On 8 Nov 2004, at 17:57, Janus van Helfteren wrote:
No amount of me telling them its a false economy seems to have made much difference , some of them just like doing (shooting) it !I know. Isn't it amazing how many people you meet in all walks of life who are jealous of the fact that we are photographers? There is this aura about photography and photographers which is why so many punters think they want to be one.
From an observational point of view, many, many of my students have been scientists and doctors. What has been quite intriguing, yet quite understandable is that intelligent professionals in the applied sciences have an enormous passion for creating something aesthetic. They are the least fearful about technology and the least hung up about technique but are the most experimental of all. Fortunately, these same people know their own professions are the big money providers and (generally) have NO ambitions to turn their passion into a career. I have found that it is those on the breadline or in dead-end jobs that get the most hung up on what cameras to use and also on how to make an "easy buck" doing Saturday weddings and cheapo crappy prints for local gift shops - perhaps understandably given their boredom?
What I have noticed is that we are all our worst enemies with regard to a lot of our problems , e.g.. deadlines , it seems to be very hard to say NO! But some of my best and most loyal customers are ones where at some point I have said no , a few left me in disgust , but they are the same ones who didn't pay on time , or where more demanding or whatever , the ones I have retained are great . a printer once said to me "funny old thing about deadlines ! there is always time for a reprint if the job isn't quite right .Yep yep yep yep - My experience exactly. First rule when approaching any client is DON'T bullshit or you end up in the same mess and secondly, have pride in your own authority. If a client tries to pressurise me they are not my sort of client and I will happily drop them like a hot coal. This way good clients seem to sense a true professional and offer respect, they continue to hire me and always pay on time - other than those who have supplied their workforce with digital cameras of course :-)
Cheers Janus
Glyn
Art Photo Wales www.artphotowales.com 0845 2262034
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