Freelance Photographer in St Ives Cambridgeshire: Food & Drink Photography; Commercial Photography, Product Photography & Packshot Photography; Event Photography; Portrait Photography; Corporate Photography & PR Photography; Engagement Photography & Wedding Photography and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, Ely, St Neots, St Ives and London. Professional Photography Services in St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Bedford, Peterborough, Ely & Cambridge. | |||
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Alistair Grant Freelance Photographer Cambridge & London |
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bokeh photographic: Blog No: 64 → TIP: Click any image to view in LightBox |
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Balancing Act As we are now into the penultimate month of the calendar year it seems as good a time as any to highlight, in my experience at least, one of the standout trends of 2018: reshoots! That is, being commissioned to undertake a photoshoot first undertaken by another “photographer” because the client wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the original work. Whilst I’ve always had a small number of requests each year to reshoot a job originally undertaken by somebody else the numbers for 2018 are well into double figures. You might think that this is a good thing for my business. After all, a job’s a job. Not really. Firstly, if a client is forced to commission a reshoot this erodes confidence in all photographers, not just those whose work is deemed to be sub-standard, and detracts from the overall reputation and standing of the photography profession. Secondly, the fact that a client is forced to pay out for a second photoshoot means that in all likelihood they will not commission another shoot anytime soon as funds have been exhausted. Somewhat bizarrely it seems as if clients still pay the original photographer, albeit not the full amount contracted, even though they are not satisfied with the quality of the work!?! Before we go any further let me explain the italicised “photographer”. Although the problem certainly isn’t exclusively limited to amateur photographers, an amateur (by which I mean somebody who does not make their entire living from photography) was the original photographer for all but one of the reshoots I have undertaken in 2018. This does not mean amateur photographers are bad. In fact, many are good and some are exceptional. Unlike many colleagues I have always been forthright in declaring that professional photographers (photographers who do make their living from photography) haven’t got a monopoly on great images. Whether amateur photographers and for that matter members of the general public can consistently produce great images and in all conditions is less clear which is why professional photographers exist. Rather than contemplating the technical reasons for why a reshoot may be required for a job undertaken by an amateur photographer it’s perhaps more informative to think about why this situation may arise in the first place. Consider the perspective of a professional photographer again defined as somebody who makes their living from photography. Professional photographers are in a long term game. They have everything to lose in term of professional reputation and the financial and time investment that they have put into their business. The quality of each job and client satisfaction are of fundamental importance as sub-standard work and/or low levels of client satisfaction will not yield repeat business, either from that client or others who become aware of problems with the photographers work. Making a living from photography is nigh impossible for a photographer with a reputation for sub-standard work and/or low levels of client satisfaction and so professional photography is a positive sum game; both the client and the photographer gain from a mutually beneficial relationship. In this context the longer a photographer is established effectively becomes a proxy for quality work and high levels of client satisfaction. Simply put, if there were a problem with a photographer's work they would no longer be in business. Those photographers who don’t make their living from photography arguably have a lot less at stake as they have the fall back of their main occupation. A reputation for sub-standard work and/or low levels of client satisfaction obviously isn’t good although, as by default amateur photographers are part-time, the negative impact in terms of further business is not as great as it would be for a full time photographer. Added to this is the fact that professional photographers are generally more visible to the general public (i.e. via websites, directories, professional marketplaces and review sites) and so a reputation for poor work is disseminated quickly and widely. A bad job by an amateur photographer is less likely to be noticed allowing them to pick up further jobs whilst still getting paid at least something for the bad job. Whilst this blog certainly isn’t meant to be a hatchet job its worth bearing in mind that in this particular scenario there are no real winners. In fact, in economic terms it is a negative sum game: the client and the professional both lose out completely whereas the amateur photographer doesn’t get paid as much as they were originally contracted. I have immense sympathy for good amateur photographers (remember a reshoot erodes confidence in all photographers, not just those whose work is deemed to be sub-standard) as well as clients who are faced with the balancing act of securing quality photography whilst facing increasing cost pressures. Regrettably, at this point in time I don’t have a magic bullet other than advising to go with a professional photographer. This is a shame as I sincerely believe there’s room for everyone in the market and many good amateur photographers go onto become professional photographers. After first picking a camera up at 10 years old I am now one of them and this year I am celebrating a decade of shooting professionally. On a more positive note the image is from a recent restaurant reshoot and represents another balancing act: afternoon tea shot in the challenging conditions of (diffused) full sun balanced with a couple of studio strobes. |
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Call Alistair Grant on 07775 365507, Email [email protected] or click Booking Enquiries if you have any questions or would like to make a booking. |
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bokeh: "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" Freelance Photographer offering Food & Drink Photography Cambridge; Commercial Photography Cambridge, Product Photography Cambridge & Packshot Photography Cambridge; Event Photography Cambridge; Portrait Photography Cambridge; Corporate Photography Cambridge & PR Photography Cambridge; Engagement Photography Cambridge & Wedding Photography Cambridge and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge. Also covering: Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ramsey, St. Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Stamford, Newmarket, Sawtry, Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Hartford, Warboys, Houghton, Wyton, Godmanchester, Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots, Fenstanton, Whittesley, Yaxley, Needingworth, Somersham, Chatteris, Ely, Bar Hill, Grafham and Buckden. |
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bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant | Freelance Photographer | Cambridge, London, UK - Creative Natural Photography And Outstanding Customer Service At Competitive Prices - Food & Drink Photography | Commercial Photography & Product Photography | Corporate Photography & PR Photography | Portrait Photography (inc. 'Active Portraiture', 'Naturally You' & 'Poptraits') | Event Photography | Engagement & Wedding Photography | Photography Training Courses & Camera Tuition | Videography & Film Production Tel: 07775 365507 | Email: [email protected] |