LONG POST --- I'm looking for some input from the folks here. Here is the situation, plese tell me what you would do or what you think of it.
Client contacts me about doing an Art Nude and a Glamour shot for her fiance' as a surprise for his birthday. She indicates to me the shots she would like to get and specifically points out images on my web site that she wants to do. We agree on a date and time and also include makeup artist services. So far business as usual.
Enter the fiance. He's an ex-art director. Used to work at a large NYC ad agency. He tells me that she and he had discussed the shoot (now no longer a surprise) and that he wanted to give me ideas about the shots that he wants us to do. He describes "fun" shots (popping out of a cake, party theme, etc.). He wants them sexy and no "camera tricks" to make her look other than her normal self (hmmm... sounding less like her ideas every second). Tells me she is a cancer survivor and she has had major plastic surgery and that he loves her the way she is. Tells me she is a fun person. I tell him that I don't have a cake for her to pop out of and it would cost him for one if he really wanted it. He said it was just an idea. I contacted the client and told her that he had called. She knew he would but was starting to sound less in charge than she was in the beginning. We once again agreed on the theme and the shots she wanted which included a "baking" scene and 2 different art nudes (again she wanted art nudes too).
Fast forward to the shoot. MUA arrives, client arrives. Client and I sit down and go through some of my portfolios and she confirms the shots she wants to do. We discuss makeup and agree on a glam look but not really heavy. We shoot the art nudes (she liked shots where she wasn't "in your face" nude). Client decides that she wants to do a party scene instead of the baking one. No problem - I had purchased props for it in case this happened. She decided to wear lingerie and not be totally nude. Still no problem. We shot a sexy and fun set of shots and she was commenting all along how much she liked the shots and how much he would too (I'm tethered to the computer so we see the shots as they are taken). She appeared the be very pleased with the shoot at the end. She had a bounce in her step and a smile in her voice as she left. BTW - she is mid to late fifties in age.
Next day I get a note from her that they were only interested in two of the shots and that they were not what they wanted. I get a call from the fiance' who told me he wanted them more sexy and less staged. When I explained that I continually received positive feedback from her during the shoot he said that she was an amateur and she didn't know what she was talking about. I tell him that I'm sorry that they only were interested in two images because I felt the shots showed her in a "fun" way and sexy too. He says that he might want to do a re-shoot and he would like to direct it. I told him that would not be a problem. He says he is going to send me 3 pics he took of here so I could see what he liked. They arrived via email and my reaction was "webcam - dorm look" nudes and shot to make the subject look less than "strong" and beautiful. I politely critiqued the shots as he asked me to do (told me to be VERY honest). I told him again that my client indicated she wanted a completely different style of photos. He again said that she wasn't a professional.
A few emails went back and forth and I finally told him that I could capture any look he and she could make happen but that it would be in a full production studio and the sets would be at his expense. I was polite and left the door open for a re-shoot, but I made it clear that I will shot what he directs. They have decided against a re-shoot and I will print the two images that they selected. In retrospect I probably should have canceled the shoot when he first got involved - I had a bad feeling about it. My client has gone from happy to be doing a surprise for him to a "meek" person, letting him do the calling and all. I honestly feel bad for her. She seemed to be very happy with the images we got and I have several of her laughing and having a good time at the shoot. In all the time I have been shooting this is the first time that anything like this has happened. I feel badly for her because she was so excited at the shoot.
Would you have done something/anything differently?
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