The business side of photography
From time to time, newer professional photographers ask what they should do when a client is late to pay. The answer is easy: remind the customer to pay.
Okay, maybe it’s not quite that simple although it can be.
When a client hasn’t paid within the time period set by the photographer, often the reason is that the client has lost or misplaced the invoice, or they’ve simply forgotten to pay it. (Yes, it would be nice if we could “forget” to pay our bills.)
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On this blog, I’ve repeatedly mentioned that a company should never use stock pictures for its business image or marketing. This applies to running a photography business as well.
There’s a commercial photographer here in Toronto whose web site uses cheap, stock pictures taken from other web sites. In a slideshow to showcase his “talent”, none of the pictures were shot by this photographer. None whatsoever. Through the magic of the Web, stock pictures are easily traceable back to their sources.
If a photographer has to use someone else’s pictures, what does that say about their own work?
Not only does this make the photographer look bad, but one might wonder if this is legal. Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act (14(2) s.3, 8, 14) seems to suggest it isn’t.
Using stock pictures in place of real corporate photography or other custom business photography always costs too much. It can harm a company’s reputation and even land the business on the wrong side of consumer laws.
“We used stock pictures to save a few dollars,” is not a legal defense.
High-maintenance customers can be difficult to deal with. They can also damage a photographer’s business with their time-consuming and stress-inducing behaviour. You know you’re dealing with a bad customer when:
10. An abundance of e-mails pour in and each one is marked URGENT!!!
9. They expect the photographer to work for free in exchange for a credit line and they want unlimited use of all the photos.
8. They talk down to the photographer: “Can we work faster?”, “Are we sure that’s the best camera angle?”, “Did we check to make sure everyone’s in focus?” and they demand to see the LCD review of every picture.
7. At a publicity event, they expect the photographer to help set up the product displays, hand out brochures, and wear a t-shirt and baseball hat emblazoned with their company logo.
6. After a company party, they scold the photographer for not getting a picture of the CEO’s wife’s sister’s family who were sitting somewhere in the ballroom.
5. They expect everyone in the photos to look like magazine cover models. Otherwise it’s the photographer’s fault and they shouldn’t have to pay.
4. After being promised free, next-day, rush delivery, they still call two hours later demanding to know why the photos are so late.
3. They change their mind every day: “We want a photo of our factory” . . . “We’ve decided on a group shot of our sales department” . . . “It’s a photo of our sales department in front of the factory and make it look like a Vanity Fair cover.”
2. They try to negotiate a lower price after the job is done.
1. They’re late to pay.
The previous post, directed towards business customers, was also indirectly aimed at photographers. It was pointing out that most customers don’t hire photographers for their pictures! Or to rephrase that: purely providing perfect pictures doesn’t please the paying people.
Some photographers will stress over whether to move a light a few inches this way or that way. They will agonize over precise white balance. They’ll suffer great pain if every pixel isn’t razor sharp or if the depth of field isn’t just right. But in most cases, customers don’t notice or even care about these things.
This is not to say a photographer can be sloppy in their work but that customers have different priorities.
For many customers, it’s more important that a photographer shows up on time, dresses and behaves appropriately, completes the photography efficiently and competently, and returns their calls or e-mails promptly.
A photographer’s business practices are more important than their photography skills. Yes, the photographer must be at least competent in their work. But good business practices can trump great photo skills. As the cliché says, running a photography business is 90% business and 10% photography.
Remember your three R’s: responsible, reliable, respectable.
“Of all the many things that make up a wedding, few are more important than the photographs.”
That’s the opening sentence in a NY Times story about an ongoing lawsuit where a groom is suing his wedding photographer for $4,100 (cost of the photography) plus $48,000 to recreate the wedding so it can be re-photographed.
The groom claimed the photographer missed the last dance and the bouquet toss. He also stated he wasn’t happy with the finished pictures and that the two-hour wedding video was too short. His claim for emotional distress has already been denied.
And now some details: the wedding was in 2003; the couple separated in 2008; he filed the lawsuit in 2009 just before the six-year statute of limitations expired; the divorced was finalized in 2010; he has no idea where his ex-wife lives.
Read the New York TImes article for lots more information.
Last month, author Seth Godin wrote a blog post titled “Memories of Bitterness”. Although his post has nothing to do with the groom’s lawsuit, the underlying point to Godin’s post might be somewhat applicable. Customer service is about providing the customer with a positive buying experience.
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In an unrelated story, the LA Times reported that a wedding photographer was sentenced to 510 days in jail for failing to deliver photos to dozens of his clients. The photographer must also pay full restitution to all victims plus $19,542 for investigative costs.
When you’re working at the computer and a client sends an e-mail, instead of replying by e-mail, pick up the phone and call them.
Responding by e-mail is faster and easier which is why everyone does it and which is why you should avoid doing it (where possible). It will always pleasantly(?) surprise the client.
Example:
“Hi Jane, it’s Warren the photographer. I just received your e-mail about tomorrow’s business portraits. You were wondering how long the photography will take.
“If we can make sure the five people are all on time, we’ll need the use of the conference room for only two hours.
“Setting up and taking down the equipment is very quick. I’ll make sure the room is put back to normal before I leave.
“I look forward to meeting you tomorrow. Bye”
“Why are you charging me $600 more?!”
When giving a discount to a customer, it’s important for the photographer to show the normal price, the discount rate and the discounted price on the invoice rather than just showing the final discounted price. For example:
Instead of:
Photography fee: $3,400.00
It’s better to use something like:
