#3 of Ten Things You Should NEVER Say to a Photographer...

Wow, it's August already...didn't the kids just get out of school last week? Well, it seems like it anyway. Here's hoping all of you high school senior shooters have had a great season -- and with the economy coming back, great orders as well. After all, it's all about Photography for Income!

NUMBER THREE:

"Wow, your work has really improved...you've gotten a LOT better since the last time I saw your photographs!"

Now ordinarily, this is not an affront if it is said IN PRIVATE by one pro to another, or one amateur to another, or from a pro to an amateur or semi-pro. However...

This was said to me by an AMATEUR photographer as he stood in the reception room of my department store studio...AND THERE WERE CUSTOMERS THERE! This sawed off little snit shall remain nameless (but his initials are R*my R*squill*).

What did I say? I croaked out a, "Gee, thank you very much!" while my wife held me by the arms to keep from choking him to death on the spot. Hey, it gets better...

While he was there he overheard me talking to a part time photographer who had stopped doing weddings and was selling a Hasselblad camera. This fine Filipino "friend" promptly left my studio and called the photographer, offering him $100 more than the price we had settled on.

I'm long over it now, but for a period of several days, I plotted his grisly murder. Just kidding [kind of].

This is not limited to photographers. I had a woman who wanted my retouching business. She came into the same studio, stood in the same reception room (no, not on the same day) and criticised the retouching on one of my portrait samples...IN FRONT OF CUSTOMERS! This work was done by an artist who was in high demand and had won many awards for her competition entries. To make matters worse, this retoucher was distantly related to me! At least she did apologize and I gave her some work for a few years.

A word to all of you clueless wannabees out there: if you are not a professional photographer, you really have no place critiquing one ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC! If you DO feel the urge, have the person standing next to you reach over and squeeze your ballsack as hard as they can as a reminder to keep your comments to yourself.

In most cases it is like a Kindergarten teacher critiquing a university professor.

I know it's hot but keep your cool, dear shooters. Remember, it's Photography for Income! See ya real soon! Why? BECAUSE WE LIKE YA! Check back in a week or so for #4.