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Ok, my brother and sister in law are the SC's here. I am an aspiering photographer. I've taken pictures for 9 years, but just recently started to realize my dream of making a living out if it. I've done portraits for a few people in our little community and they have been extremely pleased. (Which makes me very happy)
I've taken pictures of my neice since she was a baby, and my brother has always hounded me for copies. Untill last year I was delighted to do so. My sister in law wanted me to take pictures of both girls (they had another baby) for Father's Day. Of course I would but I just needed to know what time worked for them. My SIL has a "give a shite" attitude about everything and this was no different. I kept telling her what days I was free, and trying to get her pinned down for a date. I have a full time job and other activites that I've got going as well. "Idunnowhenever. Idontcare." Well, ho, I do. FINALLY she gave me a date. 2 days BEFORE Father's day. Fine, whatever, I'll make it work. I drive over to their place and I'm greeted with "I want you in and out of here in 20 minutes so that [brother] can come home."
20 minutes to shoot "perfect" portraits of a 3 month old baby? Maybe some people can do it, so I pressed on.
My SIL refuses to do house work. Anything from dusting to picking up the dirty dishes to folding the laundry. My brother works 14 hour days and is in no shape to scrub the kitchen floor when he gets home. Her attitude is "if it bothers him that much, then let him do it." In short, their house is filthy. I *can not* take pictures in this crap hole....so I suggest that we take the kids outside. They live on a farm, and my brother is a farmer, so naturally posing the kids in that setting would make for great pictures right? No. SIL refused to take the kids outside and demanded that I take them in the livingroom...and be quick about it. I tried to explain again about going outside, but NO. Ok, so here I am, in a filthy livingroom, with no natural light, and we've just spent 10 minutes clearing crap off the couch so that there is somewhere to sit down. Long story short, I take some of the worst pictures in my life and I'm kicked out. Not before she tells me that she HAS to have them by Thursday (it's Tuesday). She HAS to have them by Thursday because thats when they are picking up the other gift. OK, fine you blanking blank, I'll do my best. I get home and spend that night pouring over the pictures, pulling out every digital trick I can to salvage these dark, off color pieces of shite. I do my best, but they are still awful. HAD I been given more time, I COULD have done better to start with.
I have the prints processes for her, since she's on a tight time frame, payfor them with my own money and let her know they will be at the house for her to pick up on her way to work (we are on her way into town and I'm not home when she goes to work). This does not sit well with her, but I can't just drop them off at their place, since my brother would see them. Thursday comes.......and I get a call from my boyfriend who is spitting nails. Apparently SIL called him to say that she's too busy to get them today and wanted to make sure they would still be there tomorrow. BF gives her a curt yes of course and calls me. I'm f**king pissed off by now. She drilled me SO hard about how she HAD to have them by that day, I delivered and the b*tch is "too busy"? F*CK! If I could have had that other day to work on the pictures, may have been able to do something else with them!
Ok, so she comes and gets them on Friday. I get a call from my brother later on, thanking me for the pictures "even though they are pretty crappy."
Oh. F*ck. You.
I'm not going to explain to him that his wife was the cause of that. THEN I find out later that SIL had the GALL to COMPLAIN about having to come pick the pictures up herself! WTF DID YOU EXPECT YOU STUPID B*TCH??? Like I said, I can't just hand them to my idiot brother, now can I? SIL continued to bash my work (which was bad, but I don't think it really had anything to do with my skills) to people who've used me in the past. Thankfully, these people were in my corner and told her, in so many words, that she should have listened to my suggestions, since I'm the photographer. I did vow to never again take pictures for them, and I have not so far. I've also become estranged with my SIL. This was just the straw that broke the camels back, there was 8 years of staw building up to that one event. My brother has complained to me because I don't call her or "hang out" any more. He's never asked why, but I get the feeling he knows. They make a big production about letting me know they are taking the girls to Target for pictures now. I say go ahead, if I had a studio like that I'd be in hog heaven!!!! Before they found Target, they tried out a few different studios, making sure to mention in my company, that it's just so HARD to find a good photographer anymore.
I've started building a studio in our house, and I'm actually booked up untill June with appointments. My crappy pictures must not be too crappy for these people. I even had one out of state person inquire. They'd seen work I did for another couple, and now they are travling in for pictures of their daughter in May. YAY! (Actually I have engagement pictures this afternoon too!!)
I don't deny the pictures sucked @$$. But I tried to expline to her that I can't do it here in your dark and crap encrusted livingroom. There isnt enough light, nor is there anything for a backdrop that isn't dirty laundry and breakfast dishes (yeah, she couldn't even tidy up the house knowing she wanted to use it). You gave me an unreasonable demand of having things ready in 2 days, which I DID. YOU couldn't make it there to pick up your pictures on the day you insisted they be done. I paid for the enlargements to save YOU time. I NEVER asked for payment for the session nor reimbursment for the prints. You NEVER EVER once said "thank you"..AND you had the nuts to insult my work, to my face?
You can all just go to hell. I don't need you anyhow.
Honestly, was I sucky at all here? This was a year ago, and I am still so flipping mad about the way they treated me.
I've taken pictures of my neice since she was a baby, and my brother has always hounded me for copies. Untill last year I was delighted to do so. My sister in law wanted me to take pictures of both girls (they had another baby) for Father's Day. Of course I would but I just needed to know what time worked for them. My SIL has a "give a shite" attitude about everything and this was no different. I kept telling her what days I was free, and trying to get her pinned down for a date. I have a full time job and other activites that I've got going as well. "Idunnowhenever. Idontcare." Well, ho, I do. FINALLY she gave me a date. 2 days BEFORE Father's day. Fine, whatever, I'll make it work. I drive over to their place and I'm greeted with "I want you in and out of here in 20 minutes so that [brother] can come home."
20 minutes to shoot "perfect" portraits of a 3 month old baby? Maybe some people can do it, so I pressed on. My SIL refuses to do house work. Anything from dusting to picking up the dirty dishes to folding the laundry. My brother works 14 hour days and is in no shape to scrub the kitchen floor when he gets home. Her attitude is "if it bothers him that much, then let him do it." In short, their house is filthy. I *can not* take pictures in this crap hole....so I suggest that we take the kids outside. They live on a farm, and my brother is a farmer, so naturally posing the kids in that setting would make for great pictures right? No. SIL refused to take the kids outside and demanded that I take them in the livingroom...and be quick about it. I tried to explain again about going outside, but NO. Ok, so here I am, in a filthy livingroom, with no natural light, and we've just spent 10 minutes clearing crap off the couch so that there is somewhere to sit down. Long story short, I take some of the worst pictures in my life and I'm kicked out. Not before she tells me that she HAS to have them by Thursday (it's Tuesday). She HAS to have them by Thursday because thats when they are picking up the other gift. OK, fine you blanking blank, I'll do my best. I get home and spend that night pouring over the pictures, pulling out every digital trick I can to salvage these dark, off color pieces of shite. I do my best, but they are still awful. HAD I been given more time, I COULD have done better to start with.
I have the prints processes for her, since she's on a tight time frame, payfor them with my own money and let her know they will be at the house for her to pick up on her way to work (we are on her way into town and I'm not home when she goes to work). This does not sit well with her, but I can't just drop them off at their place, since my brother would see them. Thursday comes.......and I get a call from my boyfriend who is spitting nails. Apparently SIL called him to say that she's too busy to get them today and wanted to make sure they would still be there tomorrow. BF gives her a curt yes of course and calls me. I'm f**king pissed off by now. She drilled me SO hard about how she HAD to have them by that day, I delivered and the b*tch is "too busy"? F*CK! If I could have had that other day to work on the pictures, may have been able to do something else with them!
Ok, so she comes and gets them on Friday. I get a call from my brother later on, thanking me for the pictures "even though they are pretty crappy."
Oh. F*ck. You.
I'm not going to explain to him that his wife was the cause of that. THEN I find out later that SIL had the GALL to COMPLAIN about having to come pick the pictures up herself! WTF DID YOU EXPECT YOU STUPID B*TCH??? Like I said, I can't just hand them to my idiot brother, now can I? SIL continued to bash my work (which was bad, but I don't think it really had anything to do with my skills) to people who've used me in the past. Thankfully, these people were in my corner and told her, in so many words, that she should have listened to my suggestions, since I'm the photographer. I did vow to never again take pictures for them, and I have not so far. I've also become estranged with my SIL. This was just the straw that broke the camels back, there was 8 years of staw building up to that one event. My brother has complained to me because I don't call her or "hang out" any more. He's never asked why, but I get the feeling he knows. They make a big production about letting me know they are taking the girls to Target for pictures now. I say go ahead, if I had a studio like that I'd be in hog heaven!!!! Before they found Target, they tried out a few different studios, making sure to mention in my company, that it's just so HARD to find a good photographer anymore.
I've started building a studio in our house, and I'm actually booked up untill June with appointments. My crappy pictures must not be too crappy for these people. I even had one out of state person inquire. They'd seen work I did for another couple, and now they are travling in for pictures of their daughter in May. YAY! (Actually I have engagement pictures this afternoon too!!)
I don't deny the pictures sucked @$$. But I tried to expline to her that I can't do it here in your dark and crap encrusted livingroom. There isnt enough light, nor is there anything for a backdrop that isn't dirty laundry and breakfast dishes (yeah, she couldn't even tidy up the house knowing she wanted to use it). You gave me an unreasonable demand of having things ready in 2 days, which I DID. YOU couldn't make it there to pick up your pictures on the day you insisted they be done. I paid for the enlargements to save YOU time. I NEVER asked for payment for the session nor reimbursment for the prints. You NEVER EVER once said "thank you"..AND you had the nuts to insult my work, to my face?
You can all just go to hell. I don't need you anyhow.
Honestly, was I sucky at all here? This was a year ago, and I am still so flipping mad about the way they treated me.
"You'd feel a Hell of a lot better if you'd just rip into the occasional customer." 
but that's a story for another day) 
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