You “Don’t Do Contracts”, I Don’t Do The Job

I do some freelance photography work on the side to help fund my photography hobby. I’ve done a couple of small shows for a couple of friends’ bands, and I have gotten some great feedback on the photos that I’ve taken. One of the local promoters took notice of the traction I was gaining with the local scene.

Client: “I’m putting on a battle of the bands over the next couple of months. Would you be interested in taking pictures?”

Me: “Well, that’s six shows, each show is about four hours long, and I’ll need to do about six hours of editing and sorting per set. I’m definitely interested, but since it’s such a large undertaking, I would need to discuss compensation.”

Client: “Okay. Cool. Well, don’t do it if it’s an ordeal.”

Me: “It’s no ordeal; I can get a contract over to you to sign by tomorrow.”

Client: “If it’s a pain, don’t worry about it.”

This is when I realized that he wanted this to be done for free but wasn’t saying it outright.

Me: “It’s not a pain; it’s just the time involved. I enjoy doing it. It’s a side job for me, though.”

Client: “If you have the free time, come down. If not, no biggie. Everything we have for the budget is tied up in the show.”

Translation: “Come shoot it for free anyway.”

Me: “With editing, each show is at least eight to ten hours of work for me. If I’m going to do that, I need to be paid. I’m into the event, so I’d be willing to do it for $150 per show, which is really cheap for what I’m doing. If you want, I can put together a contract for you and you can have a look.”

Client: “I completely understand.”

No, you don’t.

Client: “It’s a lot of work to take pictures all night.”

The photos are the easy part.

Client: “I personally don’t do contracts of any kind. So sending me anything wouldn’t matter.”

Translation: “I still want you to come and shoot for free, and I’m terrified of contracts, so I won’t agree to one because I don’t want to be legally bound to my end of a deal.”

Me: “Contracts are pretty great. They just make sure everyone holds up their end of the deal.”

I never heard back.