Reply To: Query

[dont.care]

You should always have proper gear to combat excessive ambient light.. It’s done all the time.  Having large diffusion panels and having enough strobes makes it possible to shoot in the desert @ high noon.. They do it all the time.

You  were unprepared and accepted a job you essentially weren’t experienced enough to handle, or you’d know to tell them, No. People hire photographers because of experience; your experience is to tell them when, where, how, what, and why. If your “boss” tells you he wants a photo at 12pm, outside facing the sun–tell him no, then tell him why. It’s not his credibility he’s ruining, it’s yours. I make it a point in my contacts to let them know I am in charge of what they are hiring me to do. If anybodies going to fuck up my reputation, it’s going to be me, not them.

Sounds funny, but hiring someone to build a house–you don’t stand behind them telling them how to do their jobs, do you? Someone on that crew has been doing it for years, and knows exactly what goes where, why it works, and what happens if it isn’t done a certain way.. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

My guess is, you probably aren’t very experienced in dealing with people and are a leisure shooter trying to make some extra $.. This will ruin you financially. It’s only a matter of time.

I’d suggest giving yourself daily challenges, i.e., have a friend simulate doing something you’d absolutely have to “get the shot”, within 3-4 shots.. Or lose. Make it a challenge by putting them in the sun where you have to kill harsh shadows and excessive ambient light.. Just things that induce stress but require precision..

I’ve done a 9 hour wedding for 800 bucks. (Family was not exactly well to do), but would’ve normally cost anywhere from 3-4 grand. Did I shit them on quality? no. did I shit them on # of photos? no. did i shit them on edits? no. did i cheat myself? probably. I think I actually lost money on this one.. However, price doesn’t really account for anything.  if you can afford to sometimes to do good deeds for people, it usually will pay you back 10fold.  Plus, it makes you feel pretty good to do things for people that would otherwise usually end up on this site after a wedding. 😉

Also, get to know the people before you take the job.. I take my potential clients out for coffee or dinner or whatever.. If you can’t figure out what kind of people they are within that time table, you don’t need to be dealing with people. You don’t want to get sued.

cya!