Am I so far out of touch with reality?

[Designer]

..I called the and learned that they had gone with someone MUCH cheaper (their emphasis) ..

No doubt about it, John, you got MWACed. I'm guessing that the MWAC was NOWHERE NEAR $2,000. Much more likely it was in the range of $200 to $300, and that's being generous.

The MWAC probably figured the cost (at Staples) of the one large print, added in his transportation and lunch, and low-balled himself to get the gig.

Meanwhile, the construction company simply does not care if the photographs are good or not. They might not even know the difference.

 

[Braineack]

Maybe they found out one of their employees owned an iphone6 camera and didn't need to hire out?

 

[Derrel]

I totally believe that their In-Store or In-Office photos would be of high quality, and that any brochures or hand-out materials they had would be of good quality, which only makes sense. But I looked at the web site...it's probably not how they get their business, it's merely a placeholder, a place to show that they have a place in the industry. I would imagine their executives have a vast network of contacts in business and government (I see they've built a number of fire stations!) all across this continent. But by and large, it's clear that their reputation is not being carried by their photographs. I think the mistake, the out of touch part if you will, might have been in assuming that they see the value in paying for photos of each project to a degree that's even close to being commensurate with what they show when you visit one of their offices, or when they give you a brochure.

Analogy: You got wowed by the guest bathroom and the nice towels and fancy soaps it had...you didn't get to see the bathroom upstairs...with the stubble in the sink and the drying pairs of panythose hung over the shower curtain rod...and the towels on the floor...

 

[tirediron]

...Analogy: You got wowed by the guest bathroom and the nice towels and fancy soaps it had...you didn't get to see the bathroom upstairs...with the stubble in the sink and the drying pairs of panythose hung over the shower curtain rod...and the towels on the floor...

Ouch! Mea culpa. But... in fairness, I was a guest, why would I use the upstairs loo?

 

[DarkShadow]

They probably got what they paid for, Snapshots and not photography.Cheap bastards.

 

[Derrel]

They probably got what they paid for, Snapshots and not photography.Cheap bastards.

In my replies in this thread I have tried very hard not to make statements like that, and have even not referred to the company by its name on multiple occasions...but what you wrote is exactly what I've been trying to say in a formal English sorta' way...

 

[IronMaskDuval]

I'm not a photographer, but I have a few working for me. Many of my clients are mid sized, fast growth companies to Fortune companies, and I can assure you that your quote is out of touch with the prices that firms who scale can provide. The most recent quote that we closed on a bit over your price point was not only for ground based photography, but aerial photography with some 3D modeling and cinematography. With companies that have a global reach, our prices ensure that we are able to retain their business for future work, and since our guys are working every day, we do not need to charge anywhere as much as you do as a solo professional.

More often than not, you are competing against high volume players. From time to time, you're competing against a guy with a camera.

Your ability to adapt to the market will be what determines your sustainability. Don't be salty about it. Learn. Adjust. Compete.

 

[DarkShadow]

Sometimes I speak what comes to mind and probably not always a good thing.I just hate when big company's that have lots of money and pinch pennies or complain about prices or even the minimum wages going up.I am a big believer that you get what you pay for most of the time.

 

[The_Traveler]

Companies, and people, want to pay for what they want - and no more.
If there is no value or no perceived value in a higher price product, a smart buyer won't pay for it.

My last company had no face to face client contact, thus our office furniture was functional at most and our computers were low end machines that could access the Internet and our order recording software.
If we knowingly spent a lot of $ for something that had no return, I'd be angry as hell.

 

[imagemaker46]

These days I ask them upfront what kind of budget we are working with. If it's too low I will tell them that I can do it for "x" amount and give them the reason, if they come in at an offer that you can work with, it's all golden. No one, regardless if it's a large company wants to pay what they may have paid 10 years ago, or even 1 year ago. Quoting what you think it's worth, means nothing to most people now. Working around their budgets works one way or another, as long as you both can work with the fee. I don't lose too many jobs working this way, and I usually end up making more than I would have asked for.

 

[snowbear]

Yeah, I'm not impressed with their other stuff. Who knows - maybe the dealership has an Uncle Bob who bid.

The photography is significantly lower in quality than what most real estate agents and small custom builders are using on their web sites.

I find this a bit funny since I have seen the exact, same photograph for multiple real estate listings.

 

[Vtec44]

In my area, there are many many wedding photographers and I never have an issue with charging premium for what I do. I don't compete on price because it's a race to the bottom that nobody wins at the end. My starting price is intentionally listed on my site to weed out price shoppers. You're in the business of selling intangible items and you have to educate your clients on why you're better. If you don't, unfortunately all they see is the price. We can sit here and complain that they went with someone else less qualified. In reality, that unqualified person got the job and we didnt.

On another note. I recently saw a $500,000 quote from an agency to a hotel chain for 12 days of shooting.

 

[runnah]

Yeah the construction industry is woefully behind the times. You should have seen some of the photos my company uses to use in presentations to clients before I started.

I could ***** more but I want to forget about work until Monday.

 

[tirediron]

These days I ask them upfront what kind of budget we are working with. If it's too low I will tell them that I can do it for "x" amount and give them the reason, if they come in at an offer that you can work with, it's all golden. No one, regardless if it's a large company wants to pay what they may have paid 10 years ago, or even 1 year ago. Quoting what you think it's worth, means nothing to most people now. Working around their budgets works one way or another, as long as you both can work with the fee. I don't lose too many jobs working this way, and I usually end up making more than I would have asked for.

Yep... live and learn. Oh well...