I’ll just syndrome
Did you know that being a photographer comes with health risks? Frozen shoulder, back pain and neck strain are all chronic physical injuries associated with heavy equipment, long shooting days and hours hunched over computers. But there is a terrible syndrome that also afflicts photographers. It’s called illjust (pronounced “I’ll just”)
What are the symptoms of this terrible syndrome? Listen to yourself. Watch how you interact with clients. Look for phrases like:
I’ll just lower my prices because I need clients
I’ll just discount because this person tells me they can’t afford me
I’ll just throw in all their files – I promised 8 but gave 85 – but they were all sooooo great and I want everyone to love me
I’ll just do this one underwater-mermaid tail-couples-with-their-pets-swimming- while-they-eat-cotton-candy shoot because I was asked, even though I have no idea nor desire to do it – hmm what equipment do I need and can I learn this skill in time for tomorrow’s shoot?
I’ll just make an exception this time, and will shoot at the wrong time of day, allow more session time, more poses, more people, more outfits, or special requests
I’ll just photoshop it
I’ll just collect payment after I’ve delivered everything because I hate asking for money and they are insisting
I’ll just re-arrange my entire schedule because the client needed me to fit them in
I’ll just work around the cousin with a camera even though I told the couple I can’t work if someone else interferes with my ability to do my job
I’ll just work without a contract because they’re a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, and I’m sure it won’t be an issue
Often, the precipitating factor of this disease is a client syndrome called canyoujust(pronounced can-you-just).
Here is the poor prognosis of some of these symptoms:
Lowering prices = create a perception of poor quality, hard to raise prices after you’ve established a reputation of the ‘affordable’ photographer. Not making enough money to sustain your own family or to keep the doors open
Discounting = people will continue to ask, tell all their friends that you do it, wait for a sale and never book at full price
Special requests = you stress yourself, you burn out, you make mistakes trying to manage multiple exceptions, you perform poorly because you didn’t really know how to fulfill the request, you upset some clients when trying to please others
Pay later = they don’t pay, you have to chase, you have no more leverage to collect
No contract = nothing to protect you or your clients, no expectations set
The great news is that this affliction is curable! And the cure is simple:
Say no.
We love our clients and they make requests not to cause problems, but because they need a problem solved. The best way to serve our clients is to be clear about how we work, and to gently say no to certain requests because they can prevent us from serving our clients in the best way possible. Of course, we must always listen to what our client’s needs are and remain flexible; simply not to the point where issues start to pop up and you’re juggling things that eat your time, stress you out and even cause you to lose income. The best way to do this is to draft a solid set of policies, that define how you work. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Do you suffer from illjust? Tell me which one in the comments!
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