Am I Just Being Churlish or . . . .

As some of you may remember, I was scheduled to shoot the Gulfstream Rottweiler Specialty on December 8 even though I was still wearing a splint on my left arm. So, having practiced with the tripod and right-handed toy toss, we drove the 3 1/2 hours to Miami and, because we were going to be there, we brought Moxie to show in Sweepsteaks and Regular Class.

I set up my equipment, greeted the Sweepsteaks judge who I know fairly well from the Nationals I've shot and watched the Sweepsteaks where Moxie took Best Of Opposite Sex to a very nice 6-9 Puppy Dog. After the Sweeps judging was over, I started to enter the ring for photos and the show chair came up to me and said "you're not shooting this show." I told her that I had accepted her invitation to shoot it in June and that my name was published in the Premium List. "No" she said, "you can't shoot a show in which you are showing your own dog." At that point, folks are standing in the ring waiting for pictures so I just said quietly, "no, Grace. You're wrong. But if you want the other guy to shoot this show, that's fine with me." And I packed up my camera gear and went in to help bait the dogs for photos.

Linda, meanwhile, is absolutely ripped. The show chair is a very good friend of ours and Linda knew she had hired me and never had said anything about my not being able to shoot and exhibit. Which she couldn't because my contract for every show I shoot has a clause granting me permission to exhibit my dogs as long as I don't show them myself. And that includes every contract for this particular Specialty which I've shot 10 times plus the ARC National which I've shot 6 times. So, while I'm helping out with photos, Linda marches up to the Superintendent's table, grabs a copy of the original Premium List which names me as the photographer and marches over to Grace and sticks it in front of her nose. Grace turns white, says OMG I made a mistake and now realizes she has to do something she has dreaded her entire life -- apologize to me .

I simply accepted the apology, told her I understood how things could get mixed up and told her I love her and there are no hard feelings.

So, now, 3 weeks later, folks start getting their photos including ours of Moxie. I always get my Specialty photos out in 1 week. But that's a minor point. The photo of Moxie is not very good but that's as much my fault as the photographer's. However, Moxie's dad, Presley, won the Stud Dog class at the Specialty showing with Moxie, her sister Fergie and bother Ike. Presley's owner sent me the print she had received. The sign had no Award on it. The top half was just blank with the name of the show (wrong show) and the name of the photographer. The photographer had obviously forgotten to bring his Specialty signs.

A couple of days later, I received an email from the woman who owns the puppy who went Best In Sweepsteaks. She told me the sign in her photo said "Doberman Pinscher Club of South Florida". So, because I do all my signs digitally and the other guys apparently can't, I've offered to fix both the Stud Dog photo and the Best In Sweeps photo. No charge. Just because. My question is: should I also offer to fix the show chair's copy of the photos which she publishes on her website? Or should I simply let her publish the photos as they were sent out to the owners -- complete with bills?

Jim

Tough one. First off, can you legally alter the other guy's photos to begin with?

For the show chair, I guess it depends on how much you like her, what the relationship is worth or whether you want to make a point.

If it were me, I'd send her a bill for the show (just like the show that booked the other guy a while back (last year?) and they basically paid you not to work it.

I'd make it clear that if she can't pay, I wouldn't fix the photos.

Of course, once I get my temper up, I'm a complete ass, but it does take quite a bit to get me there and the target of my ire usually deserves it.

If you want to be nice about it, I'd point out that her mistake not only cost you the income, but caused a photographer that apparently either doesn't know what he's doing or was in fog that day to totally screw up everyone's photos.

Jim,
I first contacted the photographer that sent out the photos and told him that since the dogs in the photos I was talking about were mine (a small stretch of the truth) and that we were thinking of running the photos in our magazine with his copyright intact, I'd like them not to make him look like a total a**Hole. He seemed to like that idea . I've only altered the parts of the sign that were either blank or in error and I've matched it to the rest of the sign with his signature. So, he's not only fine with it, he's relieved he doesn't have to come up with a fix.

As for retribution to the show chair, no, I won't do that. She's a friend and she simply forgot and then exacerbated the situation by inventing a reason for something that was unreasonable. When you get to be our age, you will be more compassionate with those types of behaviors . The folks who took the photos own the Conformation market in FL and this is not going to change that. Which is fine. I'm not out to hurt anyone. But I know that if I had made similar mistakes, I'd be castigated (read that carefully) but, because of the way I do signs, I can't make those mistakes. Or, if I do, I can easily fix them.

I've always bent over backwards to give this person her website images within 48 hours, and prints to winners within a week. It's clear that neither better images nor better service are relevant factors in who gets hired but I did think that loyalty would outweigh faulty memory. I guess not. There really is no right answer. I'll just tuck that situation into my experience log and move on. For me, the bottom line is that the exhibitors should get a good and correct product. The rest of this is just pure BS so if I can help create that product, I'm happy to do so. I will never get credit for it nor will I get compensated but at least I'll be happy with what I see in the mirror every morning -- well, with some adjustments for those jowels and double-chins

Jim

LoL. I think you'll get more "credit" than you think. A deposit in the emotional piggy bank at least from the folks whose photos you fix and maybe even the photographer whose face you are saving.

We all make mistakes (I recently stood up a client as we know, AND I made a referral to another photographer that ended up in a HORRIBLE session for another client), it's how those mistakes are dealt with that counts.

Hopefully, she'll remember that she "owes you one."

It sounds like you have bent over far enough for her when you were so gracious at the show. I would not fix anything else for her. She made her bed......
Frankly I would be surprised if she asked you to fix it and if she did - shame on her. If you offered, well, only you can decide how much you will do before you call uncle.

I know who Grace is... she is... ahem... well known in the Rottweiler circle, and I can see her marching up to you, Jim, and telling you can't photograph, but since you are friends and obviously want to remain friends, you did the right thing. But I whole heartedly agree that exhibitors deserve to get a good quality photo of their win. The photo is very important to themand well it should be.

Everyone has an opinion about Grace . We know her well and understand things most people simply don't know. Yesterday, she called to ask if I would shoot her upcoming Specialty in March as well as two other Specialties at the same location. This will not only replace the missing income from the December show but also make a reasonable profit. I, of course, told her "yes". I also told her we'd be entering some dogs in her show. She was delighted.

Life goes on. I'm getting too old to hold grudges. They help nobody and hurt only the people who hold them.

Jim

Sounds good, but did you at least mention something to her so that you don't end up in the same boat twice?

Jim,
there was nothing to mention. She knows she screwed up and I have accepted her apology. I'm not into beating horses or issues to death. This was her way to make up for the other situation and that's really all you can ask of anybody.

Jim

Ah. I didn't recall reading of an apology, unless her offering you the upcoming three trials was the apology.

I just figured you would have covered those anyway.

Quote:

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So, while I'm helping out with photos, Linda marches up to the Superintendent's table, grabs a copy of the original Premium List which names me as the photographer and marches over to Grace and sticks it in front of her nose. Grace turns white, says OMG I made a mistake and now realizes she has to do something she has dreaded her entire life -- apologize to me .

I simply accepted the apology, told her I understood how things could get mixed up and told her I love her and there are no hard feelings.

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From my initial post. You must have missed it -- the post was pretty long.

As for the Specialties, I figured on the Rottie one but not the others. They've always used the All Breed show photographers in previous years so that's actually a pretty nice package. Regardless, my point is that there is no need to rub anybody's nose in anything. Mistakes are made; people forget things; life goes on. And, given the quality of the images from that show, I doubt the same mistake will be made in the future. I understand the show chair received numerous complaints !

Cheers,

Jim