Score This: Photog 1, Cheapskate 0
We’re all pretty tired of being asked to shoot on spec, shoot for a low fee with the promise of more work, and that sort of nonsense. These two ads appeared on the Seattle Craigslist over the past two days. I think you’ll enjoy reading…
Need Photographer (originally posted March 10th)
We are a 5 person construction company and need to update our website and brochure with NEW images of our staff. We would like to give an opportunity to the right photographer to take our company images. Ideally we need a formal and an informal picture, also a landscape shot of our company vehicle. Basically these pictures will help us get off the ground and renovate our website.
If you do a good enough job on our company portraits then you will ideally be awarded a future PAID contract to take pictures of our job sites (once we get a job!). We will want to have the rights to be able to use the photos on our website and brochure/print media. You will get a boost to your portfolio!
Experience in corporate photography along with a portfolio is a MUST or your email will be disregarded. We are looking at scheduling the shoot within the next week so be prepared to move fast!
And then a clever photographer posted the following:
Need Construction Crew (originally posted March 12th)
We are a 5 person photography company and need to update our photography studio and shooting space with NEW office spaces for our staff. We would like to give an opportunity to the right construction crew to build our new company digs. Ideally we need a formal and an informal working space, also a landscape crew for our out side shooting area. Basically these structures will help us get off the ground and renovate our old space.
If you do a good enough job on our company building then you will ideally be awarded a future PAID contract to build structures of our photography clients (once we get a job!). We will want to have the rights to be able to exploit you as we see fit just for credit and a great job! You will get a boost to your structure building skills!
Experience in corporate building along with a portfolio is a MUST or your email will be disregarded, after all beggars can be choosers. We are looking at scheduling the construction within the next week so be prepared to move fast!
I don’t know who the authors are, if they care to be identified, I’ll add proper attribution if they contact me. What do you think?
groozi.com is a blog about negotiating and web marketing. Weekly posts are written primarily by me, Blake J. Discher, a 
44 Comments
Wing Wong
about 12 years agoVery funny, smart, and witty. Another kind of, not really related example is a sales person that is your friend trying to sell you on the same thing you already have but cost more, like insurance, but says I am your friend can you help me out so I can make a living!!! Why do you think I am trying to save money fool, so I can make a living!!! Or can you refer me to 10 people? Wait so now I am working for you for free and you are guilting me into look for referrals because I didn't buy from you!? Some times it is hard to settle for an honest living, when that dream seems so real. EX: Thinking that doing the photography for free will pay more dividends later than taking a job for horrible pay.
John Hryniuk
about 12 years agoTOOOOOO FUNNY... I love this. I don't come across too many potential clients like this anymore thankfully but they still crawl out of the woodwork from time to time. I just posted this video on my blog about a writer who keeps getting people asking him for free stuff..... http://blog.johnhryniuk.com/
Emily
about 12 years agoThis happens to writers as well. "What? Why do you expect me to pay you for something I could do on my own? How about if I let you do it for free and THEN if I need it again, I MIGHT consider paying you." If you didn't need someone to craft your writing for you, you wouldn't be looking for it for free. It takes time to write and proofread, and I value my work highly.
Colleen M
about 12 years agoLove this! I made the mistake of creating a website for some friends on the grounds that I would be paid "later". That never happened! Needless to say, I learned my lesson :)
Josee Talbot
about 12 years agoSad thing is, these kind of ads exist because some photographers go for it, thinking it will pay eventually... But more than often, after the first unpaid contract, nothing more will come! Too many aspiring photographers, too little job opportunity. I find the second ad very funny!!!! Well answered and hope those construction guys saw it!!!!
Rob G
about 12 years agoBrilliant....May I convert this to one for IT? where because I've worked in the Technical field and have supported many large companies' IT infrastructures and computing systems over the years, I get asked to do "fix my home computer work" pro bono... Mom, Dad, and Sisters are the ONLY ones who get freebies, the rest of you fools better pay double the going rate or go get GEEK SQUAD. =)
Indira Kenndy
about 12 years agoYet another incredibly insightful entry. If you could please update us about this story, that would be wonderful.
Sherri Paxton
about 13 years agoThat's pure genius! I'm a graphic designer as well as a photographer and I can't tell you how many "jobs" I've had to say no to, because I don't work for free. I usually say, "no thanks, my portfolio is fine without you".
geoff hodgkinson
about 13 years agoBrilliant! I'm a graphic designer, and I've had a similar experience on numerous occasions.
Eleanor Gannon
about 13 years agoAbsolute genius! It's sad when people think photography is a trade that doesn't have as much value because "all you need is a camera." So I'll work for free with the possibility of being paid for other work in the future... um, no thank you, I'll just stick to the work I get paid for.
LA Headshots
about 13 years agoHow clever! I'd love to find out who the authors are.
Ed
about 13 years agoBlake, That is brilliant. I loved it. Thanks for sharing, I wish we could post this somewhere where all future idiots could see, just how ridiculous their requests sound. I'm just not so sure they would get it though, B/C they obviously just "don't" get it! Thanks for the laugh!
Blake J. Discher
about 13 years agoI saw that as well, great visualization!
Joe Poniatowski
about 13 years agoWhat a clever response. Touché!
MURRAY
about 13 years agoThese tassers obviously thought someone would be stupid enough to fall for this sort of scam otherwise they would not have chanced it. It's a good warning to everyone to watch out for these clowns. What galls me is that they state quite openly that the applicants must have a lot of experience or will be ignored. Someone at that level in their career would not even bother to read the ad!
Tsu Dho Nimh
about 13 years agoROFLMAO! I absolutely love it, and will steal the idea the next time someone asks me to write something "for the exposure".
Graham Barclay
about 13 years agoClass!
Sam
about 13 years agoNice find. I saw this the other day which sums it up nicely: http://jhische.com/sneakpeek/workforfree.jpg
Paul Indigo
about 13 years agoThe perfect response. Excellent.
Joel Dean
about 13 years agoI love Harlan Ellison's video about a request for free use of his work: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE
Liang
about 14 years agoWhat a great comeback!
Sheila Smart
about 14 years agoClassic. I was recently approached by a national broadcaster in Australia who wanted an image of mine for the website. When I quoted a reasonable fee, I was advised "we don't have a budget for photography". My response was that they apparently had a budget for the web developer, the producer and her salary, so why were photographers expected to donate their work? Of course, I received no response. Sheila Sydney, Australia .-= Sheila Smart´s last blog ..Converting images to black and white or monochrome =-.
antonio
about 14 years agoAWESOME... I hate bottomfeeders that think we should work for free
Jim Goldstein
about 14 years agoPure genius! Love it.
James Markus
about 14 years agoBlake, this is such a good illustration of the inane ideas people have about photography pricing - that I would love your permission to link this page on my site. Never-the-less thanks for sharing it! Jim
Roy Booth
about 14 years agoas they say on the Mastercard ads - PRICELESS There are some people out there who have the gift of the witty and cutting reply, these authors are amongst them. As for the original construction crew, there's also a name for them 'Money grabbing Bar-stewards' don't even think of asking THEM for a discount.
Patrick Matte
about 14 years agoVery clever answer indeed. Sadly, photography is more of a non-tangible concept for some people and that's why the word is treated as such. And there will always be a photographer-wannabe to do this kind of job for free.
Barrie Spence
about 14 years agoYou might appreciate this ad for "Free wedding photography": http://dundee.gumtree.com/dundee/93/52198193.html.
f2point4
about 14 years agoLove it! Would like to join M Glenn in request to share this with anybody who offers a boost to my portfolio at my own expense. Kind of as free PR for the photography studio that wrote the ad. With a view of paying a modest fee for their next effort, if this one catches the imagination of enough people. :-D
Danne (@dcarlbom)
about 14 years agoThis was one of the best answers to cheapskates I've seen in a long while. Made me laugh :)
Rich Dyson
about 14 years agoSo fantastic. Sad thing is that I imagine more photographers applied than builders.
Paul Cook
about 14 years agoHaha! Absolutely brilliant! Need to remember this for some replies!
Mark
about 14 years agoClass
M Glenn
about 14 years agoI would like permission to share this on as many sites that seem to support giving away photography as possible. Thank you
Adrian Shanahan
about 14 years agoFantastic
Kyle Tunney
about 14 years agoHaha that's brilliant. Great ad posted by the photographer!!
Fractals
about 14 years agoPOsted to friendfeed, that will feed twitter and facebook - spot on - there should be more people that respond like this.
Nicholas McIntosh
about 14 years agoAwesome. I just posted this to my facebook fan page. Cheers Blake!
Carolyn Potts
about 14 years agoHopefully, this light-hearted but spot-on-response to what's really being asked of photographers by other supposedly creative (but oblivious) clients, will make its way virally into some other creative forums. Thanks, Blake, for both finding it posting. May it spread widely and quickly. I'm posting a link on my blog back to this post today!