Відео

Pretty disgusting ! I experienced nearly the same but the wedding couple were polite enough to mail they didn't need me as they picked someone else (cheaper).

Last minute, no signed contract and no money up front- what could go wrong?

Never accept a verbal contract Because a verbal contract is no contact a signed contract plus deposit is a contract and if the customer double deal's you you can embed a Clause in the context that says if you turn up you keep the deposit meaning you won't be the one out of pocket because the world is full of time wasters

Sadly that is just how people are in the modern world 🤷🤷😵‍💫😵‍💫💩💩💩.

I think lots of photographers get treated horribly on some up to many occasions. You are not taking it personally, based on what you are saying the client broke professional trust in a very bad manner. It would also appear he acted in a very bad faith and had this plan set up from the beginning using one photographer as a leverage against another. What the other photographer should have done was to walk away from the set as well. He agreed to being hired as a photographer not as a bargaining chip to force someone to go down on price. And both of you should sent him an invoice for the prep and travel cost.

This is why, when I had a chance to go fulltime and do weddings for a living, I passed and stayed at my regular job. Too many headaches with people who only think of themselves.

Sorry for your trouble. With a regular lead time, you would habe been able to sign a conract, get a booking fee etc. It is a shame that your willingness to work on such a short notice is spoiled. I would have sued the customer. You cannont be such bad peoble get away with such behaviour.

Feel free to share their name so that other people can avoid them.

I just wish I had been the other photographer. As I would have gone home too. That would leave him without a photographer and he can explain it away to his bride and guests. Lets face it...... would he even pay ? Who knows..... the bride might have a change of heart..... would you marry such a person lol

I’ve covered weddings before. If I was the other photographer I would have packed my bags up on the spot and went home. Not only for respect for you and the embarrassing situation but the fact that the guy is scum and likely wouldn’t even pay anyway

As a retired wedding photographer, I understand your situation. I'm sure you can think of things that you would have done differently, had this not been such a last minute deal. You probably dodged a bullet. The rest of the event could have been just as bad!

Sorry about the problem. Thanks for posting...it will help others

Set up a Venmo and get 50% down right away. Then if they stiff you, you got $$ anyway.

No job without written and signed contract.

I just disable the automatic preview, no temptation no distraction ;)

It is a crazy world, often f***** up by the Internet, people want everything cheap. I had a wedding, booked by the bride, cancelled because her father had booked the milkman as he was cheap. When I was mentoring another photographer we took extra images and offered them as an additional package. Only when a customer said they wanted all the images taken it got silly, they had paid for 250 images and wanted maybe 500, and mine. I told them I had deleted all mine and suggested the other photographer did the same, only he seemed to imagine the customer is always right. A professional photographer may have to compete with people doing photography for free, they put everything online, free downloads, when my income dropped to less than £5,000 pa I called it a day. [Motorsport incidentally]

According to (grand master photographer) Peter Eastway, it's always correct to get the best technical exposure in camera. I don't often do portrait photography, but if I did I'd likely under expose the background a little to give some headroom for supplementary lighting on the subjects. I haven't heard of creating unwelcome noise in Photoshop, but it's certainly possible with a suboptimal exposure in camera. If I couldn't get the flash right lighting second go, I'd probably use a flash meter.

You have every right to be pissed. To be told “no” is one thing but to be hired and show up at the job is not right. Yes it was only four hours out of your day and like a brussel sprout is hard to swallow you eventually get over it. Still not right

There must be a Yelp version to rate clients.

Difference between a wedding and a war photographer? Higher life expectancy for the war photographer.😢

Keep the deposit! Never do last minute jobs! Bet 2nd shooter, wasn't paid!

Contract needs a cancellation fee and maybe a good sized deposit ...🦘

Great insight. Thank you. I enjoy your content.

After I sent you that reply, I started thinking about the same thing. You’re right just go on with Life.

I'm 100% on your side in terms of human civility, and 50% on your side in terms of business practices. He absolutely treated you poorly and should be ashamed of himself, although obviously he won't care in the slightest. On the other hand, why are you spending out of pocket and booking out a date to a "client" without getting a retainer fee or deposit. On the day of the shoot too. That's full fee up front territory, for example the reason you've encountered. If they've managed to get to the day of the event without hiring a photographer, it's obviously not something they value as a profession so they're going to be difficult getting the money from. Professionalism works both ways. If we expect our clients to follow basic rules like paying for what they agree, we need to follow it up by not leaving ourselves open to manipulation by people. I think you shot yourself in the foot on this example.

Depending on your state laws never say deposit, that implies its refundable. Getting a booking fee, retainer, etc would have helped this not to happen for future events. Yeah while morally correct, verbal agreements are worthless....always get a contract even on these short notice gigs.

This is 100% a story about you failing to get a contract- or even a confirmation email in lieu of a contract (Hi we discussed X hrs at X price with X as deliverables respond to this email with I agree to terms in order to secure my services)- and failing to get a deposit. All your excuses as to why you thought the deal was on are just that- after the fact excuses for failing to secure a professional agreement. Your customer was a smarter business person than you- that's the story. "He's not nice" really doesn't matter. Hopefully you learned the real lesson in that experience and adjusted your process. 😀

Time to sue for loss of time and earnings. You have an agreement as per your email and text. Any judge would side with you.

Man I thought I had some rough stories , but it why I always try and get a deposit before I do any thing.

The comments are right, next time do a retainer.

They made a deal, it cost you. Take them to small claims court!

This is a learning experience for you. Why didn't you have a deposit put down? Why didn't you have a contract for services emailed to him before you did anything. Going to a job on blind faith is foolish and bad business.

I also agree that a retainer for a new customer is a good idea. Contracts aren't always easy to enforce. You did the right thing by being courteous to the other photographer. I suspect he wondered what surprises were awaiting him. The customer has played this game before.

A tragic lesson regarding the absolute need for a signed contract, even on short notice. In the long run however, just think what a nightmare that client might have been when it came time for deliverables. You lost your day but probably dodged a bullet.

And that’s why I always collect 50% retainer fee once the contract is signed. No surprises, misunderstanding or other issues.

Earlier this year I told a photographer friend the joke/advice about the best way to make money from photography was to sell his equipment. He had sold it all and given up about a month later! I'd done him a spreadsheet to track it all for tax reporting purposes and perhaps seeing some numbers brought the joke home!

Contract form, invoice, paper work agreement end your future tears.

Was this guy named Trump?

I agree with you 100%. I am not a professional photographer but I do own a small service business and unfortunately this type of situation is all too common. That is why for me everything needs to be in writing and signed. Also if travel is involved or if I need to reschedule to accommodate the client I require at least a 25% nonrefundable deposit especially if it is a new client.

This is an interesting story for a fellow photographer like me (even though it is not a very good story). Will you now change the way you deal with other clients in the future, having 100% signed documents on everything, etc.? Besides that, will you record communications, including voice over the phone, to have something to fall back on in case it goes wrong again in the future? I have not shot weddings for years, but listening to this story makes me think, I will probably do all the above if I ever shoot a wedding again. .... PS: Where I live we can record a phone call without the other person knowing, as long as the person calling is one of the 2 individuals talking at the time.... not sure if that is possible in USA or not. However I would definitely record at all times, from start to finish.

Software developer here. At least a clear email, that the client hires me. Either the client has a form, when bigger company ,or I use a simple contract form, with my rate, that has to be signed. If I don‘t have that, no dice. They could hackle later, or refuse to pay at all. They can sigh with a png, it is still valid.

It's always hindsight, but you should have sent him a contract with a time limit to get the contract signed back to you. Only then do you make your prep and travel. In today's world, a person's word doesn't get very far, unfortunately.

You need to get it in writing first - even just an email - confirming the gig and the price agreed upon. I'm sorry you had this happen.

you dont use contracts? If not. Then its kind of your own fault. I was burned once but never after that

I’m with you Seth 100.% Unprofessional & disrespectful on his part for sure.

Thank you for watching and letting me share this story. It’s always a reminder that clear communication and mutual respect are essential in any professional relationship. Have any of you faced something similar? How do you handle situations where clients don’t honor their word or try to renegotiate on the spot? Let’s talk about ways we can protect our time and value as creative professionals! 🤬📸

Love this! Literally just got back from a family photoshoot I did. I was keen to go for an extra 15mins past the original wrap time, to grab a few more photo ideas. I asked if the family would like to do some more, but they were happy with what we got up until that point. So I wrapped things there (after a couple more photos the boys asked me to get of them) and we called it a day. I often have way more ideas than I end up capturing on a shoot, but usually when I look at what I’ve shot, it ends up being plenty. Loved this video as a reminder to get what you need, but not overdo it. People aren’t props, so it’s important to balance your ideas with their energy levels. ❤

You hit the nail on the head Seth. (For instance) Many years ago, I attended (simply as a guest) my cousin's son's wedding, he and others came over to me stating displeasure in the pushy/bossy photographer. He was "forcing" them to pose in ways they didn't like, and didn't want to do. It was a long day, and should have gone much soother for them. I'm sure you would have done things properly.

I admire ur stamina!! I know it's crazy for u but I'm happy business is so terrific!! 😂😮😂

It's 11:18 PM and I'm editing senior photos as we speak. Meanwhile my real estate edits, and another wedding are sitting on the backlog. It's definitely a stressful time here in New England.