Just signed Church contracts for two nutty Churches. One contract said, I have to shoot from the lobby, and the other one said that photographers weren't allowed on church property.
Next....got a call from a venue requesting my liabilty bond. I have one, a million bucks. Not good enough. They want FOUR insurance riders. My insurance company is working them up. The request came in Friday after 4 and the nutty gal is all pissed off that she doesn't have them yet (for a wedding over a month away). She was informed that the crazy assed crap she was requesting had to be specially written by State Farm. I hope she's happy that her requests were a "first". The long and short of it was that we were to show up on time, not wreck the place, not hold them responsible if our photos sucked, etc.
Called the two brides from the nuthead churches. Both cried. They didn't read the contract. The first understands that she will have few photos, from the back, and far away, of her wedding. The second can't believe that her ceremony can't be photographed at all.
Didn't. Read. The. Contracts.
Two things REALLY bother me: These gals didn't read the contracts. And because of ego, or bad behavior by prior photogs, things have gotten harsher than I've ever seen them.
Venues: due to flakes, I now have to pay for special riders ON TOP of my liability bond, to make some venues happy. Thanks to some flakes, I now have to jump through hoops, or five or ten.
I've spent the entire morning, talking to churches, and crying brides, and insurance agents, and crazy assed venues.
Do I ever quit bitching
Apparently not.
