Today, I have a cover shoot scheduled for late in the day in South Florida. This morning, the owners of the dog I'm shooting emailed and said the breeder had an "amazing" photo that she thought would make a great cover. Un huh. So, I asked if the breeder could send us a copy of the image. The breeder doesn't have a scanner.

So, the trip to South Florida will take us about 2 hours. The current temps are 90 degrees and the chance of showers at around 6 pm, when it should start to cool down, is about 80 percent. Without seeing the "amazing" photo, we can't cancel the shoot but if it truly is amazing then we wouldn't have to go through with it. So I suggested that the owners drive across town, get the print, scan it and send it to us. Which they did.

The "amazing" photo was taken at the Atlanta shows, indoors, at very high ISO and the dog is actually in silhouette. He is also posting (rocked back off of his front) and has his tongue out. The breeder claims that the photographer can "fix" the lighting issues. I claim that if she could, she would have. Plus, I'd never run that image as a cover photo under any circumstances.

So, after an hour of discussions, the photo shoot is back on. It's going to be a difficult situation since we'll be shooting outdoors but whatever we get will be better than the "amazing" image provided by the breeder. I asked if the breeder had paid for that image and they said "yes". Personally, I would have dumped it. It never would have made my "keepers" folder.

It all goes to illustrate both the lack of professional skill at the photographer end and the lack of taste of people on the buying end. Can people really not tell the difference between a good image and a bad one? Or is that more naive than any question I've ever asked in my life?

Jim

I have run the gamut with clients. I have one client that is sooooo picky, Its very hard to shoot for them. Nice people, just very very picky.

I have had others that use my photos that I might have as a keepsake, but, not for ads.

Not to mention I see ads and think that they have made their dog look worse than it is with that photo. So, the long answer to your question is that NO many people cannot see a crappy photo

Julie,
I looked through the last issue of Dog News and one of the ads had the dog posting so badly I actually laughed out loud. Those people could not possibly have thought that the dog was set up correctly! Could they?

And they spend a lot of $$ to look foolish. I'm not talking about a mediocre photo. The dog was actually leaning backwards and hinging in the middle! That's the type of photo where as a photographer, you look at it, toss it away and send the owners a coupon for a free photo session.

I really don't mind folks being difficult or picky IF they know what they are looking for and IF they know it when they see it. My problem is when folks try to convince me to take a picture from the wrong angle. Like a dog with a topline that slopes too much in the croup and they want it shot full profile when it should be shot 3/4.

An advertiser always has to understand that your competition is looking for things to criticize about your dog. You shouldn't pay good money to give them ammunition. The image I referred to in my original post was of a dog with very dark markings. He appears to be very dark in the face. That's a fault and the folks with dogs with excellent and distinct markings can attack him on that point. The photo made him look entirely black. Duh. Now, that's the wrong answer.

Maybe nobody sees their dog they way an "outsider" does. I'm probably just as blind about my own dogs.

Jim

I've had people complain that my lighting made their cat look 'wrong' ie, rings on the tail or a white locket not allowed only to hear that the kitty was DQ'ed for that fault later in the weekend. People don't always 'see' what their pet really looks like.

I liken it to what you see when you look in the mirror everyday, compared to what you see when you look at a photo of yourself.

Last night's shoot was 2 hours @ 90 degrees and a dog with no Obedience training: "we don't want to correct him in case he loses his drive." Huh? And the owner is an Obedience Trainer!

Lovely Rottie that I've known from puppyhood and who loves me. But couldn't keep him nailed to the ground -- should have brought the superglue. Plus, couldn't get the mouth closed. Tried everything but it was just too hot. Pretty setting with lots of Plumeria. Lighting went from lovely to not there by 7 pm. I'll review the images later today -- this morning we see if Juneau's pregnant. Please, cross fingers and toes and utter some fertility chants !!

Jim

Hey Jim,

This is a great story...albeit a frustrating one. I would like to see what you got - even if you are not 100% satisifed with it.

James