For one of our Jules Cafe contests, we asked for entries of great tips and funny stories of good intentions gone wrong in photography and  I wanted to share a few with the world. Thanks again for taking the time to write in, it was so great to hear from so many of you!  It is helpful to know we aren’t alone in this photography thing…Â
Here are just a few of the stories that came in. . .
Steve Goldhaber wrote in something short and sweet…. “Follow the light first and your heart second.”
Joseph Keith recommended starting a network of photographers by finding them at wedding fairs and other places where common vendors hang out. What a great idea!
Katie Lubbors, in her own words:
“I’m choosing worst nightmare for my entry. Here is my short tip and what NOT to do!
As I am new to the portrait business and just getting started in baby and child photography, I don’t have many (or really any yet) props, backgrounds, etc. So I decided to take my mom’s nice velvet blankets (black, leopard print, and white) and matching pillows on my first baby shoot the other week. I had the brilliant idea of doing a naked shot and put the 4 week old little girl underneath the gorgeous soft velvet blanket with the pillows all around her. It took all of 1 minute for her to start peeing, so after picking her up while still peeing over the props I then tried another velvet blanket figuring was done (boy was I wrong) of which she pooped all over. The husband grabbed my third and last blanket in his hand, picked her up, only to see her poop on that too. Fun stuff. So…leason learned, my tip of the day is to put diapers on babies for future shoots, and don’t use the best (and only) blankets that you (or in my case my mom) owns! Use your clients instead!”
Thank you Katie! Hope it all washed out ok!
And some good advice from Ronnie Slavin:
Always stay calm, no matter what the situation. She says, “No matter if your camera breaks or your flash doesn’t fire, just fix it or grab another camera/flash and never let the client see that you are concerned. You don’t want to add to the stress of their day. Just smile and calmly move on. ” She also recommends that you never put down a roll of film or a CF card… always carry it with you. Jules is a big proponent of this as well!
Ryan Estes of Ryan Estes Photography writes in a story that is pretty funny now, but wasn’t at the time. He wisely commented, “Tragedy + Time = Comedy, right?” Here is his story:
“What not to do … Don’t park in the tow-away zone.
Last April I shot a wedding very close to the University of Delaware. I was meeting the bride at the salon, which was conveniently located right next to the church where the ceremony was to take place. Opting to park at the church, I left most of my gear in the car (backup body, all of my long lenses, basically everything I needed to shoot the ceremony) thinking to pick it up after I got done with the hair and makeup shots. The big sign saying “Wedding parking only” didn’t concern me… I was there for the wedding!
The day got off to a great start… the salon had amazing light, everyone was in a great mood. I spent about an hour with them, then as the ceremony got closer I mentioned to the bride that I would head out and meet her at the church. I want to grab the rest of my gear… only to find that the pastor had cleared the parking lot in preparation for the wedding — my car had been towed!
Once I managed to start breathing again, I was able to find the pastor, who was kind enough to drive me to the lot where my car was. He explained the situation and I picked up my car (and gear). They were understanding and didn’t charge me, and the day finished out great. Since then, however, I’ve learned that when in doubt, place a sign on your dashboard: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – DO NOT TOW!”
Karma Kerns-Fuerst writes in her tale of woe:
“One practice I will tell you NOT to do! Very, very important………never, ever put your compact flash cards in your pants pocket at a wedding for safe keeping while you continue shooting the event! then later forget that it was there and wash and dry your pants!!!! You will be frantic as you try to salvage your images and your heart will race faster than you can ever imagine!!!!! It was a very long wedding followed by a very long week trying to save ourselves!
Bonus……as if we didn’t learn from our first mistake! NEVER EVER put your CF card in with keys that have a keychain with a magnet on it!”
phew! that is a good lesson, Karma. I know that Sara France is selling some cool bags designed just to hold your CF cards…
Shaina Pearce writes in:
“1. BELIEVE in yourself, your style, and your work. The client will
view your work in the light you cast, so make sure you set the right
value.
2. Take a business class, or two. There’s a lot to learn about having
your own business, not the least of which is contracts, taxes, and
record keeping. Being able to manage your business well will make a
difference in your success as a photographer.”
And finally, Sharon Patterson writes in:
“I’m fairly new to this business although I’ve been a photographer all my life. This presented some problems – I had to put a value on something I love, something personal.
If I had to give any tip at all it would be to price yourself at where you want to be in a few years. For everyone out there who thinks I’m crazy remember it doesn’t mean that’s what you have to charge. You can charge very little under the veil of “Portfolio Building” or “Changing My Style” and then it’s not because you’re just starting out.
To set my prices I asked myself how much is it worth to be away from my family? I looked at photographers who inspired me to reach a higher standard and I didn’t worry about the photographers in my area charging $10 for a 5×7 compared to mine at $55. I knew I absolutely wouldn’t trade $500 for a day with my kids…but $3000 – yes, that can buy a lot of fun days.
My motto for my business…Work Smarter, Not Harder – and keep it simple.”
Excellent Advice, all.
Great article. Feeling alone is one of the toughest parts of starting out on this road. Thankfully due to sites like yours you can overcome it.