Clarity is Key

For those who don't know, James Fridman is the name of the guy who became an overnight Twitter sensation with his very humorous photoshop edits of people's images, taking their requests and changing their pictures literally.

He continues to ply his trade, and even has a website dedicated to his art. Some of his work is hilarious, but as we spit out our tea laughing at the results, there is a key message under the surface here, and that is the importance of being clear in what you ask for.

Whilst I am specifically talking about photography, of course, the same principle applies to many industries and services.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked to quote for a job when given the briefest of briefs, something akin to this perhaps....

"Hi,

I'm looking to get a new website built and I need some photographs done.

Can you tell me how much it will cost?

Regards"

Now, of course, this has to be tempered with the fact that most of us are naive when it comes to knowing the price of any given service and are initially looking for a very rough guide for what a project may cost to see if it's viable. Nonetheless, many people do actually expect us, as service providers, to be able to accurately quote based on the most vague of directions.

Whilst this is a little frustrating, it's nothing compared to the frustration of thinking you know what is expected of you on a given day only to find the client expecting either something very different or expecting a lot more from you than was initially agreed.

As photographers, we are creatives, which means when we are clear on the brief we can create the images that fit what the client is looking for. Depending on what the job is, we can be left to our own devices and work within the remit to create wonderful shots that satisfy everyone. But, and this is a big BUT, if the client isn't clear in their own mind what they need it's very hard for the photographer to second guess them.

I'd love to give you examples, I have plenty, but to save any embarrassment for either myself or any clients I have worked with, these will have to remain private. What I can say, is that this has been a learning curve for me and as a result, my process is a lot more streamlined and efficient in order to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Of course, fundamentally, the key is communication. If you communicate clearly with your client at every juncture, it makes life a lot easier and the process becomes much easier to navigate. It's also an opportunity to clarify to your client exactly what they can expect from the process so there are no hidden surprises along the way.

So if you want to avoid getting a metaphorical drink poured over you, plan your photoshoot, have a clear understanding of what you want and communicate that to the photographer.

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