For more than a few months I’ve been going back and forth with a supplement company on the details for an advertising and commercial photo shoot they want to set up. We finally get to a stage where we receive details on what they are looking for.
Then within a few days we receive a call from the owner adding in a few different aspects to the shoot which were not agreed upon previously so we revise the contract. Then it appears that two of the three facets we are to be photographing are no longer being discussed.
We follow up multiple times requesting clarification – which we receive none. We follow up multiple times requested a signed contract we sent over to move forward – which we don’t receive.
This back and forth continues for some time. They contact us requesting our address to get us products to photograph. We respond requesting the contract we sent as well as the clarification on our questions for the shoot. No response until they once again ask for our address to send products to photograph without any mention of the contract or answering any of the inquiries. The cycle continued several times over.
When it happened yet again, the response this time was a bit more direct.
“…without the signed contract that was requested as well as the inquiries for clarification on the three separate facets of the shoot, I feel it would be best if [company name] partnered with another provider for your upcoming photography needs. Best wishes and hope the shoots are a success for your company.”
When operating for yourself as a talent, or as a photographer, you have to be confident to walk away when there are too many red flags or when you are not comfortable with the details (or lack thereof) of the project. Very few things are more deflating other than getting into a project that you know is going south.
Protect yourself before hand and know when to walk away.
James Patrick
IG @jpatrickphoto
