The Difficult Path

I had M. take this photo to illustrate a topic that I wrote about in one of my previous entries: the crazy sidewalks. I still cannot accept the sidewalk situation here and yesterday I really did almost step right off this one.

But the funny thing is that I think this photo also illustrates the way I've been feeling with my photography career. Everything was going along swimmingly. I had photographed a few weddings that I had gotten on my own (away from the h0tel), the family portrait went great, I was receiving many inquiries, and I had even started to book into October and negotiate for as far ahead as March of next year. I was on top of the world.

Then last week I received an email from a recent bride telling me her photos and CD were delivered damaged. When I sent an email to the family to make sure their package had gotten there ok, the response was yes, the package was fine but the photos looked a little dull. Next, I received an email from a prospective bride whose previous email had said, "We want you as our photographer..." saying my references hadn't gotten back to her so she was going with another photographer. Other potential jobs haven't moved forward. And I'm having no luck finding risers and lights to photograph a potential job involving a group of 200.

Yeah, it does kind of feel like I've unexpectedly come to a drop off in my path. But I can't let it get to me. I know it's all part of the process and part of learning the business. As a friend said today, the more you do, the more experiences you have and potential for things to happen. I just need to learn from these situations and move on.

I'm going to send a new disk and photos out again. Now I know I need to pay attention to the packaging (even if the company assures me it's fine like they did when I questioned them before sending it out last time). I'll try to determine why she thinks the family prints look dull (truth be told I hate the labs here in V@llarta, our under $200 home printer makes better prints, but usually my clients think things are fine and I think I'm just being a picky perfectionist) and if necessary get more prints done in the US. And I sent a diplomatic email to the bride that backed out. From now on, I'll know that things aren't really final until I get a down payment. I also want to draw up a contract.

But I do have 2 definite weddings scheduled for the following 2 weekends. Next weekend, it's at the hotel. I am pleased to say that I asked for a better rate (which I think is still a little less than he was paying the other photgrapher) and the owner agreed. That's all I wanted -- a little fairness. The following wedding for the first weekend in September is exciting because it's out of town (about an hour or so north of here in Sayu1ita) and I'm going to stay overnight in a hotel the night before. I'm trying to negotiate another wedding up there, so this will give me good experience with the layout of the town (I've been there twice before but don't know it really well) and logistics.

I'm looking into an online site to post photos so the couple can chose more easily (and I don't have to travel around so much) and they will produced in the US where the quality is better. I'm also serious about getting a website together and have a few leads with that. I had a really good conversation with another photographer who I found online who works in Cabo (southern tip of Baja Peninsula, south of California) and he was motivating and inspirational.

So I guess this next photo illustrates how I'm dealing with life's little surprises. It might be a tough step but you do it and try to look cute too ;-)