A random rant...

[Schy]

Just want to share a rant with you guys, dont know if you guys have experienced this before.. Well here it goes..

So, a family asked me to take photographs of them at home prior to their actual event and i think i managed to get some good photos, they told me "dont post it in fb yet, let us approve them first." so i was, ok ill edit them a bit first then let them choose.. (this kind of threw me off a bit already)

Anyway, the next day is the actual event itself and again they asked me to take photographs for them, so i did the whole morning until around 2 in the afternoon. They didn't say anything about the photos but you could feel and sense that they wanted the photos posted in fb ASAP but then too bad cause i was working that afternoon.. So yesterday i was free in the afternoon so spent a good 2-3 hours editing the photos before posting them in fb. And then there goes their likes, comments about how happy they were in the event and thanking everyone that commented how beautiful and handsome they were.. My fb was flooded with notifications with all the likes and comments..

With all the comments, the time ive put into it and the effort, i didnt get a single thank you from the family.. I was reading all their comments, didnt thank me once for any of the photos and didnt even recognize me as the one who took the photos.. Recognizing me is not really a big of a deal for me.. A thank you would have been really nice..

A simple 'thank you' can go a long way..

And, they didnt even thank me for taking their photos on the day itself..

End rant.

Have you guys had similar experiences? Am i asking too much? All i was after was a simple 'thank you for taking our photos' or even just a simple 'thank you!'

[Steve Axford]

Nothing to do with photography. If they ask you for a favor then I think you should expect some thanks.
For the photography - you should always expect credit (except if they pay you not to).

[ameerat42]

Might be a bit late, but TAKE THEM OFF FB ASAP!!!
(Post up a few gorillas instead.)

[norwest]

It happens, Schy. Often, the more you do the more a 'thanks' is replaced by being taken for granted. When we first moved to the area I used to help out a couple of community groups and the more I did so, the more it was expected by those and others whom try to take advantage of 'community spirit'. I enjoyed giving a bit of time to help in a new community but didn't enjoy the expectation, so, I don't do it any more. And surprise, surprise, I noticed a bit of a negative reaction when I stopped.

[ving]

if its a favour then yes a thanks goes a long way... if you got paid for the job then payment is thanks. I realise that in a photography business its often just some guy/gal with a camera doing it part time for the love of capturing moments in time/events... like an artist!, but you have to realise that from your customers perspective you are just another business transaction... might as well be ordering a cheese burger. they pay you and they feel thats enough.

[old dog]

it`s amazing just how far a `thank you` goes. You could have at least got one. Sometimes I`m tempted not to sign the papers to join the human race.

[Steve Axford]

You were paid for this? Well, as ving says, it's a business transaction.

[norwest]

As far as I'm aware it was a favour only, without payment and the reason for the rant.

[Eberbachl]

As has been said, if it was a favour - they should have thanked you. If you got paid, you did your job. The payment is thanks.

[Schy]

Should've included in my first post, am just an amateur at the moment, did it for fun, experience and to do them a favor..

They asked me nicely so i did it, i wasn't paid to do it.. Am still a far away from being paid i think.. Hehe!

Anyways, whats done is done. Just charge it to experience i guess, at least i got to practice more..

[Geoff Port]

Schy my man. My old Dad always said its better to give than receive.
Look at it this way. Your photos were so good that all the participants and viewer got caught up in it all again and simply forgot to say thanks.
If you have a sense of achievement from the results then that should be enough. If you were to mention the oversight to anyone now you would never know whether the thanks was genuine or not so you just have to suck it up and cop it on the chin.

[Steve Axford]

Put it down to experience. As we used to say about such things - they're character building.

[ving]

As far as I'm aware it was a favour only, without payment and the reason for the rant.

as far as your aware? LOL

well as steve said, just chalk it up to experience... dont give them freebies any more.

[norwest]

as far as your aware? LOL

.

That's funny? I actually met with Schy immediately following the event he speaks of and he told me what he'd been doing and whom it was with. And why does this tickle you so?

[Bennymiata]

Make sure you put your name on every photo you do, regardless if you get paid for it or not.

Just a watermark is fine, then everybody will know who did them.

Some people are just pigs. You probably mentioned you do this for fun, so they expect that just doing it is a kick for you, and so they don't thnk that they should at least give you a thank you.
Next tiem they ask you to take photos, say sure, for $100 per hour or part thereof.

[ktoopi]

These people you photographed obviously have no manners or respect....I did a photoshoot recently as a favour and the couple bought me a bottle of champagne, Moet no less as a thank you and gave me a beautiful card. I was not expecting this but as you mentioned earlier a little (or a lot) of thanks goes a long way. You should definitely have expected a verbal thank you from them.

[Schy]

Make sure you put your name on every photo you do, regardless if you get paid for it or not.

Just a watermark is fine, then everybody will know who did them.

Some people are just pigs. You probably mentioned you do this for fun, so they expect that just doing it is a kick for you, and so they don't thnk that they should at least give you a thank you.
Next tiem they ask you to take photos, say sure, for $100 per hour or part thereof.

Thats whats bothering me, i didnt say anything about taking their photos.. They just asked me if i could take their photos and i said okay, sure. Then that was that, and it happened already.

I was thinking of putting a watermark on the photos but i opted not to because they are friends and i didnt want to 'mark' the photos as i felt that it would somehow ruin it for them.. I dont know, but i still feel i did the right thing by not putting a watermark, so they can enjoy their photos.. Cant exPlain it better..

Maybe next time ill ask for a price as i just found out something from norwest.. Lol!

@ving, yeah i met norwest right after the said event.. And we've actually met a few times already.

@Geoff, guess i need to look at it that way and just suck it up..

@Steve, good point!

[Mathy]

You know, it costs nothing to have/use good manners. It's a shame that your friends seem to have none, I'd be pretty disappointed too , cheers Deb

[Schy]

These people you photographed obviously have no manners or respect....I did a photoshoot recently as a favour and the couple bought me a bottle of champagne, Moet no less as a thank you and gave me a beautiful card. I was not expecting this but as you mentioned earlier a little (or a lot) of thanks goes a long way. You should definitely have expected a verbal thank you from them.

Wow, that was very nice of them!

With that simple gesture, it makes you want to photograph more and enjoy it a lot more as i can imagine..

Oh life!

[enduro]

Unfortunately, we don't all have the same values or recall where to share thank where it is necessary.

Though the most valuable key contributor to conveying the event to the masses, you were overlooked in favour of the slendour excitement of the event.

I'd let them know in a subtle but meaningful way.