimed that I had told her that I my rate was $50 an hour. Normally, I would have fought it, but she offered to pay my normal hourly rate for an hour, plus write a review on my social media site. I felt that was my good deed for the day. Here are some additional tips:
Be upfront with everything, no matter how uncomfortable you are. You don’t want it to come back and bite you and you’ll thank me later.
If you give a quote, stand by it. Ask yourself, would he or she negotiate the price for auto repair? The client will respect you more if you do, trust me. If not, you probably didn’t want their business anyways.
Be sure to get the clients itinerary that will give you an idea of how much time you really have.
Be prepared. Have all your equipment clean and ready to go.
Arrive to the studio location 15 to 20 minutes early, in case you need to do any last minute paperwork or changes.
Remind the client/model to get plenty of rest, so that he or she will look refreshed and you won’t have to spend hours clearing bags and crow’s feet.
Also, send a little reminder to the client the day before of the shoot day and time, as sometimes people can be forgetful.
Make sure that client looks his or her best, with both hair and make-up. Allow the client a few extra minutes time, for composure.
Don’t forget to keep natural lighting in mind, bring a flash, and have fun!
I hope I have not bored you too much. I had a lot of fun writing this one like all of my blogs. I trust I have given you some valuable tips to think about, before planning your next shoot. It’s not all bad, just be clear and informative, it will save you a lot of headaches. Remember nothing is set in stone and there is not a perfect formula, so go out and have some fun.
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