This last weekend I received a message on my Facebook Business page; https://www.facebook.com/Memoriesbyandy/ that was different than most I have received. The customer that was messaging me, needed a professional head-shot and was on vacation near my business.
When I first read the message, I had to pause and wonder if it was one of those million scams going around now or if it was really a person in a bind and needed some help.
I messaged back and forth a little and we set up a time for an “Emergency” head-shot. I know it sounds funny when it is phrased that way, but what else do you call it?
We talked and arrived at a price that I would do the shoot for, there were two prices depending on how many images she ended up wanting to go with.
People asked me what did you do? Did you increase the price because you knew that they were in a bind? The list of questions goes on, but those were the two questions people keep asking me. The answer is simple, sort of. I went to my website, looked at what I charge for portraits and quoted her those prices, nothing more, nothing less. I messaged her back my availability and we agreed on a time.
When it was her appointed time we chatted a little. I found out what her company was that she needed head shots for. I inquired about what they would be using them for and saw some examples of what the others would look like so we could make sure that hers were similar.
We then got to work and we took a few “practice shots” to see how the lighting was and so I could make sure we had the right look for the images. I made a few adjustments to the lighting and we began to shoot. We took pictures from a few different angles and with her head in a few different positions to find the one that she was happiest with. It is amazing with good lighting, a good back drop, a good camera, and a little time to experiment the different ways you can make a person look on camera.
I ended up taking about 35 pictures and I knew that she was going to Love three of them and like about eight of them. She ended up liking a few more and Loving six.
The best part of the day was not that I got paid. It was that I was able to help a family enjoy their vacation up here in beautiful Northern Michigan by eliminating one point of stress for them. Now don’t get me wrong, the money was appreciated, ad much needed, but minor. It was great knowing that I could charge a person a fare rate for my services and provide them with a product that they loved. Helping them return to vacation mode, allowing them to create family memories for years to come.
I just hope that when they look back at this weekend they remember a guy who cared enough to share his love of taking pictures with some strangers in a bind enjoy their time in God's Country.
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