astrostu
I shoot for the stars
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2006
- Messages
- 673
- Reaction score
- 17
- Location
- Boulder, CO, USA
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
Brief Background: I shot my first solo wedding, for free (as a wedding present), for a college friend, back in September. It was a Hindu (Bengali?) ceremony, I had no clue what was going on, bride's family was uncooperative, and over the course of 14 hours I shot over 2100 photos. I got the proofs all done just before my 2-month self-imposed deadline, posted them online and send the URL to the two families, and mailed off a CD of higher-res (8x12" @ 72 ppi) shots to the still-happy couple.
Mother of Bride Rush Orders: On Tuesday, December 8, I got an e-mail from the MOB asking me to send her prints of approx. 250 photographs and digital copies of another 200. I explained to her that digi. copies would be given to the B&G when they ordered, but I would not release them to others. Oh, and she was leaving for India on the following Tuesday morning and would need the photographs in-hand by Monday, Dec. 14.
I asked the bride if she could explain to her mother that I had two conference abstracts due in by Thursday at 5PM and would work my butt off to finish the photos so I could ship them to her mother in time, but I could not guarantee it. I explained that "proof" ≠ "finished" and that there was still A LOT of work to do on the photos. She did tell her mother this, though I didn't find that out until Thursday.
Job Gets Done: I got my abstracts in early Thursday and spent the next 10 hours going through all the prints she wanted, fine-tuning color, getting rid of odd elbows and glares, etc. I upload them and send them off to be printed, picking them up Friday. Oh, and the prints included 3 panoramas that I took of the reception hall before people arrived and of the "rehearsal dinner" hall.
When I got the prints, I noticed the color looked a little off. It looked a teensy bit green/yellow, lower contrast, and the colors were a little unsaturated. But I had no time to actually have them re-print or investigate the issue further because of the "BY MONDAY" deadline.
I stood in line at the post office for a half hour that Friday, December 11, the day before the busiest mailing day of the year. I wrapped the 4"x6" prints, and I placed a piece of heavy cardboard-like paper on both sides of the panoramas. I put the panoramas first in the box, then the prints, and then "wrapped" the panoramas over the top of the prints so that I could still use a relatively small box even though the panoramas were 12" long. Mailed it off, next-day delivery, $25.
Post Office Problems: Due to post office problems, she didn't get them Saturday and yelled at me (via e-mail) that I made her stay at home all day waiting to sign for the box that didn't come. Long story short, the bride went bridezilla on the post office and I got my money back and the MOB got her prints on Monday in time for the Tuesday flight.
Fast-Forward to My Query: Yesterday afternoon, I got an instant message from the bride mentioning that she still had to pay me for her mother's order and that she'd "been bad about it." I told her no worries, it was okay she was late (by 6 weeks). Then she told me her mom said she never got the panoramas. She said she saw the prints and she liked them, but the panoramas didn't arrive. And then I mentioned that I had thought the prints looked a little faded and I was going to try to figure out why for future ones, since she said that there would be some more people soon (MOG, women in bridal party) placing orders. She said that yes, she had noticed the faded look, too. As for the panoramas, I think her mother just threw them away, not realizing that they had been "wrapped over" the other prints. She's supposed to be asking her mother and getting back to me about that.
Since then, I figured out that the issue had been I wasn't using the print shop's latest printer profiles. Tonight I did 4 test shots with different profiles on the same photo and kept a "control" of the original I'd sent in. I looked at the prints and picked out the one I thought was worst color-wise, and then looked at the file name on the back and saw it was the control. So, yeah, I figured that issue out now.
So, here's my question -- I figure it will cost me about $30 to re-print all the photos and mail them (NOT OVERNIGHT THIS TIME). In the idea of doing something nice for a friend, acting professional about it, and spreading "customer" good-will, do you folks think I should go ahead and just swallow the money and re-print them and send 'em free of charge on their part? Note that I charged only 50% above cost to begin with (and haven't been paid), though I'm not sure if that should actually factor into the decision.
Sorry to make a long story long and not short, but, I'd appreciate thoughts on this!
Mother of Bride Rush Orders: On Tuesday, December 8, I got an e-mail from the MOB asking me to send her prints of approx. 250 photographs and digital copies of another 200. I explained to her that digi. copies would be given to the B&G when they ordered, but I would not release them to others. Oh, and she was leaving for India on the following Tuesday morning and would need the photographs in-hand by Monday, Dec. 14.
I asked the bride if she could explain to her mother that I had two conference abstracts due in by Thursday at 5PM and would work my butt off to finish the photos so I could ship them to her mother in time, but I could not guarantee it. I explained that "proof" ≠ "finished" and that there was still A LOT of work to do on the photos. She did tell her mother this, though I didn't find that out until Thursday.
Job Gets Done: I got my abstracts in early Thursday and spent the next 10 hours going through all the prints she wanted, fine-tuning color, getting rid of odd elbows and glares, etc. I upload them and send them off to be printed, picking them up Friday. Oh, and the prints included 3 panoramas that I took of the reception hall before people arrived and of the "rehearsal dinner" hall.
When I got the prints, I noticed the color looked a little off. It looked a teensy bit green/yellow, lower contrast, and the colors were a little unsaturated. But I had no time to actually have them re-print or investigate the issue further because of the "BY MONDAY" deadline.
I stood in line at the post office for a half hour that Friday, December 11, the day before the busiest mailing day of the year. I wrapped the 4"x6" prints, and I placed a piece of heavy cardboard-like paper on both sides of the panoramas. I put the panoramas first in the box, then the prints, and then "wrapped" the panoramas over the top of the prints so that I could still use a relatively small box even though the panoramas were 12" long. Mailed it off, next-day delivery, $25.
Post Office Problems: Due to post office problems, she didn't get them Saturday and yelled at me (via e-mail) that I made her stay at home all day waiting to sign for the box that didn't come. Long story short, the bride went bridezilla on the post office and I got my money back and the MOB got her prints on Monday in time for the Tuesday flight.
Fast-Forward to My Query: Yesterday afternoon, I got an instant message from the bride mentioning that she still had to pay me for her mother's order and that she'd "been bad about it." I told her no worries, it was okay she was late (by 6 weeks). Then she told me her mom said she never got the panoramas. She said she saw the prints and she liked them, but the panoramas didn't arrive. And then I mentioned that I had thought the prints looked a little faded and I was going to try to figure out why for future ones, since she said that there would be some more people soon (MOG, women in bridal party) placing orders. She said that yes, she had noticed the faded look, too. As for the panoramas, I think her mother just threw them away, not realizing that they had been "wrapped over" the other prints. She's supposed to be asking her mother and getting back to me about that.
Since then, I figured out that the issue had been I wasn't using the print shop's latest printer profiles. Tonight I did 4 test shots with different profiles on the same photo and kept a "control" of the original I'd sent in. I looked at the prints and picked out the one I thought was worst color-wise, and then looked at the file name on the back and saw it was the control. So, yeah, I figured that issue out now.
So, here's my question -- I figure it will cost me about $30 to re-print all the photos and mail them (NOT OVERNIGHT THIS TIME). In the idea of doing something nice for a friend, acting professional about it, and spreading "customer" good-will, do you folks think I should go ahead and just swallow the money and re-print them and send 'em free of charge on their part? Note that I charged only 50% above cost to begin with (and haven't been paid), though I'm not sure if that should actually factor into the decision.
Sorry to make a long story long and not short, but, I'd appreciate thoughts on this!
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