Steve Haddadin contacted me to photograph a few portraits outside the law school he was attending and to capture his birthday dinner with a few friends at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in downtown Columbus, OH The staff cannot be over-appreciated here. They knew Jeff and what his plan for the evening was, which was more than I understood. It was indeed his birthday, but he had a strategy to enlighten people of Wagyu beef. If you don’t know it is the most expensive and revered steak there is. It is from Japan, and each cut of beef comes with a certificate stating the age, name, farmer, and other details to authenticate your dinner. The marbling leads to a super tender and buttery cut.
Steve had this idea, and I’m speculating here, to heighten his own personal brand. If he could make this an actual day, there would be a history around it that would ultimately lead to Steve. He picked Jun 21st for Wagyu Beef Day to coincide with his birthday. He was every bit as eccentric as this all sounds.
We had a private room in the restaurant reserved for this event. It was very dark and I had only planned on using an on-camera flash. Steve had talked to me on the phone of his plan, but I couldn’t visualize it. Mostly because he had so many different things he wanted to do that were unrelated. I book by the hour, s that’s totally fine to do. It can get complicated for.me though.
I have a policy that all photographers should have – if it seems too complicated, don’t accept the project. When a potential client contacts me about a session asking questions and favors of me is a red flag. I tell my wife, it they contact me with a complicated request, the session is only going to get more complicated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get easier. Some people have a hard time explaining their vision. Some people just have a very complicated request.
This is the part of the business I do not like. At the top of my To Do List is a note that says, “They are not friends, they are clients”. I want to be the coolest photographer anyone has ever met, so I will make special accommodations for my clients. I will not charge them for things other photographers do. I will go out of my way to do the things I have agreed to do even when I don’t understand the direction. I do everything I can to make my client happy and comfortable during our session, but ultimately this can be bad for my business.
I have a handful, I think 5 bad reviews across the internet and I can honestly say they occurred because I did my client a favor. One bad review on Google Gave me 1 star with no comments. This was over $75. According to our wedding photography agreement, I was under no obligation to give a refund. When the bride-not-to-be contacted me asking for a refund, I gave her a refund, except for $75 for the simple fact that the money was already counted as income on the previous year’s taxes. I did her this favor, and she gave me a bad review.
Another bad review came from Thumbtack. A bride told me her daughter was a very big part of her wedding and she really wanted photos of her and her daughter. She gave me 3 out of 5 stars (Yes I consider that a bad review) because she said she didn’t get those photos with her daughter. I reviewed the images and saw several photos of her with her daughter in the ceremony, dancing, and playing around. What she wanted that was never made clear to me was she wanted a standing portrait of her and her daughter - the least challenging of all photos. I didn’t understand the assignment.
If I do my clients a favor as if they were friends, or I don’t understand the assignment, I have found that I suffer the consequences. The photos may not turn out as good as official Harry Acosta originals, you may get a bad review, or even be refused payment. It complicates going above and beyond for my clients. This session, was teetering on too complicated, and just shut up and go take the photos, Harry. So I went! We had a great time, got published online at OK! magazine and I got to try Wagyu beef for the first time.
Photographers, hold firm in what you are willing to do and make it an official policy, Be consistant with everyone. Make it part of your brand or it could damage your business. Steve has contacted me about another photo session since, but I declined. It wasn’t too complicated, I was already booked.