Anyone experience anything like this?

[pszilard]

Originally Posted by kgphoto

The thing that you are missing here is that they are getting the benefit of being able to access and enjoy the images whenever they want without making the appropriate investment. What is the difference to them storing it on their hard drive or yours, they can still see them when they want them.

...

Fair point. The way I operate is that they must pay for my time end effort for the project, e.g. anything between $1k to $4k BEFORE I load the pics on the web. The web gallery is (for me) actually a service and I make stuff all on reprints. However I can see other points of view.

I guess everyone has to make their own decision on their business marketing strategy. And choice of clients (not always easy!).

[Steven G Webb]

There are as many different business models as there are people to own businesses. While I never delete any of my professional work, I do not leave catalogs online but for a limited time, about 90 days. As stated before, if the photos are available to view forever and if people are only going to view them from a computer device, then the online previews or proofs are just stored remotely. No need to buy what can be accessed for free. Keep in mind that my business is strictly speculative. If I were being paid on a contract I might have a different approach to online stores.

[KA_Style]

I charge for my time and give them print copies on a thumb drive so Ive never had this happen. I stopped using discs for wedding clients, thumb drives are sooo much easier. You can get them in bulk with your logo printed on them.

I only load a web size gallery to share. Time limit is stated in my terms and conditions.. I will load a print gallery if they request one, only have done it once though. Took 20 hours to load! I use Zenfolio as well. I love them.

Weddings are work but I love doing them, its actually my bread and butter income.

[NLAlston]

Originally Posted by pszilard

ps: As your signature says "Blessings", might I respectfully suggest that you forgive your clients behavour and not let this resentment eat away your own heart?

I know this ain't easy, as I had been done to the tune of $22,000 by a dishonest Law Firm, so I know how this can hurt. Hope you forgive this post - it is meant to bless YOU, bro'.

Paul, you are absolutely right, and this (forgiveness) is something that I am truly working on. I am a practicing Christian who is, yet, a work in progress. Like the comedian, Steve Harvey, once said - "Don't trip, He (speaking about God) ain't through with me yet" .

With each passing day I begin to realize a slightly better feeling about this thing, so there is no doubt that I am starting to feel better. But I would never adopt a different position on the matter, than the one I took, even if I DID still have their photos.

And, Paul, there was nothing to forgive about your post. It was in a state of helpfulness, that you wrote what you did, and I really do appreciate it. I mean this.

[kgphoto]

Originally Posted by pszilard

Fair point. The way I operate is that they must pay for my time end effort for the project, e.g. anything between $1k to $4k BEFORE I load the pics on the web. The web gallery is (for me) actually a service and I make stuff all on reprints. However I can see other points of view.

I guess everyone has to make their own decision on their business marketing strategy. And choice of clients (not always easy!).

Back when I started $800 was a good price for doing a wedding. When I stopped, my average was $3200 per wedding. Now the "good" guys are getting $6-$8000 and more for a wedding, with $10-$15K not uncommon for the top guys.

So it is important to realize what market potential is there and to choose who you want to service. Many will not put on online gallery up until the bride and groom and main family order is placed at a personal sales session and the rest of the orders that come in are just gravy.

If you hired me to come and shoot a picture of you at an event, I would charge minimum of $1000. Now volume discounts and spreading the cost over several customers considered, how much do you charge for that print? If it is less than $20, you are approaching commodity standards. Should it be a minimum of $50, $100, $500? How much before it actually matters to the person and it rises above, just a memento?

[rainer]

You did the right thing but I would have ditched them earlier than you did. Your patience was certainly stretched. They are not all like that but it is getting more difficult and numerous People are more demanding and appear less apreciative about the cost and effort that goes in to producing the results for them.
I ran a Wedding Business for a couple of years and let Me tell you. It is getting harder to please. Many want top Jobs done for next to Nix or some times nothing because they are Freinds of a Family e.t.c I did one just recently for my Cousin in Crete who went there to get married and have their holidays there at the same go. I got accomodation for 5 days and in return I did their Wedding Shoot. I went through all the trouble bringing enough Gear with me in anticipation in fullfilling their needs only to find how casual they where about it all. Trying to motivate them just to get enough Portrait shots done was a task. In the end I got just 6 Portraits done for them because the Bride was too impatient and the Groom didn't like much photos taken of Him. I really felt I wasted my time. I decided some time back that it was all getting too hard working by Bud off for an inadequate financila gain hence the reason why a numbe of Business have gone under.
This has only re enforced my decision that I would not feel or be happy with all the hassles. Now I do my own thing and enjoy my passion for Me!

[NLAlston]

Originally Posted by rainer

You did the right thing but I would have ditched them earlier than you did. Your patience was certainly stretched. They are not all like that but it is getting more difficult and numerous People are more demanding and appear less apreciative about the cost and effort that goes in to producing the results for them.
I ran a Wedding Business for a couple of years and let Me tell you. It is getting harder to please. Many want top Jobs done for next to Nix or some times nothing because they are Freinds of a Family e.t.c I did one just recently for my Cousin in Crete who went there to get married and have their holidays there at the same go. I got accomodation for 5 days and in return I did their Wedding Shoot. I went through all the trouble bringing enough Gear with me in anticipation in fullfilling their needs only to find how casual they where about it all. Trying to motivate them just to get enough Portrait shots done was a task. In the end I got just 6 Portraits done for them because the Bride was too impatient and the Groom didn't like much photos taken of Him. I really felt I wasted my time. I decided some time back that it was all getting too hard working by Bud off for an inadequate financila gain hence the reason why a numbe of Business have gone under.
This has only re enforced my decision that I would not feel or be happy with all the hassles. Now I do my own thing and enjoy my passion for Me!

Yes indeed. The only two regrets I have is (1) the fact that I shot the wedding for them in the first place, and (2) that I did not do away with their photos earlier than I did. I can shoulder the first regret a lot better than I can the second, and that is because I had no inkling that they were that kind of people. But, life's experiences are learning processes (at least they should be), and I certainly learned something from this one.

Wedding photography is not my real area of photographic interest, but I can't say that I won't shoot another wedding again. My family and I could definitely use the monies gained from such efforts. But there won't be another wedding shot without a signed contract - and unless I am paid my fee BEFOREHAND. I know that I had promised to shoot their wedding for free, but there were expectations - and promises - of their buying prints. Never again, though. You try to be nice to people, and may want to help some unfortunate couple that's focused on marriage - but who doesn't have pockets big enough to afford the going rate of a worthy photographer. I know that there are some good folk out there, whose wedding day means the world to them, and who would have no problem in shelling out for good photographic coverage of their very important day - if only they were able to do so. I had to learn to 'steel' myself, and I HAVE. I had to adopt a much different manner in how I needed to go about handling such matters, and I DID. It's a new day, and a new way.

[wildman1969]

I have shot 4 weddings and they were my most time consuming jobs. After the shoots I had only one couple that were cool. The others were total jerks. So no more weddings

[jerryph]

Is what they did wrong? Yes, it is incorrigible. Two wrongs, however, do not make a right.

You had photos not of a yearly family outing or portrait session, but of a ONCE IN A LIFETIME event, a wedding. There is no way in hell those should have been destroyed, no matter how angry you were.

That said, I would have been just as angry as you and taken them off-line immediately, and then taken some time off before going to have a nice chat with them... this time with a book of printed proofs and a pad to take their orders with.

Deleting the photos was not only a bad business decision, it was a little on the cruel side, and you could have salvaged the situation in any of several other ways... you just chose not to.

I know it may seem harsh, but honestly, unless your business ethics improve... you should no longer do ANY weddings, not even for free.

[lowbone]

Back in the film days I got pressured into doing a wedding for a relative. I was not a wedding photographer at that time and I am not one now but I did my best and presented the bride and groom with 5X7 prints with PROOF stamped right in the center of each photo in red. The couple did not buy one print but I found out from someone who attended the wedding and was friendly with the couple that they bought a set of art pencils and tried to retouch over where I had stamped PROOF. How cheap can you get? I won't do another wedding no matter how big a sob story they give.