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Archive 2014 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!

  
 
RSHPhotography
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


So one of my clients, who hired me to do an engagement session (but not wedding), is considering backing out because of my equipment. .
When I signed the contract (when she was pregnant, but decided to hold off until baby was born), I could tell she had no clue about photography, and now after she's given birth - and I assume got to play around with cameras during her maternity leave is convinced that her photos will be miraculously better with a Nikon D7000.

Yea. Exactly. Now, the D7000 is a great camera, but I use 2 D700s. Yea, they're not state of the art in 2014, but they still take amazing pics! There is no way I'm sacrificing my setup for a D7000.

We start talking on the phone about location and time of day, and she starts asking me about my cameras, saying how she would prefer if I used D7000 to shoot her session. To me that came out of left field. What? I shoot with 24-70mm 2.8, 70-200 2.8 VR2 and 85mm 1.4D. I normally bring all 3 to my engagement sessions but spend most of the day with the 85. No way was I going to stick that on a D7000 or any DX body for a shoot.

I tried explaining to her the difference between FX and DX, but she was having none of it. She felt my equipment was an older generation. After the conversation, I came away feeling as if this woman is going to be really difficult if I didn't rent a new body like D800 or D4. Regardless, I think after this session, she may not even hire me in the future, or when she decided to get married. We'll see.

Last night, she sent me this link:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000.htm

Saying: "Hi, I'm sure you're comfortable with your camera, but I think you're wrong here. Please see this review."

I know Ken Rockwell is a moron, thus never pay attention to his reviews, but I never took into account how many people read his reviews and take it as gospel. So I read the entire review. Is this guy serious?!!! He makes it seem as if the D7000 destroys pro Nikon bodies! And people in the market for $600 DSLRs are probably eating it up!

Here's some snippet:



One of the biggest stand-out features of the Nikon D7000 is its fantastic autofocus system. Whatever Nikon has done under the hood has made it the best, fastest, most precise and most accurate focus system of any Nikon. This becomes more apparent as you've shot more cameras for longer; it's a subtle thing, but something I very much notice. It feels about the same or better than my professional Nikon D3, and worlds faster in actual use than my Nikon D300.The D7000 was Nikon's most advanced camera at any price in 2010. Today the D610 is the same thing in a bigger package with a larger sensor, and the D7100 is the same thing with a white finder LCD instead of green. If money matters, this D7000 is still your best buy in 2014. Yes, the D800 and D4s are more expensive, but also a lot more clumsy. The Nikon D7000 handles better than any of them, and has more resolution than the $6,500 D4s.

Among the many things I love about the D7000, in addition to how much better and faster it handles than any other Nikon DSLR (and I also own a professional Nikon D3), is that the pictures I make with the D7000 simply look better than what I've ever gotten with any other digital camera. The effects are subtle, but as a prolific photographer, I see that the colors are simply better, especially under difficult light under which my D3 just doesn't look as good.



May 19, 2014 at 12:19 PM
curious80
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


If she doesn't trust you on your gear choice then be ready for further problems down the road - "why didn't you process the pictures with selective color", "you should have taken a shot where groom and his mates are jumping in the air" etc. I think Ken did you a favor as you now have an early warning to run from this.


May 19, 2014 at 12:29 PM
sivrajbm
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Not a customer you really want is it I would just move on and let that one go...YMMV


May 19, 2014 at 12:31 PM
AMaji
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Sounds like a bridezilla and a client out of hell. I am sorry, but I think you are better off passing on this client.


May 19, 2014 at 12:31 PM
Dave McGaughey
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Ugh. She sounds like trouble. Shoot the engagement session and leave it at that. You can point out that the tools really don't matter - does she ask the carpenter what kind of hammer they use? Does it matter what kind of pots and knives the chef is using?


May 19, 2014 at 12:34 PM
static808
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


curious80 wrote:
If she doesn't trust you on your gear choice then be ready for further problems down the road - "why didn't you process the pictures with selective color", "you should have taken a shot where groom and his mates are jumping in the air" etc. I think Ken did you a favor as you now have an early warning to run from this.


+1

i know that a customer is a customer, and bills need to be paid, but some folks can never be satisfied. you as a business owner are much better off in the long run without these types of clients.

ps: cant STAND people that think they know better than the professionals they themselves hired. if you're such hot stuff, do it yourself then.



May 19, 2014 at 12:35 PM
Picture This!
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


I'd say pass. Tough client, especially when they're this clueless. Next thing she'll question is why you're not shooting in camera jpegs like Ken Who needs Raw files if Ken doesnt ?


May 19, 2014 at 12:39 PM
JakeB17
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


It's a shame to lose business, but if I were you I'd be frank with her and tell her you're a pro and know what you're doing. If she wants to be a back seat driver because she thinks she is an overnight expert then tell her to take her own photos and respectfully decline to work with her.

It's not worth the headache of dealing with someone like that for a single engagement shoot. If it was for a big commercial job and an international company then I'd say deal with it, but in this case just forget about it and move on.

We all know that as a pro you need to be selective about which photos you show, but sometimes you need to be selective about what work you take, if only for your own sanity.



May 19, 2014 at 12:39 PM
RSHPhotography
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Well, the shoot is next sunday. I'm already paid but I'm certain I want no more work from her. It's just that, this idiot Rockwell turned what could have been a potentially good shoot into a possible nightmare.

Edited on May 19, 2014 at 12:41 PM · View previous versions



May 19, 2014 at 12:40 PM
mike-in-ak
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


I have had more than a few people get their knickers in a twist when I gave them my opinion of KR's opinions. It gets bad when I point them to the section where he states the purpose of his site and disclaimer on the accuracy of anything he posts.

Sadly there are a great many people who think everything on the Internet is true.

Remember, you can't fix stupid.



May 19, 2014 at 12:40 PM
mike-in-ak
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


I have had more than a few people get their knickers in a twist when I gave them my opinion of KR's opinions. It gets bad when I point them to the section where he states the purpose of his site and disclaimer on the accuracy of anything he posts.

Sadly there are a great many people who think everything on the Internet is true.

Remember, you can't fix stupid.



May 19, 2014 at 12:40 PM
DGC1
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Run far, run fast. She is a functioning idiot and you're better off without the headaches provided by a bridezilla.


May 19, 2014 at 12:41 PM
Jason_Brook
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


DGC1 wrote:
Run far, run fast. She is a functioning idiot and you're better off without the headaches provided by a bridezilla.


This.

Crap like this is the exact reason I stopped actively marketing myself as a for hire photographer.



May 19, 2014 at 12:50 PM
shmn
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


I would not blame KR for this. She would be just as much of pain if KR never existed. KR is just a symptom. The problem is that she's a beeatch.

KR, or anyone, can write and post their opinions on the Internet. It's up to the reader to validate those opinions and the readers are ultimately the "deciders" of what is good/bad, right/wrong, or rather, popular/unpopular (which is the metric for the Internet). In one sense, KR is a very shrewd entrepreneur. "Right-minded" photographers may not agree with his opinions or reviews but there is no doubt that he is "popular".



May 19, 2014 at 12:51 PM
Ho1972
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


It's easy for someone who knows nothing about cameras/photography to be misled by someone who appears to know. Rockwell's main talent is popping to the top of a Google search and, after that, there's a pretty sharp drop-off in his competence level. I remember reading through some of his comments about the D200 back when it was new and being appalled by his dismissive attitude toward certain features: "Don't worry about that, I never use it." Well what if I want to use it? Do I have to write and ask for permission?

Not saying his site is utterly useless, but there's so much misinformation and opinion masquerading as fact that I seldom waste any time trying to sift out the truth. To add injury to the insult, he apparently feels free to review equipment he's never used — not exactly an indicator of reliability.

You can try to explain this to your client, but if she's already had her mind poisoned by Rockwell's meanderings then she may just think you're being defensive and making excuses for your "obsolete" gear. It's not likely she could tell the difference between a shot made with a D100 from one made with a D4, but it wouldn't be helpful to point that out. If you're lucky, maybe this thread will fill up with everyone's favorite Rockwell-isms and you can send her a link.

Good luck.



Edited on May 19, 2014 at 12:57 PM · View previous versions



May 19, 2014 at 12:56 PM
Todd
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


I would tell that stupid woman that the Camera is nothing without a photographer. The camera will not do anything on it's own that requires a photographer to use it. If she thinks that a more advanced camera is going to make someone a better photographer, then she is in for a rude awakening. If she has this type of mindset and you shoot that wedding or engagement with your current camera she might say they would've looked better with the D7000... I would also tell her that you know your equipment intimately and switching to a different body will confuse you and slow you down because the image quality actually is really not that much better. I figure the only thing that she will gain from that other camera is four extra megapixels for larger prints.

I guess we leave the decision in your hands, whether to run or to stay. I agree with some of the other posts that she might get picky and be a real pain. Obviously you don't want clients judging you for the equipment that you use, you want them to judge you for your work excellence and photography skills. The camera really should not matter, it's how you take the photos and how you process them and the end result is the only thing that really matters. Good luck, let us know what you decide.



May 19, 2014 at 12:56 PM
phlegmon
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Ken Rockwell ain't so stupid. He supports his growing family with that web site. Someone must be reading that crap.

Cha ching!



May 19, 2014 at 01:00 PM
trenchmonkey
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Run, run, da do run run


May 19, 2014 at 01:01 PM
brimull
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Whatever you think of Mr. Rockwell, he's not the problem, she is. If she takes as gospel anything she happens to read on the internet--well, you know what you're getting into now.

Brian M.




May 19, 2014 at 01:02 PM
runamuck
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!


Why are you complaining here? Let KR know about it. Or are you just looking for a comfortable shoulder to cry on.

I've told several people about FM. These are folks in the camera club that shoot for competition. Two of them told me they tried lurking but the average person here drove them nuts. One said the obsession with arcane minutiae was mind numbing. One pointed out a thread on possibly radioactive glass in lenses from Japan that turned into a graduate level debate on radiation doses and measuring. They never returned.

KR has quite a following because he writes on the level of soccer moms and football dads. He doesn't dive into esoteric details. He doesn't use fancy photographic terms. He writes on the level that non camera nuts can understand. He understands what most people want from a camera and doesn't cater to a bunch of pixel-peepers. He knows parents won't be out there in the rain to get pix of their kids getting all muddy. He knows they will be there in the sunshine when the kids are clean and smiling.

Sometimes this place reminds of Congress and the Senate, where they are so used to dealing with lobbyists in Gucci loafers they now think anyone who isn't a millionaire is some sort of a failure. I've seen simple questions about the IQ of a lens turn into discussions of the quality of bokeh and diffraction.

Anyone who thinks a D7000 isn't worth their time hasn't seen some of Trenchmonkey's work with that camera.

You have a p;air of choices here. You can rent a D7000 for the shoot or have her tell her friends you use inferior equipment. You have to learn that in business, the customer is always right. Unless you are some huge corporation, of course.



May 19, 2014 at 01:35 PM
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