In need of advice

[10dedfish]

I have to agree with everyone. My wife is the senior teacher on staff, and works hand in hand with the director. I wont mention the name of the church, but they are having financial issues. As for why they want me to do it, instead of the pro that they usually use, Im not sure. I will try to talk to her again tonight and see if I can get more information out of her, and try to get the point across that this is becoming a major tasking instead of a favor.

Once again everyone, thanks for your input. I knew there was a reason I like posting on this board.

Matt

 

[Marlton Mom]

A question if I may.

You stated originally that you are doing this as a favor for you wife, which indicated to me that she was somewhat in charge there AND realized that you were not a professional.

The requirements you say the school desires indicates they are really looking for professional results and shots.

So, by doing a favor for your wife, what does she gain from the school? Was she put in charge of the photography requirements? Is she really just looking to save the school and/or parents a little extra money? I agree with the previous poster about this event becoming more challenging with great expectations. ( I guess what I am hemming and hawing about is why didn't they just go with a professional photographer to begin with?)

It's one thing to do a favor to your wife and have people somewhat accepting of semi-pro or serious amateur photography. It's another thing altogether to meet these expectations while at the same time not cursing yourself for the obvious time and effort you will no doubt spend on this project.

I agree with all of the above. The first thing I thought when I read the expectations for this shoot is to "RUN!!!".

It's one thing to take some shots to help out and quite another for the "professional" portrait package that they seem to be expecting from you.

This has all the hallmarks of a disaster in the making. The expectation is that you are going to be able to provide this level of service, with out the equipment or experience while photographing one of the most difficult age groups for portraits, oh and by the way you are doing this for FREE!

Something is seriously out of whack here. I'd say the expectations are too high for your current situation. Unfortunately, the person from the school that is setting this scenario has no idea what's involved and they are expecting WAY too much from you.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this is going to end badly because:

1) You're going to spend Hours and Hours coordinating all aspects of this.
2) There will be X % of parents who are not happy with the results and they will feel free to let you know that it is YOUR fault. In reality, perhaps "Boopsie" was having a bad day and wasn't able to pose nicely, or the parent will have a problem figuring out how to order prints and YOU will be the one that has to deal with them. Perhaps "Boopsie's" outfit was wrinkled or her hair wasn't right and now we need to re-shoot this....I've heard them all.

I could go on about what the parents will do to you but you really don't want to know.

If I were you I'd take the bull by the horns.
Be honest about what you can do/want to do/are willing to do.
Make sure you communicate that clearly to who ever is in charge.
Then you have to watch that they convey the truth about what you can do accurately. I have heard of situations where one thing was said and then a whole other steaming pile was forced on a photographer.

With these types of expectations from the school, this is a job for a Professional photographer, ideally one who specializes in kids and can offer the level of service that the parents are going to demand for these photos.

If you decide to go through with this as per the school's expectations I wish you the best of luck. It will be a real eye opener dealing with the school, the kids and their parents.

Stay away, stay FAR AWAY!
Marlton Mom

PS I'm sorry if I sound harsh but you are really getting your self into something and I'm trying to help you benefit from my years of experience and observations concerning this exact sort of thing.

 

[10dedfish]

PS I'm sorry if I sound harsh but you are really getting your self into something and I'm trying to help you benefit from my years of experience and observations concerning this exact sort of thing.

You aren't sounding harsh at all MM, in fact I appreciate the honesty and experience that everyone is sharing. I will try to speak with her again tonight, because I still feel that she isn't grasping how much this will suck. I will also try to talk her into going with the previous photographer. I think the issue with her was pricing, but I'm not sure.

Thanks,

Matt

 

[bob100]

The preschool wants staged portraits of the kids, a face shot and a half body shot, in front of a background. They would also like for me to do packages for the parents, and a collage shot of all the kids around photos of the teachers. They also would like for me to handle all of the ordering once the parents return the order forms.

The church is well lit, but Im thinking of picking up an external flash to take with me for fill lighting. This is my first time actually doing portraits, so Im a little intimidated by it all.

The more I think about this, the more a smugmug account is looking better and better.

Matt

I'll also throw my $.02 - decline this "opportunity" !
Those types of portraits are difficult to pull off and it appears you don't have the equipment or experience to do it right.

 

[10dedfish]

All right everyone,

Sorry for not updating over the weekend, I was down pretty hard with a cold.

I spoke with the wife, and she knows Im not comfortable doing the shots like she wants. She doesnt understand what my hesitance is about, and thinks Im underestimating myself, but hopefully things will come out ok.

I appreciate everyones input and advice on this, you guys saved me from a potentially bad situation.

Thanks

Matt

 

[10dedfish]

UPDATE:

OK everyone,

I did the shoot for the kids on 2 separate days, and out of 23 kids I shot way to many pictures. It was alot more than what I wanted, but due to a lack of experience on my part, I figured that having more shots would give me more of a selection if they came out blurry.

4 poses were shot, as well as one in the cap and gown for the little tykes that were "Graduating". I charged 10$ per child, and that was mostly to cover the cost of cd's, and post-processing. I gave the parents a photo release as part of the "package" mainly because I wasnt as concerned about making money as I was about gaining experience. I also made 3 collages, one for each class then one for the grads.

Over all Comments from Parents:

ALL of the feedback from th parents have been extremely positive, and I have even had 2 other moms that are friends with parents ask about me doing some shots of their kids as well. One parent even told me wife that she wished I was doing the photos for her older son whose in Grade school, as she hated the ones that were done there.

Experience gained:
Shylena, my wife, and I got to work together on a new project. She works with kids everyday, and was able to get the kids to do what was needed when the time came. She really enjoyed the experience and has stated that she wouldnt mind doing it again.

I learned alot about portrait poses, PP'ing, and the importance of shooting in RAW.

Overall:

I had a great time, and am now thinking about maybe pursuing this as more than a hobby. Time will tell. I will post some of the shots of my two daughters when I get home.


Matt

 

[Frantasmic]

Congrats on a job well done.

You did gain experience, which is always good. As long as you don't have parents running after you with pitchforks, some tar, and a sack of feathers, I guess you are doing all right then!

 

[Marlton Mom]

Whew! I'm really glad it worked out for you. When it's good it's great and when it's bad it's awful. Having your wife assist you with the kids was a stroke of genius. I'll bet she had everybody's number and could get them to settle in and do what you needed.

Congratulations!

Marlton Mom

 

[10dedfish]

You are so right there MM. My wife was able to handle the kids like a pro, especially when some of them didnt want to wear the cap and gown or was a little frowny.

So without further ado, here are a few shots of my girls, Abigail the youngest, who is one of the kids graduating, and Ashlea my oldest, who I was told to do some portraits of, once my wife so the results of the other pix.

 

[Frantasmic]

Your cap and gown picture was great. Backdrop and pose were good. Like the black and white decision too. Good job

 

[10dedfish]

Thanks Fran!

I did a B&W shot for all of the graduates, and used those for the Grad collage. I was really pleased overall, and I learned TONS!

Matt

 

[jkc0325]

Excellent job! I wish you'd been around when my girls were graduating from preschool!!