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Vent... I need some help!!!!
I have done quite a few weddings this year and I would say the majority of my brides don't realize that I need some time somewhere during the day to get some pictures!
I have a wedding tomorrow and I just called the bride to say I'm here I remember the day and to go over a couple last minute details. We had planned to go to a local park for the formals but with the weather here this week unless she wants to go hiking through the mud its just not going to work. I suggest another GREAT place that is outdoors but will offer a little cover if it does rain. She got an attitude with me and said "well fine we will just do them at the church... we don't have that much time!" she then continued to say that they could just do the pictures of her and her husband another day. It was very clear that she didn't think there would be any extra charge for these. I explained that I have 2 more weddings this month and three portrait sessions plus I work full time so I wouldn't be available to do another session until the middle of November and by that time it is too cold and most of the time snowing in Ohio so kinda hard to get the fall theme wedding photos she wanted. (I said as nicely as I possible could) If you think it would be better to do them another day I can mark you down for a date because I am booking up fast with christmas photo session in November. (knowing that she is familiar with my pricing because I did their e-session) I asked if she had an idea of what package she would like to do.
At this point she cut me off and said she had to go and pretty much hung up on me. She called back about 5 minutes later and said "oh make sure you are at the church by 11:00am to get pictures of me getting ready" THIS IS NOT IN THEIR CONTRACT! I explained about the contract situation and she irritatedly said she would pay for it so I agreed. She has paid a retainer fee already and the rest is due before I start shooting so I will show up and not start shooting until I see the extra money.
I just don't understand this bride. Does she think my time is just free!!!!
So what would you do? Should I throw in the extra session or should I only do it if they sign a portrait contract and they pay for them.
I really hope I can get them done tomorrow because i always do all my shots for a wedding the day of. I don't have time limits on my weddings so the bride can schedule these shots anytime of the day.
If I do another session it requires me to request another day off of work so I will be missing that pay also!
GRRRR..... sorry just a little irritated at the moment and I have no idea how to handle this one!!!! :scratch
I have a wedding tomorrow and I just called the bride to say I'm here I remember the day and to go over a couple last minute details. We had planned to go to a local park for the formals but with the weather here this week unless she wants to go hiking through the mud its just not going to work. I suggest another GREAT place that is outdoors but will offer a little cover if it does rain. She got an attitude with me and said "well fine we will just do them at the church... we don't have that much time!" she then continued to say that they could just do the pictures of her and her husband another day. It was very clear that she didn't think there would be any extra charge for these. I explained that I have 2 more weddings this month and three portrait sessions plus I work full time so I wouldn't be available to do another session until the middle of November and by that time it is too cold and most of the time snowing in Ohio so kinda hard to get the fall theme wedding photos she wanted. (I said as nicely as I possible could) If you think it would be better to do them another day I can mark you down for a date because I am booking up fast with christmas photo session in November. (knowing that she is familiar with my pricing because I did their e-session) I asked if she had an idea of what package she would like to do.
At this point she cut me off and said she had to go and pretty much hung up on me. She called back about 5 minutes later and said "oh make sure you are at the church by 11:00am to get pictures of me getting ready" THIS IS NOT IN THEIR CONTRACT! I explained about the contract situation and she irritatedly said she would pay for it so I agreed. She has paid a retainer fee already and the rest is due before I start shooting so I will show up and not start shooting until I see the extra money.
I just don't understand this bride. Does she think my time is just free!!!!
So what would you do? Should I throw in the extra session or should I only do it if they sign a portrait contract and they pay for them.
I really hope I can get them done tomorrow because i always do all my shots for a wedding the day of. I don't have time limits on my weddings so the bride can schedule these shots anytime of the day.
If I do another session it requires me to request another day off of work so I will be missing that pay also!
GRRRR..... sorry just a little irritated at the moment and I have no idea how to handle this one!!!! :scratch
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That's exactly what she thinks. Don't give her ANYTHING extra unless she pays for it, because she's just trying to get something for nothing and doesn't value what you do. If you start giving her freebies she's just going to want more. Stand your ground and stick to your contract and normal prices.
http://blog.timkphotography.com
But I am confused, you said that "I don't have time limits on my weddings so the bride can schedule these shots anytime of the day." but then you're also irritated that the bride "said 'oh make sure you are at the church by 11:00am to get pictures of me getting ready' "
Is it that you were supposed to get there earlier? Later?
It's because of situations like these where I do impose time limits on weddings - I'm always happy to extend my time with an hourly fee, but by clearly having time-limited packages upfront (4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours), it forces my brides to think about how their day should be structured and how to plan so that their photography is maximized.
Also, I personally think to avoid a situation like this in the future, you as a photographer need to educate your brides early and often on how to time photographs in weddings. I often tell them upfront - as soon as they book me - that to have the photos they like in my portfolio we need to plan for X minutes of photography during their wedding. I check in with them at least 2 - 4 weeks in advance of their wedding to lock down the final timeline. I offer to look over their timeline to make sure their expectations are realistic. Not only are brides trustful of my suggestions because I've seen weddings happen more often than they do, but this also builds protection for me so that brides don't come back later and say "you missed x and y shot".
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I do my wedding packages by Things to Photography during the wedding.
This bride got Church service/wedding, formals and reception. I don't do time limits because it seems that I personally am really bad about keeping track of time when I'm shooting. I do offer pre-wedding also but she originally didn't want them. I am willing to do formals in two sections. She knew ALL of this ahead of time. I also told her when she signed the contract months ahead of time I need time... but she seemed to forget! lol She also told me there was time when I talked to her a week ahead of time. I think she just might have been nervous and upset.
Anyway, it went ok. She even apologized for what she did as soon as I saw her. I walked into her room for pre-wedding photos and she didn't let me say anything at all. She gave me a hug and said she was sorry that she had been like that. The lady that did the cake for the wedding canceled two days before and she was in bridzilla mode. lol
She paid me for the pre-wedding photos according to my pricing sheet and wrote the check for an extra two hundred as a tip for being so good to them throughout the planning period of the wedding! So apparently I handled the situation correctly! ha ha ha
....Pays to be nice~
Caroline
$50 dollar tip...before they saw the photos.
So, smile, act nice, and treat them with the respect they deserve as clients.
Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.
Ed