Really tacky!

[Len Middleton]

In my business practice advising clients, I find they often value the advise based upon that they pay for it. Therefore free advise is given little value...

I suspect it is not much different in other areas of business...

[Jac@stafford.net]

I see it on this and other forums where folks will work for free just for recognition. Some of this might be in the hopes they'll be discovered and eventually get pay jobs. Let me tell you it doesn't work like that.

It certainly doesn't. Could you share your experience with how it really does work?

I found that clients hired based upon qualities of reliability, talent, personality (cooperative, pleasant), and fee. I am no longer a pro, thankfully retired, and could not be pro due to health issues - the reliability concern, and quite possibly not talented enough today.

Oh, welcome to retirement. Don't let it drive you crazy.

[Don Dudenbostel]

If you give work away you will always be known for giving it away. It's correct you'll never get respect like those of us that charge a fee. Understand I'm always willing to work on a budget if my client has been with me for awhile but first timers for free, no way.

Retiring for me is redirecting. I do a lot of X-ray art and have galleries across the eastern US and that keeps my spare time occupied. I'm expanding that business and have my documentary and a book we did selling quite well. Im also introducing my collodion work now and that's gaining traction. Were moving to Southern AZ to an art community as well. I have several lifetimes of things I want to do.

Thanks!

[Jac@stafford.net]

I should have added one more thing regarding getting work, at least in photojournalistic day-rate assignments: so very often it did not matter how successful the name photographer had been in satisfying the clients' dreams. The client only wanted to capitalize upon his name even when the readership could only utter, WTF is this?

[Ari]

http://www.catherinedeveny.com/colum...equal-not.html

This woman's reply to an outfit who wanted her time and endorsement for nothing is a way to handle stuff like this.

Being able to reply that way to yet another lowball/insulting work offer is a dream for many of us; she handled it very well, as did (surprisingly) the lady who made the initial offer.

I'm nowhere near retirement, but I am on a self-imposed hiatus from commercial photography, as these kinds of offers, and attitudes, were quickly becoming the norm when I called it a day.

[mdarnton]

Almost 40 years ago I had a local electrical power company approach me to do free work for their annual report. At the time, I was working on a daily paper that covered four counties, and as the only staff photographer had about five photos a day in the paper, six days a week, had won a few statewide journalism awards, knew hundreds or perhaps thousands of people in the community, through my paper work, and was well known by sight (I was easy to spot--that was the 70s) by the people I didn't personally know. The power co rep offered that their annual report would be great exposure for me. I laughed. And I had to explain it to her. Some people are just beyond dense. :-)

Before that I had worked in a commercial studio for a few years. The owner had a very enlightened policy: if he personally was sufficiently into your cause or your friendship, he didn't charge, but everyone else, friend or foe, got the same price. He was involved in several community organizations and often sent me out to shoot their stuff; even though he didn't get paid, I did, from him.

It really helps to not get too personally wrapped up in taking yourself too seriously. That allows you a lot of latitude to just shrug and walk away from things you don't want to get involved in.

[Drew Wiley]

I'd simply reply, "Do you work for free?"

[Mark Sawyer]

I had a similar thing about three years ago. I did a freebie for three days for the United Way. I directed the lighting for a series of TV commercials and did the still photos for the ads. All of the crew did it for free and we didn't even get a thanks. No thanks at all! The real kicker was the agency that asked all of us including the writer to do this for free got paid by the United Way.

The head of United Way has a salary right around a million a year...

http://www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/Top25.html

[BarryS]

The head of United Way has a salary right around a million a year...

http://www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/Top25.html

United Way probably had no idea the agency was begging for handouts. You can bet the agency had a sufficient budget and they figured they could pocket the difference by playing the charity card and getting free labor.

[ghostcount]

Quinn Jacobson also recently experienced an unprofessional solicitation by Lame-ography.

http://collodion.com/forum_posts.asp...y-petzval-lens