- Joined
- Aug 27, 2012
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- Can others edit my Photos
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OP, lets see your contract you had with them with the names redacted.
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Sorry Parker, this is NOT good advice. Guaranteeing ANYTHING in a photo shoot can be a recipe for disaster. Instead, in the agreement with the client, you state something (which your lawyer has reviewed and approved as being appropriate for your region) to the effect of, "While a session of this length and nature generally produces about XYZ images, because of the dynamic and uncontrollable nature of large groups I am unable to commit in advance to a pre-determined number. I will however provide you with a proof gallery which contains all of the images which meet my standard for quality and artistic merit" or similar....Have a written contract that says they will get at least 10, 20, 30 or whatever number you agree on final edits. Then IF you give them more, then they will be happy.
That way they can't say that they didn't get enough photos.
The last bit is critical as well since it gives you an out for those clients who demand to see "ALL the photos".
Definitely. There's a ton of stuff on line that you can use as a starting point. Draft up a few outlines and then take it to a lawyer who deals in contract law. Most lawyers will allow you to book a 30 minute consult appointment. Bring your drafts in and have them reviewed. Shouldn't cost more than one arm and both legs.Thanks for the solid advice. This is the first time this has happened to me, and I’ve done about 25 shoots to date. So I guess one of the big lessons learned here is that I have to start drafting up a contract/agreement in writing. I guess I’ll need a lawyer for this?
OP, lets see your contract you had with them with the names redacted.
You agreed to ALL the (edited) JPEGs, and your client knows how to count. She doesn't know what is involved in editing, but that's not her concern, either. You said "all", and she wants all....and that they would receive all the edited JPEG photos through a link.
It doesn't seem like a business, even a side business, if you take cash the day of and provide JPEGs of every photo you took. That's not how a pro photographer runs a business. You might be lucky something like this didn't happen sooner, and maybe it's just as well it happened now before you get any further into it.
Some of your comments and responses seem to indicate that you do not yet have the necessary skills to do this. Learn what you're doing first. You should know to go ahead of time or go early to figure out good vantage points, etc. You should already know all the stuff that you don't yet seem to have learned before you get into being paid as a photographer. I think it's a disservice to clients otherwise.
Try American Society of Media Photographers - Homepage or PPA for info. on contracts, licensing usage, etc. etc.
I may have misread or misunderstood what was said about what was provided. Shooting this style it's necessary to get something even under less than ideal conditions; maybe you won't get as many shots as usual so you probably need to firm up what will be provided according to contracts, etc.
It looks like there's a need to be sure if you're doing shoots out and about that you're catching what end up being visual distractions before they get into the frame, and developing awareness of other people getting ready to walk into the scene before they walk into the viewfinder and end up an unwanted part of a composition. There seems to be inconsistency in the exposures; it might be worth looking through your portfolio and checking and maybe rethinking what's included or see if some further editing might be needed, etc.
Maybe doing a relatively small number of shoots over a number of years hasn't given you as much practice or skill development. I've done sports and events and I'd always feel a bit rusty at the beginning of the season even though I'm an experienced photographer. I think it's still necessary to practice and keep up the skill level. Maybe this is an opportunity to take a look at the photos provided and think about what the client didn't like and what could be done better/differently in the future (although there will be people with unrealistic expectations or complaints that may not be valid and it's necessary to figure out what to do in those situations).
Without seeing the pics from the Bris, it's hard to give an opinion about whether you should refund her or not.
Since you offered your website as a way to check out your skills, I agree with vintage about in-frame distractions and exposure issues. It's easy to tell you don't do any recon before shooting. I would also add white balance issues to that, especially when you are shooting into the sun. I know tweeking WB in editing can add some artistic flair but there is no artistic consistency of that kind in your shots. White shirts are too blue, etc...
It seems like you're beginning to get defensive so I won't hammer the point. The business practices you mentioned and the pictures on your site don't say "professional" to me but if your friends and word-of-mouth people are happy with the shots, carry on. Cheers!
This might be a silly question but if you can’t help people in the background (e.g. public space with lots of people) how do you avoid the visual distraction?