Had a not so good encounter today :(

[bonita]

Original Post Added By Abel:
I added the original content back in order to help other members be aware of what common practices are in regards to situations similar to this one.

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Hello, thought I would share what happened to me today, hoping to get some feed back and comments from all the pro's in this forum.

So, my daughter's basketball coach calls me and said that the team was having their pictures taken, so I replied and ask if I can take a shot after the hired photographer is done. The coach tells me that she doesn't see anything wrong in me taken a picture of my daughter's team.

So, the day came, (today) I get my D90 ready and head out to the gym where they will be practicing and taking the pictures :)

I see the photographer come in, aproached her in a friendly manner and asked her how much the pics are going to cost and I explained to her that I would like to purchase only a Team-shot, not a whole package.

She said she only sales packages, but then she see my camera and in a very rude way starts saying that she don't what no one else taking pictures, because she is taking the pictures. so I explained, that I was not planning on getting in her way and that i was going to wait for her to do her job and then take a shot. plus, I'm not going to sell my shots....She is like, NO you're not taking pictures, NOT today, Unless you are buying a package from me. I didn't what to start an argument there so I simply walked away and didn't take any shots. 80% of the parents were so upset with her, calling her names and saying ugly stuff about her....

I got so upset too and my feelings hurt of course, so upset that I called and canceled my order.

She calls me saying that I should have never taken my camera where she is taking pictures, and that she felt intimidated by my camera and threatened by me.

My question is this, does she have the right to tell me that i can not take the camera with me? ( I say heck not)

Did i do the right thing by avoiding a confrontation? or should I had simply ignored her and taken my shots anyway?

Who was right or wrong in this ordeal?


Please comment and tell me how should I handle situations like this.

Thanks.

[Imagebuffet]

From what I've seen, this is a sore point for professional photographers. Did the team meet together for you to shoot their photo, or for this photographer to shoot her photos? The photographer is trying to make a living, and this is how she does it. If you don't buy from her, then she goes out of business. Then, you get to schedule the next shoot on your own!

[KJ Smith]

She was right, you were wrong.

Most likely could have been handled better by both parties.

[SCone]

If the get-together was for the team shot, then yes, you were wrong. Anybody can take photos during practice, the games, etc, but the last thing a photographer needs in the middle of a photo shoot is a bunch of parents running around taking their own shots. And not buying anything.

[Angelo]

If the pro felt intimidated by a camera then she has a problem. There's never a need to be rude, and by being so she probably lost business from some parents. All she has to do is make sure the school and coaches know her conditions. The school and coaches should be the ones to inform the parents that personal photos are not allowed.
And it should be in writing when they send out the notices of team photos to parents.

[ldelacruz]

You were in the wrong in my opinion. Why did you have to make it known upfront that you only wanted a team photo and why didn't you just buy from her? Can you bring your own cup to McDonalds and fill it up?

[hhscr]

Walk in the photographers shoes and see what your thoughts are. If it was turned around the last think you would want is for someone to be taking pictures when you have spent your time planning and setting up the shoot. It could have been handled better by both parties, but you were wrong.

[ChrisTX]

I wouldn't jump into a photographer's set to do pictures. That's her own portable studio, and you wouldn't walk into a business and start taking your own pictures. I would certainly take pictures of whatever I wanted after they left that photographer's set if I so desired.

[texkam]

If the pro felt intimidated by a camera then she has a problem. There's never a need to be rude, and by being so she probably lost business from some parents. All she has to do is make sure the school and coaches know her conditions. The school and coaches should be the ones to inform the parents that personal photos are not allowed.
And it should be in writing when they send out the notices of team photos to parents.

+1
Hello, like this never ever happens? If the pro was even the least bit seasoned she should know this sort of stuff happens all the time and should have had something about it in her contract and a procedure in place for how to deal with it. If not, she needs to just do her job and learn from the experience. Many pros still haven't accepted that technology has changed the business in many ways and that they must change the way they do business. You did nothing wrong. It's her responsibility as a professional to protect her business by negotiating an exclusivity agreement with the person hiring her.

[Atfulldraw]

No, you asked the person in charge -- the coach. And you got permission from her.

Sometimes photographers forget that they aren't the boss.....

So what if some parent has a camera? A pro deals with it.

and did you notice the deal was "unless you buy a package....." then you can take shots? WTH?

and some of you wonder why people would rather do it themselves.....it's because some pro photographers act like horses butts and make a scene like this when they don't get their way.

and yes, you should have ignored her and taken pictures of your child.
She was throwing a temper tantrum, and that's how you handle a tantrum -- by ignoring it

[bonita]

Originally Posted by Imagebuffet

From what I've seen, this is a sore point for professional photographers. Did the team meet together for you to shoot their photo, or for this photographer to shoot her photos? The photographer is trying to make a living, and this is how she does it. If you don't buy from her, then she goes out of business. Then, you get to schedule the next shoot on your own!

I know what you are saying but hey I thouth since I had first asked the person incharged, that it would be alright for me to take a shot....

But why does she makes it like if I do not buy anything from her then I can not take the shot? it's my money and my option to buy or not to buy right? or am I missing something here?

There was parents who asked me to re-take the pics after her because they were so unhappy with her... ( I didn't do it)
Thank :)

[bonita]

Originally Posted by KJ Smith

She was right, you were wrong.

Most likely could have been handled better by both parties.

Thanks for your in-put :)

[bonita]

Originally Posted by SCone

If the get-together was for the team shot, then yes, you were wrong. Anybody can take photos during practice, the games, etc, but the last thing a photographer needs in the middle of a photo shoot is a bunch of parents running around taking their own shots. And not buying anything.

Hey is not like she had a setting or anything, she was taking the pictures with a dozen or more kids running around her plus the waiting team practicing while she did the first. Do you know what I'm saying? It was nothing as formal and serious like it might sound :)


Not saying that i was 100% right but hey she surely did not acted like a pro to me.... and to the parents.

thanks.

[bonita]

Originally Posted by Angelo

If the pro felt intimidated by a camera then she has a problem. There's never a need to be rude, and by being so she probably lost business from some parents. All she has to do is make sure the school and coaches know her conditions. The school and coaches should be the ones to inform the parents that personal photos are not allowed.
And it should be in writing when they send out the notices of team photos to parents.

Exactly, she should of known better than screaming to every parent. (IF I'M TAKING PICTURES I DO NOT WHAT ANYBODY USING CELL PHONES OR ANYTHING TO TAKE PICTURES) She ended up putting her FOOT infront of this parent trying to stop her from shooting with an Iphone.... I really think that she over reacted and things could have been handled differently, to me she simply went over-board in a very unprofessional way.
IMHO

ty.

[Redneck]

Do you bring your own food when you go to a restaurant because it might taste even better but you like the facility?.
I think it was rude of you in the first place to mess with her work.