At some point, we all mess up a photoshoot. It is part of being a photographer. However, when money comes into play, it can really complicate things. This is how I feel we should deal with the cost of reshoots in various situations.
Photoshoots can go wrong for a myriad of reasons, including bad styling, the subject not being on form, acts of God, technical issues, poor briefing, incorrect briefing, through to us as photographers simply not producing the goods on the day. And the latter will happen to all of us at some point. The important thing is to make sure that you handle the situation correctly for your reputation, client, and your own business finances. A photoshoot can be incredibly expensive to recreate once you take everyone's fees into consideration, so it is important to know what the right thing to do is.
In this video, I cover a few scenarios as to what can go wrong on a shoot and with whom the financial responsibility should be. Although contracts cover a lot of this, there is more to business than following the paperwork to the letter. It's a small industry, and often, if you upset one major agency, the word can get out. Although, good agencies are also aware of this and do not want to get a bad reputation from photographers, as it may harm them being able to book good talent for future jobs.
How would you handle the situations covered in this video, and what is the worst shoot you have ever been a part of?
Some good wisdom here. Thanks for sharing.
I'm a little confused. My bad? In your second paragraph you mentioned "portrait orientation, space to the side to allow graphics". So why shoot in landscape? Did I miss something? Anyhow, was there a reshoot and who paid for it?