Perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of running a professional photography business is that you have to deal with all clients yourself, including those who might be looking to take advantage of you. It pays to be aware of some of the red flags these clients will frequently show before you get involved with them in order to save yourself a lot of headaches down the road. This great video essay features an experienced commercial photographer discussing some of the most common things to watch out for.
Coming to you from Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio, this important video essay discusses some of the common red flags to watch out for in potential clients. One I found particularly interesting is someone who complains about a lot of past photographers. It never occurred to me, but I have had a few clients with whom our communications started out in such a fashion, and sure enough, they ended up being some of the most difficult I had to work with. Sure, there are absolutely photographer who are deserving of criticism, but on the other hand, if someone finds everyone they work with difficult and opens the conversation with it, they might be the real problem. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Choucino.
"And I have a lot more work for you after this one". This is the client who wants a discount based on the promise of future work. We all have fallen for this one at least once.
They usually disappear asap.
I had a call for not ready product to shoot this past spring. Couldn't shoot because their web site wasn't finished yet... One would assume the product should be on the web site, no?. I guess the web site is still not ready.
I can pay you in product... can you send us details of your team members... etc etc etc.
Here's one I received the other day -
"My Photography is away for 6 months and I would like to know if you can work with me for that 6 months also what is your charges for 4 hours per day . Await your swift response ."
When I requested specifics - nothing but crickets!
Amen to all! My biggest peeve is when they don't provide enough info for an accurate bid, and when I ask for more details, I never hear from them again. "How much is a shoot ,"is like asking how much does a car cost! I also hate when they tell me how long the shoot should last. "It's only a half day shoot..."