Marketing Research: Has anyone had any issues with photographers?

[laurenmarsh]

Currently doing some research into what issues have arisen from finding photographers, and/or photography services you may have booked for your business. Would love to know, if any, the issues you may have found during the process.

Thanks!
Lauren

 

[fisicx]

Never had any problems finding and employing photographers. All been reasonably priced and very open to ideas and suggestions. That being said, I did have a photographer ask for help building a website. He was an a right pain to work with, thought they knew better a refused to listen to advice.

 

[ethical PR]

Currently doing some research into what issues have arisen from finding photographers, and/or photography services you may have booked for your business. Would love to know, if any, the issues you may have found during the process.

Thanks!
Lauren

None at all. Very easy.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Back in the day there was a bloke called Rodney who lived in a nearby village
He was a good photograph bloke but was as mad as a hatter and a proper eccentric
He drove around in a big old Jag
Hope this helps

 

[WaveJumper]

Nope

 

[MRQ]

...It depends what you mean by Photographers Lauren. Commercial photographers tend to be specialists - like yourself. If I or a client wanted photojournalism/headshots PR I'd probably recommend somebody like Rena Pearl... Buildings, architecture... maybe Keith Cooper? Joe Conolly does a very good pack shot etc.

Where the overall job is being handled competently - either by the client or an agency - I'd generally expect the right person for the particular job in hand, to turn up.

As with any kind of creative work, problems occur when you run into the deluded amateur claiming to be what they're not. Or worse the 'Martini creative' who will claim to be and do anything for anybody anyplace any time...

...Maybe once a year or less I'll be asked if I can derive stills from video because the 'photographer' has let the client down and the shots are unusable; often getting rejected at quite a lates stage -particularly if there's print involved. For reasons that will be obvious to you (as a legitimate, trained/qualified specialist) that's far from ideal; and often we do (really have to) refuse.

But the individuals who cause that sort of problem tend not to last long in the trade... or at least not in the 'serious' trade.

But of course there are all sorts of 'strata' to the market anyway... plenty of people cannot tell the difference between a piece of professional work and something shot with a potatocam and a five-quid ringlight off eBay. You can't compete in that market; but then when push comes to shove, you really don't want to either - differentiation is required.

- It's like when you go to Venice and see how striking and lovely it is; but are perhaps also struck by the strange smell in the air as you approach the place; and get the odd repugnant waft of it every now and again as you walk around. The reason why the local authorities tell you to keep out of the water is of course that the canals are basically an open sewer... don't swim with le feci!