Shakodo Community

A respectful decline would go along way. Trying to educate someone who is not asking for advice is futile and sometimes counter productive. Getting this type of requests are part and parcel of doing business. Sooner or later they will realize the quality of the images theyll be getting will suck, forcing them to rethink their acquisition process.

As to whether to accept the gig or not, is totally up to your own motivation, if you're starving and need every bit of gig available then yeah, if you can afford to say no then dont.

I can only hope that she is a newly placed intern and was simply following orders. I'm sure that some art student, soccer mom or Craigslist reader will step up and give it a shot followed by the lowest bid in the second round and then Jim comes in for the save. Yes, there a many out there that think that they can get it for free, impose their will and name their price and use the images as they please. My response varies from an attempt to ask about usage and how it effects my fee to crickets chirping as they wait for a note or phone call that will never come.

Hey, at least they offered MONEY! You should see the requests I am getting :)

Actually I think its time to have a hidden web page on your own site where you show some "snaps" and some professional lit images of the same object. Then, when you receive another of these requests, just tell them:

"For $150 I can offer this (link to badly lit snaps), but if you want quality like this (link to professionally lit pictures) I charge $xxxx, because {insert 25 years experience, expensive equipment, etc. here}".

Somewhere on this site I actually saw before/after shots of a kitchen, which made a good example. I think if people see actually something they can compare, it would go a long way in client education.

I can't even hire a babysitter for that fee. I try to restrain myself present myself professionally and educate if at all possible. I use BlinkBid which makes it easy to create an estimate in no time. In the door case I might have asked them if I get the doors for free in the deal since they do cost a pretty penny. 

I have received e-mails like this and off course so many more flat out asking for me to provide images for free. After all it is an honor to be featured in their books...

“Quality is like buying oats. If you want nice, clean, fresh oats, you must pay a fair price. However, if you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse ... that comes a little cheaper.”

-M

It is crazy how they can use "Important Project" and "$150.00" as a fee in the same short request.  I suppose that if this place is located in New Jersey, and if the Photographer is located in New York, for example, then it could cost MORE IN GAS to travel there, than $150.00! 

Here's a Possible Solution to People like this:
It comes from a very smart beauty accessories salesman here at one of the Malaysian Night Markets.  I overheard one lady ask the salesman, "How much for the nail clippers?"  The salesman said, "One Dollar."  The lady not wanting to pay that much for the nail clipper responded, "No lah, too high, I'll give you .70 cents!"  The salesman said, "Oh you want to pay .70 cents only, is it, then this model here is the one you want, I'll sell you this one for .70 cents!"  Which of course was a much inferior nail clipper.

He was polite, professional, served the client well, and delivered a product of the same value that the customer was asking for without getting railroaded in the process.

This "Photography for Credit" crap has got to go!  It is really maddening. 

Why is it that people used to understand that it was the Professional Images on the cover of their brochure, or the images accompanying the stories in magazines, that gets a prospect hooked. 

That photograph of the perfume bottle doesn't tell anyone how it smells, BUT, if it looks FREAKING FANTASTIC, it will get people to stop and notice it and want to try it out and perhaps make a purchase.

A lot of good points brought up in your note, Jim, and the other comments too.  

I just joined and was brousing questions and commets when I came on this post. I had to laugh.
I am an amature , looking at getting into more pro type work.
I recently got an e mail from a lady from a local travel website (government funded) She asked if they could use some of my images on their website and face book page. I responded, that the nature of face book was sharing , however if they wanted to use any images on their website there would be a fee involved, I asked for number of images , length of time etc. and I would give them a quote.
 She responded that they did not have muchmoney  and that I would be given full credit for the images.
I responded saying that someone got paid to build the site, someone was being paid to host the site , someone was being paid to run the tourism office and she was being paid to send me the e-mails. I asked why she thought I should provide content for free, or were they all doing their work for credit, I never did hear back