Welcome to ECCIE - Sign up today!

centex_mex · 07-27-2011, 12:26 AM

Hello, Ladies.
I am an amateur photographer who is interested in helping you promote your business by providing you with the photos you really want the world to see of yourself. Professional photographers hate me. Here is why:
My business model is unlike any out there. What I do is only charge you for my time and you will own your photos.

Here's how it works: I will show up to your desired location with my equipment and laptop computer and take as many photos as you desire with my digital SLR camera. When we are finished, I will burn every photo taken during our session to a CD-R and leave it with you. Again, you will then own the photos, not me. If you go to a pro, they will charge you a sitting fee, a proof fee and only let you have the ones you choose. Then, to top it all off, they will own the copyright to the photos of you. I don't operate that way. I have photographed weddings, parties, events, buildings etc... over the years and I am pretty good at framing and lighting.

This would be my first foray into this genre of photos, but it is something I am interested in and passionate about, so I know I will do you a good job. Since I am new to this, I am willing to photograph the first three providers who contact me for free so that I can get a portfolio started and hopefully use you as references to get my business going.

My prices will be very reasonable/negotiable and I will be willing to exchange services as well for those interested. If anyone is interested in seeing some of the photos I have taken in the past, I would be happy to send them to you. I hope to hear from many of you soon.

Krista78 · 08-02-2011, 05:46 PM

Contact me...lets talk...

Selena Romano · 08-03-2011, 01:40 AM

email me some of you good work I would like to see it thanks xooxo

flaunt · 08-03-2011, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

I am an amateur photographer ... What I do is only charge you for my time and you will own your photos.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be a dick or anything, but I call BS on this.

Amateurs don't get paid for what they do. If you charge anything for your pictures you are a professional photographer. period. There is no such thing as Pro-am Photography.

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

Here's how it works: I will show up to your desired location with my equipment and laptop computer and take as many photos as you desire with my digital SLR camera. When we are finished, I will burn every photo taken during our session to a CD-R and leave it with you.

i.e. no editing...

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

Again, you will then own the photos, not me. If you go to a pro, they will charge you a sitting fee, a proof fee and only let you have the ones you choose. Then, to top it all off, they will own the copyright to the photos of you. I don't operate that way. I have photographed weddings, parties, events, buildings etc... over the years and I am pretty good at framing and lighting.

Not true. I have been a professional photographer for 26 years. I have photographed weddings, parties, wars and models. I don't charge a sitting fee (but that is my choice), or a proof fee(?), and if you hire me to take pictures for you, you get all the pictures I take (but i do delete ones that suck. I mean do you really want pics that suck?) with no watermark (the photographer's logo/studio name on each picture).

As a side note, when Sports Illustrated shoots for the swimsuit issue, the photographers take 30-50,000 pictures, and only about 20 make it to the magazine. So, not all pictures are good. Most aren't, do you want those too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

This would be my first foray into this genre of photos, but it is something I am interested in and passionate about, so I know I will do you a good job. Since I am new to this, I am willing to photograph the first three providers who contact me for free so that I can get a portfolio started and hopefully use you as references to get my business going.

This is what us photographers call Trade for Print (TFP) or Trade for CD (TFCD). You have probably heard the terms before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

My prices will be very reasonable/negotiable and I will be willing to exchange services as well for those interested.

For the most part I charge $125/hour for my work. But then again I have a reputation as a photographer and models come to town so I can take their picture.

Exchange services? Really?!? Let me quote a favorite movie of mine... "in more dire need of a blowjob than any other man in history" -Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

If anyone is interested in seeing some of the photos I have taken in the past, I would be happy to send them to you. I hope to hear from many of you soon.

Why didn't you just post them?

centex_mex · 08-03-2011, 11:39 AM

Funny you start off by saying you don't want to be a dick and then you proceed to be just that. It sounds to me like you feel a little bit threatened. I'm not sure what you are calling BS on, but I do not take photos for a living, so that is why I say I am not professional. I do not have a studio. I do not want to pretend that I am something I am not. That is all. If someone is interested in seeing my photos of parties, events, buildings, etc... they can (and have done so) contact me. I am working on a relevant portfolio and am actually not charging anything right now. When I do start charging, I will charge $100 per hour and will go to the provider and I will give them every photo taken. They can delete them or not delete them. There are no hidden fees. Very cut and dry. I don't have the overhead professional studios have. When it comes down to it, it is up to the ladies to choose photographers. It looks to me like Flaunt has a lot of time on his hands to scrutinize, cut and paste etc... Ladies, the choice is yours. I look forward to hearing from you.

mia towers · 08-11-2011, 01:23 PM

Im interested ! pls pm thanks :-)

ATXLover · 08-11-2011, 02:02 PM

When I started in this business, I worked cheap to establish myself and can understand your "business model" but your statements are not quite spot on. If you are going to work in this field you need to understand some of the legal aspects, according to copyright law, when you are hired as a photographer to take portraits (any kind) the copyright belongs to both parties UNLESS you have a signed contract. When "pro-ams" talk about TFP (time for prints) the photographer generally owns ALL copyrights UNLESS you get a signed contract, I did not read anything in your statement about contracts.
It is in bad form to start off slamming professional photogs with your "facts".
I have been in this biz a long time and have never charged a sitting fee, proof fee, and the ladies always get all the images. As a matter of fact I don't know of any photographers in this market that charge any of those fees, always been a straight up amount.
I would also give you some free advice, trade for services is a bad idea. You open yourself up to whole new avenue of problems. If you are working as a photographer your civil/criminal liability is almost zero, start stepping outside that box and you risk personal and professional losses. Not to mention most providers, I have worked with hundreds, don't want a "trader". As one girl put it, "I want a photographer who is interested in getting paid, not laid"
So as I climb off my soapbox, I say good luck and wish you success, just maybe want to rethink some of your adverts for your business model. I also would advise talking with an attorney who specializes in art/media copyright, as a business owner it was the best decision I ever made.

PhotoFantasies · 08-11-2011, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centex_mex

If you go to a pro, they will charge you a sitting fee, a proof fee and only let you have the ones you choose. Then, to top it all off, they will own the copyright to the photos of you. I don't operate that way. I have photographed weddings, parties, events, buildings etc... over the years and I am pretty good at framing and lighting.

I am not trying to hijack your thread, and I am sure you are a very good amateur. However, I WOULD like to correct some things you said which are NOT true.

I AM a professional photographer, I DO NOT charge a sitting fee. I give ALL the shots I take to the client usually around 300 photos, and if someone pays me, they DO own the use rights. The client, by law, CAN'T soley own the copyright since they didn't take the photo or create the photo. But they can own they USE rights. And if someone pays me, I sign over all the use rights to them

I charge a very reasonable package rate.. not a bunch of separate rates and have packages as low as the rate you say that YOU would like to charge, and I am better than "pretty good" at what I do. My guess is that the key words here are that you "are willing to trade services". hmmm.. makes me wonder.

I am NOT trying to take business away from you, Like I said, I am sure you can take as good a picture as anyone else with a camera, and if you want to get started in the business by taking photos for free, then go for it. We've all done our share of TF photoshoots. But don't bash professionals for something you obviously don't know for a fact. that's not fair. And you really should invest in a book on the business of photography so you KNOW the applicable copyright and liability laws. Amateur or pro.. we all have to live by the laws.