Today taught me a sad lesson...

Even exists in shops. People moaned all the time when I was doing the daily wastage that it was shame so much was going in the bin - Offered to them for free and they still don't want it!

I used to bend over backwards to help people but the nation now seems saturated with complete numpties moaning about this that and t'other that I've given up trying, You just can't make grumpy people happy.
 
I regularly offer old shoots at bargain rates, rarely gets taken up. I think it says more about the buyers valuation of photographs...
 
I've had a bride whinging about photography prices being so high these days that they have trouble affording it, then she spends 4K getting her teeth whitened and buys a new sports car. Yeah right things are tight!
 
MWHCVT said:
Don't tar us all with your cynical brush, I'm just a miserable git :D
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Just a "Git" would have sufficed Matt..................:D
 
cambsno said:
Do u not think they may have thought the same?

"Cheeky git, wanted to charge us £xxx a few years ago, now trying to palm off a used album for £40".
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I would have thought not as the album was immaculate in pristine condition it was a genuine offer in good faith.
 
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Nikon_Nick said:
Unfortunately, ive seen this kind of attitude in people a lot over the last couple of years, and it was one of the factors that led me to stop offering photographic services to the public. Ive never done it full time, but had a small business I operated at the weekends and evenings to fit around my full time job. It had been my opinion for a while that the skill and time involved really wasnt understood or valued. I can forgive people for maybe not understanding the amount of time and effort taken to produce a great looking finished product if they are not in the trade, and quite a lot of people would never know the difference between different sorts of albums and print papers, or how long each image might take to edit in post.

I think the final nail in the coffin (of my business and mental state), was when I was approached by a work colleague to do his Wedding photos. He didnt need to mention it to me, but I knew right off the bat, that his budget would be small. He is pretty much the bread winner in his house, as his now Wife only had a part time job that didnt pay particularly well. I told him what I would usually charge for the coverage he was looking for, but siad that I would do it for him for £250... (yes I know that is way too low, and id expect a few full time pro togs to hate me for that). At first, he agreed, and all was well.

Fast forward 2 weeks before the Wedding, and bearing in mind that he was a 'Friend', so there hadnt been any formal contract between us, he told me that he had decided to let his Cousin do the photos. I was curious to know if his cousin had done this before, and he told me that she had got a camera for her birthday (which was 3 weeks previous), and had absolutely no experience. The deciding factor? She was free of charge.

They spent the £250 on getting the Church to provide a Choir...yes I know...

Ive seen the photos, as he asked me to comment on them as he wasnt happy with them. I refrained from doing so.
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Really the problem with the market I'd say, because most people are only likely to employ a wedding photographer once so a bad experience isn't going to make the market any smarter.
 
Ferj said:
I left a curt reply & they took them for the pittance I had asked. Is this really how much value photography now! I'm kind of glad I got out.
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Playing devils advocate here, but I don't really see the problem. The ball was 100% in their court, you had made your money for the specified job, they had got what they wanted. Some time down the line they are offered albums which clearly has no value to anyone but them. What if they hadn't accepted your offer? Bin them?

Personally I would just have given the album to them without asking for anything, it's trying to make money back on something that had served its purpose. You haven't made a loss on them, as they were never produced to be sold, they were promotional tools.
 
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Out of interest, how many of you married folk on here look at your wedding albums ?

Is it a regular thing every saturday night.. lets get the album out love...

I suspect, a bit like a wedding dress they are looked through a couple of times then put in the wardrobe or in a drawer never to be looked at again.

So I guess you can see how some people attribute little value to these things
 
artyman said:
Maybe so, but they form part of a family's history, not just for the current generation but generations to come.
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Indeed so, they provide a wealth of information for future geneologists. With so few family pictures being printed these days there is a real possibility that future generations will struggle to relate to their ancestors.
 
I think wedding photography for some couples is a necessary chore more than anything - when I got married standing around getting my picture taken was just annoying - I wanted to get out enjoy the day and spend time with friends and family I don't get to see that often.

I'd also say that my experience as a photographer mirrors this - the bride often wants loads of photos, everybody else (including the groom) just want to get it over with and enjoy the day and get to the food and speeches.

Even as somebody who loves photography, I'd think it was madness to spend £1000 or more on wedding photography, and as much again on prints... I'd much rather use that cash for a nicer honeymoon or something.

I suspect more and more people are coming around to this way of thinking.... People flinch at paying 20 quid a print when they know you can get 200 for the same price online. That's why they ask uncle bob or their mate with camera.
 
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Bristolian said:
Indeed so, they provide a wealth of information for future geneologists. With so few family pictures being printed these days there is a real possibility that future generations will struggle to relate to their ancestors.
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My apologies, and I'm possibly just in an iffy mood....but why do they really need to?

I've watched a couple of these "let's dig into the past" type programmes, and I'm always baffled that someone will burst into fits of weepy tears if they discover that their great great grandpa was a slave trader, or that great aunt Maude thrice removed sacrificed babies in the shed wearing only her knickers and singing Waltzing Mathilda.

What possible bearing does it have on the now?
 
viv1969 said:
if they discover that their great great grandpa was a slave trader, or that great aunt Maude thrice removed sacrificed babies in the shed wearing only her knickers and singing Waltzing Mathilda.
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Have you been looking in to my family tree again :LOL:
 
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