We had a pretty big week here on AMTF.  The podcast with Fer is on the way to being our most listened-to episode ever so thanks to those of you who checked it out and shared it.  Listen now if you haven’t already.  Plus, this week’s “Join the Douchbag club” got a ton of feedback including this comment from Jennifer:

The way you put it, it’s okay that the A&F company is providing their mass produced product to a specific, exclusive market – BUT it’s unprofessional and unacceptable to provide a service to a specific, exclusive market. This seems to not only contradict itself, but also contradict past posts where you’ve stated that you cater to the high end wedding market, specifically target $100,000+ ballroom weddings, and chose your target market that you work with because it fits you best.

Wouldn’t you say that mass-producing a product, and allowing a client who falls outside of your target market to purchase it, is easier for a company to do than for a self employed business owner to give their precious time away to a client who falls outside of their target market? I’m missing how it’s recommend for the already over-worked photographer to accept every job they’re offered. If anything, I recommend only giving your time away to those who appreciate your work and identify with your brand. The wedding photographer usually spends an entire year communicating, planning, and advising their wedding client. For the sake of both parties, it should be a favorable “union” between the bride and her photographer. Not just one that works because the payment terms are agreeable. To me, my time is too precious to sell to just anyone, and I prefer to choose how I send it. You recently made a statement that by being selective with the jobs we take, we’re adopting a level of entitlement or arrogance. Isn’t being selective with your time the goal of being a self-employed professional? I want to shoot the events that best reflect my work, and inspire me the most. If I don’t feel like I’m the best fit for a particular event, I’d rather let the client find their perfect photographer, and I’ll enjoy a day off with my kids. In my eyes, that’s a win, win.

And when I let Jennifer know that I was going to break her comment out into a whole new post she sent this:

Okay. I understand the jobs you are requested to take are widely impacted by your price point and the brand you’ve established. I just think that it’s easier for you to say you should take every job you’re given because of the price point you are in – most of your audience is probably not in that upper tier. So it’s not so easy for us to apply the advice you’re giving, because I would expect the jobs you are offered are rarely undesirable. Thankfully, my brand and price point does filter out most mis-matched clients, and I also screen the type of event first to further filter. But to tell the wedding industry as a whole that they are being arrogant or entitled to select their jobs, I think is unfair while you are still establishing your brand and working your way up. Just my thoughts

OK, so I need to do some clarification.  As I tried to express in the previous article I don’t see it as the client “offering” the job – when we hang out a shingle and set up a business we’re the ones who are doing the offering.  I feel that if you view your time as too precious then it is dubious to offer a service to a client that you may not be willing to go through with.  After all, as business owners we aren’t “giving away” our time – we’re selling it by definition.

Sure, we all start businesses to get to do whatever we want.  But that is kind of naive, because you have to do all kinds of shit that is not enjoyable to make the business work (who likes paying sales tax?).  You have to learn things that you maybe aren’t that excited about (bookkeeping, taxes, posing, etc).  And no one I’m aware of has had a profitable and sustainable business over any respectable period of time just playing it safe and doing the easy, fun work.

I didn’t know what my best work was until I was forced to shoot it.  I didn’t realize what I could be inspired by until I got out of my comfort zone.  Beyond that I didn’t realize that inspiration is a crutch, becoming a professional proved to me that I can do great work without having to be inspired.

I don’t really care if my service professionals are inspired to work with me. I only care about the end product.  I care about what is in it for me.  If I head out for dinner tonight I couldn’t care less if the chef isn’t inspired to make a cheeseburger tonight – he better goddamn well whip it up if it is on the menu and it ought to be as good as it was the last time he felt “inspired.”  Would we accept sub-par quality or prima-donna antics from any other professional?  Then why do we allow it for ourselves and celebrate it in our peers?

It doesn’t make much sense when we apply it to other professions does it?  Do I care how inspired my pilot feels on my next flight?  He or she could have had the worst day ever and be completely uninspired by the location and the jet stream and whatever else but they better make a picture perfect landing.  I’m not really interested if the guy changing my oil is exhilarated by the dipstick today.  I used to do theater, which I think anyone would agree is just as creative or artistic as photography.  Inspiration happened in rehearsal.  It happened while we were preparing to do our job.  When it came to showtime, in-the-mood or not, rain or shine, you got the fuck up on that stage and did exactly as well as you did the last night.  That’s what it means to be a professional.  Professionals don’t need inspiration to kill it.  

As far as my business is concerned I think I have tried to craft a specific brand that aims at a very targeted audience (as I would recommend to almost anyone).  But people outside that target inquire all the time and some of them hire me.  I don’t turn them away, after all they apparently want what I do.  I work at a price point that a lot of other people are afraid to work because the stakes are higher – playing it safe and only taking the jobs you know you can do isn’t necessarily a lucrative way to move forward.  I suppose that it is easy to assume that the inquiries I get would be “rarely undesirable” but I can say with a great degree of confidence that hardly anyone else is targeting my niche and almost no one I know wants to work the jobs I do.

If I made it seem like it was arrogant and entitled to turn clients away then I’ve succeeded halfway.  I’m not trying to be a dick, but I am trying to call that behavior into question.  I am where I am today, in a position to tailor my business as I like and help other people do the same, because I find a way to say “yes.”  I find a way to reach common ground with the client.  I’m far more concerned with qualifying people in than out.  If they want me I figure out what I put out there that attracted them and I execute on that.  I have worked with all kinds of people (and continue to) and taken all kinds of jobs that I was apprehensive about.  I’ve been forced to grow and become a better photographer and a better professional for it.  If the prevailing wisdom is that we shouldn’t have to venture outside of our comfort zones because we decided to run businesses then I have to call foul on that.  I work with people who appear to be difficult upfront.  I’m not afraid of demands and requests.  I’m not afraid of accommodating someone else’s desires.  I’ve chosen to do hard work and I can testify to the fact that I’m a much better person for it.  Too many photographers are afraid of clients these days.  They are just people, and we ought to be good enough at our business and craft to thrill them if we call ourselves professionals.

I realize that I’ve got a pretty strong opinion on what it means to be a professional.  I’ll throw it out there for discussion – am I off base?

I’m quite thankful that Jennifer asked this question.  I appreciate where she is coming from even though I don’t agree with it at all.  I’m hoping that those of you who agree with Jennifer stop and think about what it would mean to say “yes” to the work outside of your comfort zone instead of saying “no.”  Think about it and let me know if your perspective changes?  And while you’re thinking about that think about how you would feel if the vendor you thought was perfect for you would turn you aside, or if they lied to avoid working with you?

- trr

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