The following arrived in my e-mail inbox last week unbidden by me, I cannot vouch for its provenance and names have been changed to protect the innocent (or guilty as the case may be). The original message was also quite long, so it has been edited for brevity and it certainly seems like one of those pieces of Internet folklore that gets passed around.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am apology for this interruption. I would like to share my true but sad story with you. It’s all about my wedding photographer. I hope all other brides will not go through the same experience as I did...
We had our wedding reception last year and hired “STUDIO X” as our wedding photography company. I picked a very experienced photographer and everything went well. But then 3 weeks before my wedding, Studio X said my photographer get busy on my day and they’ll send another photographer to me. I have no choice and I did not have much time to search again, so I accepted their offer. I can’t believe it was our nightmare to start! My photographer was horrible and very unprofessional. He lost our photos. When we received our wedding photos a month after our wedding from Studio X, we found that a good portion of our photos was missing and the little that they had given us was amateurish and horrific.. This made us very upset. We contacted the company on numerous occasions and they refuse to assist us or take any responsible actions. We have yet to receive any of the photos back, an apology, compensation or any type of assistance…
…Nothing can replace memories of our wedding day and Studio X have definitely robbed us of that. This horrible experience has caused much unnecessary stress, pain and sorrow as a newlywed couple.
It's amazing how one phone call can really lift up your week. As I was sitting in my car the other day, heading toward a meeting of the Professional Photographers of Cape Cod, I got one such call.
But first a diversion.
My business plan is based on complex actuarial tables, some tea leaf readings conducted in a cozy little room above an antiques dealer and some wild guesses. The core principal, apart from charging an amount of money that reflects the true value and cost of services is that I shouldn't buy things until the business can actually afford them.
One problem with start-ups is that when they get that first jolt of funding they want to go wild and buy everything in sight. After all you need an office building, thre server farms and an old Pac-Man arcade cabinet right away. However, businesses aren't based so much on the ownership of tools but the creation of products and businesses that lose track of this run into trouble.
Photography is partly selling the invisible. It isn't just about getting some 8x10 photographs into the client's hands but creating relationships, and capturing moments that reveal emotion and story in away that few others can.
Like most photographers (male photographers it seems are especially prone to this) I have this incredible desire to own the latest and greatest equipment to support my business. What I actually own is a lot less impressive, so I rent (as I wait to hit milestones marked out by my accountant/astrologer that say it's right to buy that new body or lens).
The autumn is here. There's a crisp and cool feeling in the air and the leaves are getting ready to turn brilliant shades of orange, gold, red and brown (why yes, there is a brilliant shade of brown).
You could spend your time kicking through the leaves and picking apples for pies. You could be shopping for Halloween costumes or pre-gaming for Thanksgiving dinner (food scientists are still divided over whether you should fast or feast to get ready for the big day). Or you could get a few portraits done.
For many Fall is the time to go back to school or start new projects. The summer is over and the winter is looming, it's a good time to evaluate what you're doing before you're trapped in the ice for a few months. It's a time of transition that should be commemorated with a sitting whether it's your last year of high school, the lead up to a wedding, maybe you want to have a photo for your Christmas cards, or you want to see how you really look in that Patriot's face paint.
As I get ready for portrait season I thought that I might like to offer a few suggestions for clients to get the most out of their session.
You want to ask yourself one question when you get a portrait. What does this picture say about me?
With that question in mind you can find an answer for where you should be, what you should wear, and maybe even how you should pose.