I am a semi pro photographer still with a lot to learn. I had a photoshoot recently where it all seemed to go wrong and I don’t know how to address it with the client.
This is a client I have worked for a lot in the past and they’re always happy with my work and rehire me for all their event photography.
They reached out saying they needed a lifestyle / headshot type shoot in their restaurant. This was split into two parts, one with a child and a food product and 5 different types of shots to get the 4 different type of shots with multiple food products. They gave me 1 hr to do the whole shoot.
I arrived an hour early to set up but client turned up 20 mins late. Then the restaurant didn’t have the correct food products for the shoot. There was no representative from head office just the two staff members to be in the shoot (not models)
We spent half an hour alone trying to sort the food products out and then I finally began shooting. 1st staff member was a reluctant model and it too a while to get her to relax by which time food product had melted and needed to be remade.
By the end, I was on site for two and a half hours, even though I was only being paid for 1 hour.
I’m not even happy to provide the client with the shots because they’re not good enough. (Client with eyes closed, blurred or product out of focus)
Currently, I’m thinking of sending the client what few shots I do have and explaining the issues but I don’t want to make it should like excuses for my lack of experience.
Do I write the whole shoot off and use it as a learning experience? I have definitely learned not to let the client dictate the time of a shoot.
Oh yeah, this happens to the best of us. Yes, follow up with what you told us here, offer to retake, but you'll need to be paid for your time. It's hard to stand up for yourself sometimes, but give it a try. Be ready with a written list of how you can make the next shoot run smoother.
One hour for all the takes they wanted is unreal. I was once given 10 MINUTES to shoot a super busy company president. I was sweating. I did a few mugs in her office, then literally followed her to her next appointment, shooting her walking towards me, then away, and briefly chatting with her staff on the way.
Turned out pretty cool for a story on her work as president of a busy non-profit.
Oddly enough, there were shoots I did where I thought none of the photos were very good. Then the client would call and rave about how awesome the photos were. Go figure.
Chin up, you can't nail them all. If they drop you over one bad shoot, and I've had that happen, move on. It used to crush me, but at least I learned something each time, and it polished me up and made me better.