Art of Unprofessionalism and Unethics..

Recently I took up an assignment for someone to do product photography.  Would not like to name the person and the website for whom it was (that would make me sound very mean, but if you are so keen check out Amtrips' Photography; you will know it).

"A certain amount of work deserves certain reward, and, in this case, if you go by usual standards of this kind of work, you would be charged 1000/- per photo". Since I am a newcomer, I didnt asking that kind of money. But that does not mean that the person for whom i did the work will pay 500/- for the whole process- one day of work at your place, traveling to and from your place, and 20 hours of work for editing and processing of the photos and embedding your logo in them (well the person wrote to me saying that what I did so great on the photos that I had to spend 20 hours on that).

The person used the photos in her website and didn’t bother to ask/tell me that she was going to use them on your website. I don’t think this is professional conduct. Do you think she did right?Well she didn't feel sad and apologetic about her conduct.

Communication gap: I provided you the photos within 3 days of the day I shoot the products, and I have to pester her  for an acknowledgement of that (by asking again and again whether she got the photos or not, for a feedback so that i can work on the rest items)?

And guess what when the feedback came after 3 reminders, almost after 8 days!
Let me quote it in her words directly "Ohh I thought I messaged we received the images. Feedback is not great about the photos. The jewellery designer is not happy about her pictures. Orissa bottles also some photos came out well but others need to be fixed. Will call in the evening to discuss."

Doesn't mean I am a dumb clicker or a shoddy not-so-professional person?!?
Apparently she has been seeing my work on my Facebook page Amtrips Photography (that she invited me based on the photos I have clicked, (which indeed proves that neither I am "fresh" photographer nor that I don't know A to Z of  photography) and she did mention once she liked my work. Well words change in a day in today's world.!! And what does it mean by "on-trail basis" ... !! LOL
Does that mean if its trail basis work , you pay some one just a peanut amount for all the creativity, hard work and sincere efforts??

My only question to all sensible readers out there: If the work was not great and shoddy, if the designer didnt like it... why was I not informed on time.. Second, why did she not dump those pictures. Rather she used all the snaps I had sent her to upload in her webpage... Darn...! How mean!

I strongly feel of there was so much injustice to the products  (as per her the photos were not professional and not GREAT or whatever) and her designer in that case.
Just because some designer (sitting in some part of the country) felt that the photos are not entirely satisfactory, all that I did doesn’t go down the drain. Just taking your things to a studio, putting them on a white cloth and then clicking away and straightaway giving it to the person would take hardly any effort. If that is the kind of work  that is appreciated (that was apparently expected from me), sorry, I am not the one to do it.

My only stand point: "Still if you feel that the photos are not upto standard, then you should not have put them on your website, whereas you have used 46 out of 48 photos! That indeed is surprising… so you should be paying me 100/- per photo at least. Now that you have used them, pay me 100/- per photo, or take them off from your website, return the photos to me, and pay me for my work-that can’t be less than 3000/-, I have worked more than 3 days for it.
Contact some professionals from the industry if you want to know what is right. And that won’t change my stand, because I have already done that, after hearing from you that the photos are not good. Your not being able to pay me more doesn’t mean you’ll pay me 500/-. How much do you spend if you go out to eat in a restaurant?"

The the response I got to this was not so easy...!
She quoted me  and my work unprofessional and I being unethical for charging her so high- and that I am a fresh photographer (which means that I dont know any damn thing of photography) and that if I have to accept that, i have  or else take that 500 bucks and keep quiet... And blah blah...!

And just saying that "we will take out the photos from OUR website and close this chapter" is not the way such so called professional- and -ethics bound-people deal with others...!
And still some of my photos sit in their website...!

To see my photos , you can visit: https://www.facebook.com/AmtripsPhotography
and
http://www.tripathyamrita.blogspot.in/