u/Ready_Baker3972

Hi everyone, coming here for some advice. I’m a freelance photographer (it’s a side gig for me, and always will be, I have a full time career I love). I’ve been approached last month to cover a 300-person Indian engagement ceremony at a large wedding venue in London (UK), and the event is in a month (so he reached out 2 months before the event). The venue is well known, and will be the first of that size I’d have shot. He has explicitly said he wants to move ahead with me, but hasn't paid a deposit or signed a contract (both I have explained are needed before booking is confirmed, but he has spent a long time with a lot of micro enquiries in the discussion).

Over roughly a month of discussion (A lot of back and forth), the scope has gradually increased:

• Client originally wanted extensive guest/candid coverage, which led me to recommend a second shooter with me. He declines this, expecting me to do it on my own, and after push back, finally accepts it. 
• He then asked me to also record dance performances on video, which I declined, he moved the conversation to hybrid shooting at the same rate while ignoring my prior concerns. 
• He then wanted to stagger the two photographers' 6-hour shifts so I could start and end 1.5 hours earlier than my second shooter for a couple pre-shoot and then my colleague takes over (A logistical nightmare, aimed to keep the same rate but expand coverage). I declined and explained the pre-shoot would need separate dedicated coverage, I’d offered to arrive an hour earlier to do this properly for them, and my number 2 would arrive at 1pm. He declined and confirmed both photographers 1–7pm.
• Before taking any deposit/signing a contract, I requested his schedule and detailed shot requirements, I normally and flexible on the shot requirements as 90% of my clients are very easy going, but I just had a bad feeling about this guy. 
• His final brief contains many dozens (70+) of “must-have” shots, including specific reactions/candids throughout the event, extensive family/group photos, individual guest photos, performances, dinner, dancing etc. Reading the detailed list, I’d gauge deliverables are 35-40% larger than he’d initially portrayed them to be. He covered every inch of the 6 hour event. 
• Most importantly, the couple/family pre-shoot has now reappeared inside the 1–7pm coverage, despite our previous discussions about it requiring additional pre-event coverage. He has slid it in at 1pm to be done while guests arrive, but also expect shots of the empty hall & decor (physically impossible if guests are entering), and has slid it in after 2 conversations on this costing more. I found it amazing he had expected 1 photographer to be able to pull this off initially. 
• There's effectively no break during the six hours for either of us to even get food. while one person is shooting the guests eating the other is doing the group photos.  Even a short 10 min break to recharge and have a bite to eat  is standard for Indian events, and he seems to expect us to shoot the entire time none stop.

 

No contract has been signed and I haven't taken any money/deposit yet. He has had a barrage of questions the last 5 weeks, which I’d entertained because the venue would be valuable to have in my portfolio.  But after the repeated scope changes and extremely prescriptive final brief, I'm concerned about client expectations and problems after delivery.

Just wanted to get some thoughts from fellow photographers in this space. My gut has a bad feeling about this, but I wonder if I should pass the opportunity to put a well known indian venue on my portfolio for the future, but he is definitely a big headache, and given what I feel are multiple red flags. Worth noting I have given a price below the industry standard (probably 40%% lower), but for when the deliverables were for a more standard engagement ceremony, and he is clearly not been willing to spend more, having tried to find new ways to slot in more deliverables in his schedule for no added cost, despite me even giving very modest increases for things like the pre-shoot. I wondered if I should just walk away, or offer a higher price with clear take it ore leave it expectations (despite him breaking them a few times subtly) and see how it goes. Any advice will be appreciated, I’ll be actioning this in the evening with a decision.

EDIT - Just to keep everyone updated, thanks to much of the great advice on here, I went ahead and rejected the gig. I wrote a fairly detailed email just to cover my tracks for reasons why and previous correspondence in case they do get the idea of causing issues with me, and I offered to get him in touch with some other photographers in my network and wished him well on his engagement. The response I got after that was exactly this:

“Okay no worries, I will arrange for another photographer.”

And that’s that, I’ve moved in. Thank you all very much, just needed that extra kick to make sure I don’t fall into something that may have been a real issue for me going forward.

Hi everyone, coming here for some advice. I’m a freelance photographer (it’s a side gig for me, and always will be, I have a full time career I love). I’ve been approached to cover a 300-person Indian engagement ceremony at a large wedding venue in London (UK), the venue is well known, and will be the first of that size I’d have shot. He has explicitly said he wants to move ahead with me, but hasn't paid a deposit or signed a contract (both I have explained are needed before booking is confirmed, but he has spent a long time with a lot of micro enquiries in the discussion).

Over roughly a month of discussion (A lot of back and forth), the scope has gradually increased:

• Client originally wanted extensive guest/candid coverage, which led me to recommend a second shooter with me. He declines this, expecting me to do it on my own, and after push back, finally accepts it. 
• He then asked me to also record dance performances on video, which I declined, he moved the conversation to hybrid shooting at the same rate while ignoring my prior concerns.
• He then wanted to stagger the two photographers' 6-hour shifts so I could start and end 1.5 hours earlier than my second shooter for a couple pre-shoot and then my colleague takes over (A logistical nightmare, aimed to keep the same rate but expand coverage). I declined and explained the pre-shoot would need separate dedicated coverage, I’d offered to arrive an hour earlier to do this properly for them, and my number 2 would arrive at 1pm. He declined and confirmed both photographers 1–7pm.
• Before taking any deposit/signing a contract, I requested his schedule and detailed shot requirements, I normally and flexible on the shot requirements as 90% of my clients are very easy going, but I just had a bad feeling about this guy. 
• His final brief contains many dozens (70+) of “must-have” shots, including specific reactions/candids throughout the event, extensive family/group photos, individual guest photos, performances, dinner, dancing etc. Reading the detailed list, I’d gauge deliverables are 35-40% larger than he’d initially portrayed them to be. He covered every inch of the 6 hour event.
• Most importantly, the couple/family pre-shoot has now reappeared inside the 1–7pm coverage, despite our previous discussions about it requiring additional pre-event coverage. He has slid it in at 1pm to be done while guests arrive, but also expect shots of the empty hall & decor (physically impossible if guests are entering), and has slid it in after 2 conversations on this costing more. I found it amazing he had expected 1 photographer to be able to pull this off initially.
• There's effectively no break during the six hours for either of us to even get food. while one person is shooting the guests eating the other is doing the group photos. Even a short 10 min break to recharge and have a bite to eat is standard for Indian events, and he seems to expect us to shoot the entire time none stop.

No contract has been signed and I haven't taken any money/deposit yet. He has had a barrage of questions the last 5 weeks, which I’d entertained because the venue would be valuable to have in my portfolio.  But after the repeated scope changes and extremely prescriptive final brief, I'm concerned about client expectations and problems after delivery.

Just wanted to get some thoughts from fellow photographers in this space. My gut has a bad feeling about this, but I wonder if I should pass the opportunity to put a well known indian venue on my portfolio for the future, but he is definitely a big headache, and given what I feel are multiple red flags. Worth noting I have given a price below the industry standard (probably 40%% lower), but for when the deliverables were for a more standard engagement ceremony, and he is clearly not been willing to spend more, having tried to find new ways to slot in more deliverables in his schedule for no added cost, despite me even giving very modest increases for things like the pre-shoot. I wondered if I should just walk away, or offer a higher price with clear take it ore leave it expectations (despite him breaking them a few times subtly) and see how it goes. Any advice will be appreciated, I’ll be actioning this in the evening with a decision.

EDIT - Just to keep everyone updated, thanks to much of the great advice on here, I went ahead and rejected the gig. I wrote a fairly detailed email just to cover my tracks for reasons why and previous correspondence in case they do get the idea of causing issues with me, and I offered to get him in touch with some other photographers in my network and wished him well on his engagement. The response I got after that was exactly this:

“Okay no worries, I will arrange for another photographer.”

And that’s that, I’ve moved in. Thank you all very much, just needed that extra kick to make sure I don’t fall into something that may have been a real issue for me going forward.