WOAH! Serious fauxtog alert!

[fauxtogs5150]

I was recently in the market for a weding photographer and a friend of mine directed me to this chick.

https://www.facebook.com/CSheriffPhoto

I had sevral problems with this “fauxtog”

First, her website is shotty, at best. She doesn’t list any services or the prices of them! (how is this supposed to help me!?)
She also doesnt have a phone number to call OR text!

Secondly, please tell me how she gets any business with these prices!
I sent her an email, (the only aparent way to contact her!) inquiring price.
She told me that for the 10 hours she was needed to photograph she would charge me almost $2000!
I let her know what my budget for photos was, ($500 max) and that I had a cousin who was a photographer and was willing to do it for $300.
She responded by telling me that if I was unwilling to  go anywhere with my budget, or change the amount of time she was needed, then I would be better off going with my cousin!!
How “professional” is that!?

Thirdly,  her imges are total crap!!
Apparently she is in school “learning the trade”. (which only confirms my belief that she shouldnt be charging so much)
But even so! She definitely has way more to go before she should even charge at all!!
Besides being totally tacky, half of the images are probably  taken from other Real Photographers.

I Hate Phonys Like This..

What do you guys think? I figured you would know better and tell me if I am correct in my assumptions.

[IHF]

More proof that fauxtography and faux business practices have skewed people’s perceptions and have devalued photography services considerably.

Wedding photography services usually cost around $2,000. $1000 on the very low end, as a starting out rate.  $2000 is a very reasonable and very average price for full day coverage.  I think she handled herself just fine, and I completely agree that if you aren’t willing to change your budget or the amount of time you want covered, then YES. you would be better off hiring your cousin.

See, this photographer, unlike your cousin, is trying to run a profitable business, and understands how much it’s costs to do business, and how to price fairly while still getting compensated for their time and work.  Family and event togs don’t make $100s an hour just because that is what they charge.  There are expenses to being a photographer, quite a few.  While your cousin may be able to pocket that whole $300 a legitimate business owner may pocket much less even though they have charged much more.  The average family tog maybe makes $30,000 to $40,000 a year IF they are successful at running their business.  They aren’t ripping people off by charging $2000 a wedding.  They are just trying to make a modest living, by pricing their services and products at their true value.  Fauxs don’t know this.  Just as they skip over learning how to photograph, they also skip over learning how to be a legit profitable business.

lots of photographers don’t list prices, because their pricing is tailored to the individual’s needs.  It also can be a very smart marketing strategy(usually after providing people with a phone number).  Fauxtography on the other hand, the price is almost always put right out there, because the cheap price is the biggest selling point.  So not providing prices on their website is not a good gauge of wether they are faux or not.

With that said, I wouldn’t hire her, at least not without seeing a full wedding shot by her.  She needs help organizing/optimizing her portfolio.  Either that or she hasn’t shot enough weddings to have it covered, and maybe needs to second shoot for a while longer to get her port fuller, and to gain more experience.  “Totally tacky”

“Total crap”

AND the accusation that she is stealing others people’s work???

I’m finding it really hard to believe you were actually a potential client, and not a faux, out for some sort of vengeance or blood.  In either case hopefully I helped you gain a little knowledge 😉

[fstopper89]

I’m not really seeing ‘crap” photos on her page either. The photos didn’t totally wow me, and she has places she could improve, but I would not consider her to be a fauxtog. I wouldn’t hire her for a wedding though, as she doesn’t seem to have the experience. I agree 2nd shooting is a great way to get that.

$2000 is actually pretty average for wedding photography. $500 for an entire day is quite frankly ridiculous. My first wedding I shot was under that… I was not advertising myself as a photog for hire and looking back my equipment and skill were lacking at the time, but my co-worker was on a tight budget and liked my photography and asked me to do it. i don’t think I was a fauxtog, since I was not advertising or trying to pirtray myself as something I was not, but some of my images from then were quite sub-par, but for what they paid me they got a good deal. They could not afford an established wedding photog and I was certainly much better than Uncle Jim with a camera.

this spring I was asked by another co-worker if I’d shoot her wedding. Now I’ve been established as a photographer for awhile and have since shot more weddings, as well as invested in much nicer equipment and learned a lot more since the first wedding. She asked me for a price and without knowing much about her wedding plans I told her it would be around $2000 if she wanted a disk of edited images or less without. I felt very insulted when she said “That’s insane!” I said “Well, weddings are big events and I take a lot of photos, and I carefully choose the best and edit them professionally which takes a lot of ti,e and skill.” She said “Oh well I don’t need all that editing and stuff. I just want photos.” That was kind of the end of our conversation. Of course I am not about to give away work that I don’t feel is the best representation of my skill, and editing is part of photography for me. I don’t have perfect SOOC shots except once in awhile. Turns out she was having a wedding in the park, was begging people to be her bridesmaids, was trying to get everything including the dresses for dirt cheap, and having the reception at a bar, and then her fiance left her a month before. Not exactlyan ideal wedding to shoot anyway.

Point being, there’s a reason wedding photography costs a lot and asking someone to make an exception on the price to suit your budget can come off very insulting. A photog isn’t going to change their mode of business for one person. If that photog booked 3 family sessions for that same weekend, and spent a few weeks editing the photos, they’d already make probably more than $500.

[CSheriffPhoto]

Pardon me, Fauxtogs5150, but I never got an inquiry for a 10 hour wedding. If I had I would have set up a consultation before discussing any prices or directed you to another photographer in this area. As you said, I am still in school “learning the trade” and therefore have not even started business yet. My website is my current personal portfolio. My facebook page is only previews of shoots and events I have photographed. As Browneyedgirl89 stated, I have some places to improve and I know this.. this is why I am in school. I am also looking for a second shooter position to gain more experience before I set out on my own.

[IHF]

Well there you go fauxtog5150.  Now you know why her prices aren’t listed and there is no service information.  She’s not even in business.  Holy crap!!  Talk about stooping low.

I guess my instincts were right and you are just a faux wanting to bash someone, most likely because you see she has more potential than yourself.  SMH

[fstopper89]

CSheriff is at least doing the right thing by attending school to learn photography. Her work is a lot better than mine was while I was still in college.

And if her images are “crap” then why do you assume she’s stealing them from “real photographers?” A bit contradictory? And were you serious about wanting a phone number to text? A photographer is less likely to publicly post a personal cell phone number because, uh, they don’t want it out for the world to see. It’s easy to send an email inquiry with your own phone number, asking the photog to call you to consult. I wouldn’t want random people texting me. And it’s tacky to text anyone when inquiring about business.

[IHF]

And how did you know she was in school, when there is nothing listed about that on either of her pages?

CSheriff,  this is definitely someone who knows you personally, and feels threatened by you.  I guarantee there is more than this one person  talking about you in negative light.  Fauxs are like that.  They tend to gang up on people who don’t do things they way they do.  Charging $50 for sessions and slapping it all on CD and bickering with one another while they pretend they know what they are doing, and they are so much better than everyone else (eye roll)

I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but Im going to give it anyway.  In your shoes (which I am.  Still learning and not in business) I would change your about and bio, to reflect you are a student of photography, or enthusiast wishing to learn all you can.  Your ultimate goal may be to be an event and portrait tog, but while still learning the basics, and building you foundation, you honestly don’t know yet what your niche will be, or where your camera will take you. Keep it open for yourself for the time being.  I have to say, finding out that everything the poster said was completely fabricated, sure did clear stuff up for me.  It explained the kittens, art and snap shots thrown in the mix, the free website, and lots of technical errors I noticed.  Don’t get me wrong.  Don’t stop doing that.  Shoot a lot.  Shoot everything.  Share it all f you want to.  This is great practice while we are still learning, but it did make me question  “is she really a pro?”.  I’m a little releived to know that you have allowed yourself to be an amateur and understand how very important it is to do, to become the best photographer you can be, instead of jumping in like all the fauxs do.

This type of petty crap that the OP just tried to pull, is exsactly why I don’t share my portraiture work/experiments publicly unless I need critque or help.  Of course my usual guineepigs (friends and family) get posted on my personal Facebook, cuz I love my people in my life, but other than that they don’t get shown. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a business when I’m not, and only shooting for myself to learn.  the general public, and petty pesky fauxs can and will, get the wrong idea, if I posted everything publicly.  Been there done that.  This is just me though.  I don’t like confrontation and session inquiries, or playing with fauxs in any way shape or form.  I also want to spend more time shooting and less time online.  If (big giant if) and or when I decide to go for it, I plan on coming out with a bang, having already set myself far apart from fauxtography and the people like this who try to perpetuate it, in every way possible.

Don’t let this kill anything that you are doing.  Keep shooting, keep learning, keep sharing, keep growing.  You ARE a photographer.  Wear that amateur hat proudly, a learn everything you can about the business.  Kick some butt!

[CSheriffPhoto]

Thank you Ihatefauxtogs, I appreciate your advice and support. The school I am currently attending encourages an online presence. Especially while in school to allow us to get more exposure and “bookings” for us to complete class assignments. I do, however, see your point and agree with it. If we weren’t required to have a website with an interesting bio and all forms of social media I probably wouldn’t have them.  I like the idea of “coming out with a bang.” If it was up to me, this is how I would do it. Especially seeing as how I plan on moving after I graduate and setting up shop there.

Also, Browneyedgirl, that is exactly why I don’t have my number posted anywhere.

[Author]

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