annoyed

urbanaries

Note from bride who's wedding is two months away, she still hasn't booked a photographer, and she's verbally hired me but I haven't seen the contract:

"[FONT=&quot]someone told me to inquire as to whether or not you use “raw” vs. “jpeg”. I assume you’ll know what that means?! Additionally, what type of camera do you use and what are the mega pixels?"

:wxwax
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dlplumer

That is annoying. How are you going to respond?

Moogle Pepper

Sounds like a potential bride-zilla!

thenimirra

wow. I'd be really annoyed too. But hang in there. Just answer her stupid questions I guess.

BTW thank you for your advice on my wedding packages. I intend to rework them after I thought about what you and others said.

mbellot

Tell her you only shoot Advantix disposable cameras and all your processing is handled by the fine folks at Wal-Mart.

As far as RAW goes, you've never shot a nude wedding before, but you appreciate the advance notice so you can dress accordingly.

Personally, I'm allergic to pickles so I'd definitely have to avoid the mega-pickles and have none.

urbanaries

dlplumer wrote:

That is annoying. How are you going to respond?

I said I shoot RAW and use several Canon professional-grade cameras. Then asked if there was something specific she was concerned about as far as the quality.

Probably should have just answered the question straight as I have nothing to hide, I just feel like I'm answering a question for a person who has no ability to evaluate the answer.

cmason

dlplumer wrote:

That is annoying. How are you going to respond?

Maybe you should ask if she knows what brand cookware and knives the caterer will be using, and what stove and what heat settings she will be choosing?

Perhaps she needs to know what brand and yarn composition the dressmaker used, as well as what kind of sewing machine was employed?

Important thing is the outcome... Does she like your work? does she think you are a professional? Same for the food and dress: she has chosen them because of the food, menu and the samples she enjoyed. She chose the dress because of the fit, the fabric and the look. She should consider your work, the samples and the recommendations, much as she does with the other providers for her wedding.

urbanaries

cmason wrote:

Maybe you should ask if she knows what brand cookware and knives the caterer will be using, and what stove and what heat settings she will be choosing?

Perhaps she needs to know what brand and yarn composition the dressmaker used, as well as what kind of sewing machine was employed?

Important thing is the outcome... Does she like your work? does she think you are a professional? Same for the food and dress: she has chosen them because of the food, menu and the samples she enjoyed. She chose the dress because of the fit, the fabric and the look. She should consider your work, the samples and the recommendations, much as she does with the other providers for her wedding.

She responded that the technicals are foreign to her, but a close friend is an out of state photographer and mentioned RAW is better than JPEG. Here was my response (I'm imagining at this point the email will be passed on to the friend:)

Totally agree about RAW. I could tell you all about my cameras but it would probably bore you silly!

I primarily use a 40D with 10.2 MP. But as your friend knows, lighting and lenses impact quality with digital SLRs much more than megapixels. To that end, I use off camera strobes when possible and have fast, high end Canon glass.

Hope this helps!
Lynne

dlplumer

Really good professional response

rsparts

Did you send her a price list with any of your responses?

Travis

rsparts wrote:

Did you send her a price list with any of your responses?

Better yet, tell her you charge by the pixel.

oh, but that wouldn't be the professional reponse, would it? :ivar

urbanaries

rsparts wrote:

Did you send her a price list with any of your responses?

We have already met. She (and her fiance) have seen my albums, we've bonded, laughed, etc. She wrote me an email they decided to hire me, and picked out their package...just hasn't sent the contract.

LiquidAir

urbanaries wrote:

We have already met. She (and her fiance) have seen my albums, we've bonded, laughed, etc. She wrote me an email they decided to hire me, and picked out their package...just hasn't sent the contract.

Here's my guess: she knows (or at least feels) she is not qualified to choose a good photographer and that makes her nervous. She's paying a lot of money (from her point of view) for the service and is looking for any kind of reassurance she can find that she made the right choice. My suggestion is to do what you can to set her at ease.

urbanaries

LiquidAir wrote:

Here's my guess: she knows (or at least feels) she is not qualified to choose a good photographer and that makes her nervous. She's paying a lot of money (from her point of view) for the service and is looking for any kind of reassurance she can find that she made the right choice. My suggestion is to do what you can to set her at ease.

Thanks so much for the alternate POV. I definitely want her to know she shouldn't be worried; at the same time I don't want to give her more info than she can really process.

cmason

My guess is similar, I bet she has a friend who knows about photography, and asked her enough questions to get her frightened. Could happen for the other providers as well, if she talks to someone who is into cooking or sewing....

Dogdots

mbellot wrote:

Tell her you only shoot Advantix disposable cameras and all your processing is handled by the fine folks at Wal-Mart.

As far as RAW goes, you've never shot a nude wedding before, but you appreciate the advance notice so you can dress accordingly.

Personally, I'm allergic to pickles so I'd definitely have to avoid the mega-pickles and have none.

aktse

I’m sorry to admit, but I have a different opinion on this. Although I don’t like the tone, the question about mega-pixel, or the way she asked, but I call it due diligence. Recently, I had friends who are getting married and took me out to lunch in order to have me explain photographers to them. They know that I don’t shoot weddings and asked for some recommendations (ended posting a thread here asking for recs in the bay area) or, “what to look for”.

My friends are sweet couple who was completely confused about professional photographers and wondered about the vast range of prices, packages and quality -- $5K difference between high end and low end. They couldn’t understand why the price was so different!

I educated them on the differences between those who are weekend warriors with an entry-level dSLR and kit lens and what a “pro” offers and what they’re paying for.

And these were some of the questions that they should ask and things they need to think about….

-- What is the photog shooting with? P&S? dSLR? How many cameras is he or she shooting with? Do they have a backup camera?
-- What’s the photographer’s style – do you actually like it?
-- What lenses is the photographer using?
-- Single or dual shooter?
-- Do they use flash during the wedding? Reception?
-- Is he/she insured? Liability insurance?
-- What will the photographer provide? What are the deliverables?
-- What post processing work is done?
-- Do they have a web gallery? Or, do you need to put one up yourself?
-- Are they providing images on CD with a usage release?
-- Are you comfortable with the photographer?

In my friend’s case, they went with one of the cheaper packages with someone who’s entering the wedding business. I took a look at his portfolio (not too shabby) and he seems to know what he’s doing (insured, shot many wedding, has backups, strobes, etc.) . I gave them my blessings and they let out a huge sigh of relief.

In your case, she’s spending a lot of money and putting her trust in a stranger. She just wants a bit of piece of mind that she made a good choice.

Art Scott

Personally think that she was just wanting to be comforted that she had a real pro and not just any jo with a cam......I have been asked many a time why I didn't shoot with Hassy (in my film days)....my answer was simple and comforting to them.......and as things in this area changed, more and more shooters went to 35mm, I was asked why I didn't shoot Nikon or Canon ( i was shooting Minolta and Fuji 35mm equip.)....it was the same answer....It is not so much the box but quality of lenses and the ability of the Photographer to capture your Priceless Cherished Memories for you.
At that time I had copies of interviews with several Pros that showed them using K1000's and other "entry" level cameras for priceless works....Of course digital has changed things a bit....

thenimirra

hmm I didn't think of it that way before (initially thought she was being persnickety too), but it makes sense that the bride might need some comforting. Thanks for offering another perspective.

ChatKat

Agree
I am happy to answer as many questions as they can dream up even if they are annoying questions. I want to set my self apart from the new kids on the block who bought a camera and can use it and can't run a business and deliver the goods. I have a huge investment and the more you educate a client, the better they will be as your client.

From a business perspective, my dates aren't booked until I have a signed contract on hand with a check that's cleared the bank. I won't confirm any date until then. There have been too many issues around bookings where the paperwork isn't compete and there's been no payment.

Scott_Quier

FWIW - I've been asked these kinds of questions a number of times. I given them answers until I get the feeling they understand. I start by assuming they know what they are talking about so I rattle off the make/model numbers and aperture & focal length ranges of my lenses, etc. If I get the "deer in the headlights" look or the "crickets in the night" through the phone (BTW I never answer this question via e-mail - too much gets lost in the translation) - then I know I need to translate it (that's PC-speak for "dummy it down a notch). I go through that loop until I get a reasonable response from them.

Bottom line is that I want to convey to the prospective client that I am a professional, and that I am heavily invested in professional grade equipment that is suited to the job at hand. It does not good to drop $2,300 on an EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS if I'm going to be shooting in a dark cave (also known as a reception hall)..

If I can get them happy about it, there's a better chance that I'll get the contract assuming, of course, that I want it - that's what the interviews are all about.

Art Scott

scott wrote:

If I can get them happy about it, there's a better chance that I'll get the contract assuming, of course, that I want it - that's what the interviews are all about.

Yup....that is what it is all about......

Angelo

You provided an excellent, professionally framed answer to her question. It appears wedding photographers are 10% creative, 10% technical and 80% therapist.

you are, afterall, capturing her most important day so you have to do a bit of hand-holding.

important note: in explaining to the bride you shoot raw for the exceptional capture quality you only provide jpg files as part of the package. you can further explain, like photographers of old who never relinguisjed their film negatives, you always retain your original raw files.

urbanaries

Angelo wrote:

You provided an excellent, professionally framed answer to her question. It appears wedding photographers are 10% creative, 10% technical and 80% therapist.

you are, afterall, capturing her most important day so you have to do a bit of hand-holding.

important note: in explaining to the bride you shoot raw for the exceptional capture quality you only provide jpg files as part of the package. you can further explain, like photographers of old who never relinguisjed their film negatives, you always retain your original raw files.

Thanks for your response, Angelo! I was beginning to worry I was too defensive, after reading the great points in this thread. I hope I didn't scare her off. Scott made a great point about email tone and its dangers. While I was initially annoyed/insulted, I think now I understand after some great feedback here that people do try to get reassurance however they can. I've just never had a client ask me that.....back when I did my first wedding for $500 or my recent bookings of $4000.

I think atske made some great points (Kathy, too) about all the "flybynights" and weekend warriors out there. It gave me a great perspective on how I can be more sympathetic to the client, differentiating myself from the newbies and horror stories they might be trying to protect themselves from.

Maybe it's because I'm a one of those "weekend warriors" that they are a little skeptic. Truth be told, if I was married (or childless), I would have gone full time by now. :cry All those husband/wife teams make me so jealous!

Oh and Angelo....your wedding photography formula sounds eerily similar to how I use Dgrin.

Angelo

urbanaries wrote:

Oh and Angelo....your wedding photography formula sounds eerily similar to how I use Dgrin.

aktse

urbanaries wrote:

Maybe it's because I'm a one of those "weekend warriors" that they are a little skeptic.

Merriam-Webster defines professional as someone that engages in a pursuit or activity that requires specialized knowledge and with often long and intensive academic preparation.

You are indeed a professional and not just an ordinary weekend warriors. The difference (in my book) is the specialized knowledge, preparation, equipment and ability to put the customer at ease with superior service.

I believe you have all four qualities….

Scott_Quier

aktse wrote:

Merriam-Webster defines professional as someone that engages in a pursuit or activity that requires specialized knowledge and with often long and intensive academic preparation.

You are indeed a professional and not just an ordinary weekend warriors. The difference (in my book) is the specialized knowledge, preparation, equipment and ability to put the customer at ease with superior service.

I believe you have all four qualities….

- In spades!!! :ivar

urbanaries

Scott_Quier wrote:

- In spades!!! :ivar

Aw shucks, you guys are being kind, thanks! But I was coming from the client's perspective when I said that...I'm sure that people are genuinely a bit more wary of those who aren't devoted full time to their craft.