Photographers Pearls of Wisdom

With the New Year upon us, I thought I would share some of my life’s lessons that I have learned over the past year or so. Call it “photographers Pearls of Wisdom”, if you will.  Some of these situations, I have come across, while others I have picked up from other photographers.

Now for me, I enjoy talking with other photographers, because it gives me the opportunity to discuss new technology, exchange ideas and techniques, as well as converse about common trends and how to deal with them. Just the other day, I was discussing the new Sony A6 mirrorless camera with my friend, Britt. I told her, how I felt that it would be a shame to unload all of one’s expensive lenses, just to buy a new camera, from a different manufacturer. She shared her experience, with that particular vendor and let’s just say that, I am glad that I did not make the switch. I find it educational to see how other photographers deal with the same issue and trust me they come across the same type of situations. Here are some tips that I recommend when dealing with the public:

1. 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.
2. You are a professional, thus you should be paid. You made the investment of time, education, and lots of money.
3. 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.
4. Pro bono means, “denoting work undertaken for the public good without charge, especially legal work for a client with a low income.” Not begging someone to pose for you, just so you can expand your portfolio.
5. A $100 Wedding Shoot is just that. Do not expect Annie Leibovitz results, at this price.
6. When scheduling a shoot try, try, to get a deposit. It’s your time and it’s worth something.
7. If the client cannot make a decision, on something. You may step in and make a management decision for them.
8. Do not get personally involved with clients, no matter how nice he or she is. You can never go back.
9. Always call or contact the client the day before the shoot. Most of the time, the client forgot about their shoot. If the shoot is months away, plan on making a few periodic phone calls, just in case.
10. There’s always “Craigslist”

My recommendation is to error on the side of caution when dealing with people, call me paranoid, but I have given a few friends phenomenal deals on services, just to have them nickel and dime you, for your time, edits and rescheduling to the point where you no longer wish to even talk to them anymore. You can always quote high and give a discount, if appropriate. So remember, this is your business.