p.3 #2 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
runamuck wrote:
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.
/quote]
It was not a graduate level debate. It was at most a high school level debate, it is just that that person's level of knowledge is less than kindergarten level.
Fact is fact. Debating cameras is opinion, and no one is going to die from using a 3 year old camera vs a new one.
Debating dose rates and levels of contamination is not opinion, and people die from mistakes. That is why it became a heated discussion.
If radiation exposure from nuclear accidents is "arcane minutiae," well...I guess ignorance is bliss.
p.3 #5 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
Walking away from paying job is not good for business, beside she can take to social media to trash the petty photographer who canceled because his feeling were hurt. IMO, forget the camera issue, fulfill the contract in a professional manner, and wait to see if she has a change of heart and would like you to shoot her wedding.
BTW, I don't think the OP is petty, but, his perception might be a tad different.
p.3 #6 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
Now you're in a hard place. Even if you do good work, floating in the back of her mind she may end up thinking she hired the wrong guy. Perception means a lot in business.
I would say this: I'm a professional photographer, I have professional gear and I know it very well. There's no way I can do my job with a D7000 and I wouldn't even want to try. However, if you feel strongly about it you can back out of this agreement and find another guy because I want you to be happy with what you're getting.
This puts the ball in her court and gives her a new degree of confidence. Or if she really is married to the idea of a D7000 she can back out and you're free from a problem client. But it sounds like you're already past all this so maybe it's moot.
I ran into a lot of clients with strong opinions and nothing to back them up. Not as a photographer but as a web site designer. That's OK, part of what you're paid for is to deal with irrational humans.
p.3 #8 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
InlawBiker wrote:
Now you're in a hard place. Even if you do good work, floating in the back of her mind she may end up thinking she hired the wrong guy. Perception means a lot in business.
I would say this: I'm a professional photographer, I have professional gear and I know it very well. There's no way I can do my job with a D7000 and I wouldn't even want to try. However, if you feel strongly about it you can back out of this agreement and find another guy because I want you to be happy with what you're getting.
This puts the ball in her court and gives her a new degree of confidence. Or if she really is married to the idea of a D7000 she can back out and you're free from a problem client. But it sounds like you're already past all this so maybe it's moot.
I ran into a lot of clients with strong opinions and nothing to back them up. Not as a photographer but as a web site designer. That's OK, part of what you're paid for is to deal with irrational humans. ...Show more →
This is what I'd do. Back your work with confidence but throw the ball back in her court.
p.3 #9 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
Just think of what the poor slob down the road 10 years has in store for himself or herself ( never know these days, and I sure do want to OFFEND anyone by being anything but inclusive ) Get your arse out of Dodge while you still can
p.3 #12 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
Since the session is already paid for, just explain that you have professional gear, but want her to be happy. Indicate that you are willing to rent a D7000, but that she would need to cover the additional cost.
I would also be very clear that you can take great images with either camera, and she will not be able to see a difference. That way your ability is not questioned, she gets a choice and it cost you nothing extra.
p.3 #14 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
Being a professional photographer is more than talking good pictures. Given the amount of competition there is you have to be a good salesman as well. If you lose the order or can't convince the customer you can do the job, it's not Ken Rockwell's fault. On the other hand you have to be prepared to give the customer their money back or tell them to "take this job and shove it". I'm assuming you had a good enough portfolio that allowed you to get the job in the first place? So what is Maleficent worried about?
p.3 #16 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
I saw this episode of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys once. It was about a lawyer trying to make the case that Hercules should be convicted of various crimes because people who he met wanted to be like him and help others. The lawyer wanted to make it all out to be Hercules' fault what other people decided to do after meeting him.
This reminds me of that. It's a case of ignorance/client trolling, but the person whose information they are misinterpreting due to lack of knowledge generally can't be held responsible for what the person does with it (which is the very same premise that keeps McDonalds/etc. from being barred from advertising or making themselves omnipresent in order to sell junk food to every man, woman and child they can get to buy it)...with a very few exceptions.
That all said, there are client expectations all the time. Clients expect higher in-camera megapixels than 12 for many things nowadays. Some clients say they want you to use full frame cameras. etc. etc. etc. Having at least a few pieces of current equipment is sometimes a business investment for reputation or credentialing to the uninformed consumer, and it does make that extra sale possible.
p.3 #20 · Stupid Ken Rockwell may cost me a customer!
So much good advice here - to sum up..."run away as fast as you can!"
Here is my take -
What an incredible opportunity for you to put your creative stake in the sand, so to speak. What do you have to lose? School this client on the fact she is hiring a photographer and not a camera. In good hands, any camera is just a tool and it is the stories and moments captured that make memories, not the latest AF system or mega pixel count. Ask her to really consider what she wants from you - your years of experience and your eye for capturing the essential moment etc etc or a piece of gear? If the latter, decline the gig - it will be the most liberating feeling you have ever had, I guarantee it!
Get your arse out of Dodge while you still can 
Yeah! Who doesn't want cartoons for their wedding album 