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[moosedoom]

I was with a photographer the other day in this amazing super steampunk abandoned burned down old mill. The setting was great and the sun was out and my costume was old Victorian. I was feeling awesome about this shoot.
My photographer was pretty optimistic at at least some points. Then I get an email today that says

" Hey
So i've been done with the photos but i wasnt really feeling any of the shots. We can do it again, at......i can still give you the pics, but i personally didnt like them, you might"

How should I feel about this? I don't know if I should be kind of offended or not. I'm a people pleaser, so I can't really say, "WTF man!"

Also note that this is someone I know who is doing this for free.

[nathancarter]

Hm. Tough situation. Some thoughts:

- Unfortunately, that's the way TFCD sometimes goes. I've had a couple of shoots that I didn't "feel" and wasn't super happy with the results, but I felt quite obligated to deliver something anyway.
- At a minimum, it would be appropriate for the photographer to let you see some proofs.
- You might also be able to get the originals (jpeg or even better raw) and let someone else take a crack at editing them.
- As photographers, we're often our own worst critics. It's very true that you might like some of the ones that he didn't like.

I would respond with a polite message asking to see them before he decides they aren't worth keeping. IMO, he owes you that much for your time.


If you can get your hands on the original files and the photographer's permission, I'm sure some folks on this forum (myself included) would be happy to do some edits for you to see if we can turn 'em around. Especially if he shot in raw and will let us have them, there's still a lot that can be done with a mediocre photo.

[Access]

I wouldn't be offended, I would just be unassuming and reassuring; say it's alright, ask to see them, etc. because they could be just fine.

[sukotsuto]

His honesty and self doubt seems a bit pointless in that situation, but on the other hand, there is nothing wrong with being honest about it. Just ask him for some of the photos and then decide if you want to do it again. I'm not seeing why you would feel offended.

[moosedoom]

I think I'm mostly feeling insecure. I'm self conscious about my costumes in general so when someone says something like that my immediate thought is that it's my fault.
e.g. my costume wasn't good enough

[Surfsama]

Tactless photographer. Hope he/she never does a wedding. Assuming this wasn't a film camera, there is this screen on the back of your camera where you can see the pictures. It's used to review your shots while you are on location.

That email borders on insulting. As nathancarter writes, try to get the files and permission to edit.

Hard-ass? Well, yeah you have one job as a photographer. YOU are responsible for the images YOU create. If you screwed-up then take your lumps and don't make excuses. At minimum, the person should have apologized for wasting your time.

BTW, just because it's free doesn’t get you off the hook because "you're not feeling it".

[brucer007]

I agree with Surfsama. In this digital camera age, there is not much reason to not know whether a photographer got the shots or not.

Secondly, it was a very careless way in how he expresses the results, leaving you unsure why he is not satisfied. You seeing the photos should clear up whether it was you or him that did not deliver. Ultimately it is the photographer in most situations since that is who is looking at what the lens captured.

[sting57]

I dont think you should feel anything one way or the other. It seemed like it was basically a time for print/photo session. You volunteered your time, and the photog did offer pics.

He also didn't say why he didn't feel it, so there is no need to speculate if it was your cosplay or anything. I know sometimes after a shoot, I feel like I didn't get any good photos. Ultimately, it was my lack of skill to produce a good photo.

While I realize that in this digital age, you can review pics on the back of your camera; however, once you get the photos on the computer, sometimes they take on a different look. (at least for me). Some photos you thought looked amazing simply doesn't cut it on the comp.

At the very least, ask for the photos. Maybe you will love them!

[bodatheyoda]

Originally Posted by Surfsama

Tactless photographer. Hope he/she never does a wedding. Assuming this wasn't a film camera, there is this screen on the back of your camera where you can see the pictures. It's used to review your shots while you are on location.

That email borders on insulting. As nathancarter writes, try to get the files and permission to edit.

Hard-ass? Well, yeah you have one job as a photographer. YOU are responsible for the images YOU create. If you screwed-up then take your lumps and don't make excuses. At minimum, the person should have apologized for wasting your time.

BTW, just because it's free doesn’t get you off the hook because "you're not feeling it".

Agreed

[FlashBlitzen]

Probably just embarrassed to not deliver on "great" shots.
TF = no loss but your time. Try to see the pics. Maybe they are not well exposed or poor focus.
You can't swing a C-stand without hitting a photographer these days. so I would just move on. Maybe the photog was testing new gear and or techniques and ended up failing you.

You should not take this personal or let it get you down. At least you didn't pay him $500 to not "feel" it.

[Ashurachan]

I often end up not liking the photos I took. I edit them anyway because I know cosplayers
1) really want the shots
2) are not as critical to my photos as I am
A lot of photographers are extremely critical of their own work, and why they deem a photo not good is very rarely because of the model. When I get out of a shoot, I generally have a feeling of how good or bad I was, and tell it to the cosplayer(s) right away. But sometimes when I upload the shots on the computer I'm like 'OMG I really messed that one up'. I do my best to process all interesting shots, though, even if they're technically far from perfect. A shot with a strong expression has always had my preference over a technically good, but otherwise flat photo.

[Neddog]

He offered you a re-shoot because he wasn't satisfied with the photos. Obviously that means that he felt it was his fault, not yours. He wanted to make it up to you with better photos, because he felt that he could do better and that the potential of your fabulous coplay was wasted in the last shoot.

[Neddog]

He offered you a re-shoot because he wasn't satisfied with the photos. He wanted to make it up to you with better photos, because he felt that he could do better and that the potential of your fabulous cosplay was wasted in the last shoot.

There's nothing to be insulted about in that. If he's blaming anyone, it's himself.

[Neddog]

Sorry about the double post. I don't know how to delete the first one.

[Surfsama]

Originally Posted by Neddog

He offered you a re-shoot because he wasn't satisfied with the photos. He wanted to make it up to you with better photos, because he felt that he could do better and that the potential of your fabulous cosplay was wasted in the last shoot.

There's nothing to be insulted about in that. If he's blaming anyone, it's himself.

Probably because this sounds like a contrite photographer:
"I owe you because I messed-up the jump shot. You were perfect but I forgot to remove the filter and the camera didn't focus correctly (same for Marcelline)." taken from a real Facebook post.

and this sounds dickish:
" Hey
So i've been done with the photos but i wasnt really feeling any of the shots. We can do it again, at......i can still give you the pics, but i personally didnt like them, you might"