what do you guys think is fair?
cameragirl21 wrote: ok, i am having a certain, repetitive problem with clients--they are pretty much always late for photoshoots! most recently, a family with a soon to be 4 year old girl and a 3 month old boy were 45 minutes late to a photoshoot, which i'm sure you understand, completely threw off my day and led me to have to either spend less time with them and hope the pics they get are ok OR spend enough time with them and make all my other subsequent clients wait...as an artist, i always choose the latter however it would be a lie to say it doesn't make me angry.
5 minutes late i can live with but 30 minutes or more is unacceptable IMO.
here's the thing--the mom and dad said that they were ready on time, it's the kids that weren't...it seems the baby was being fussy, etc.
my GA and my assistants feel i should charge people extra for being late or at least make that a policy and then decide at the time whether or not i wish to enforce it.
here are some examples of what other photogs do--one charges 300 dollars for a maximum of half an hour, giving you 60 pics, all of which you'll get in 4x6...if you're late, you get whatever's left of the half hour, meaning if you show up 20 minutes, late, she'll spend 10 minutes with your family. it's no wonder her pics aren't wonderful though, because in my experience, it sometimes takes as much as 30 minutes for a child to relax with a stranger (the photographer) and it's rarely in the first 30 minutes that you'll get your best pics. other photogs charge you per hour, anywhere from 150 to 300 per hour and if you're 45 minutes late, you'll pay the per hour rate for that.
i'm a bit torn because i understand that when you have children your life often doesn't go as planned and just because you have a certain schedule and plan for the day, doesn't mean the kids will follow it. sometimes when you have a toddler and a baby, you will run late, that's just par for the course.
however, my GA and assistants pointed out that if you're trying to catch an airplane, it won't wait because your kid is fussy and you'll miss your flight if you're not on time, that said, most people make an extra effort to get up extra early to catch the plane, and my staff feels that if i penalized people for being late they'd make an extra effort for me as well.
i want to be fair, i think charging someone 100 bucks or more for being late is a bit much but i can't just have my whole day thrown off because someone couldn't get his/her kids into their clothes for a photoshoot on time, i think parents should know that they need to prepare ahead of time for these sorts of things.
i also am dumbfounded by how many screaming babies i get and i turn to the mother and ask, "did you nurse him/her before bringing him/her here?" and they're like, "um, no." a fed baby is a happy baby and what i end up with nearly daily is moms feeding on my set which i wouldn't mind if it didn't take so long and remember, i have a staff and it takes up everyone's time.
would you find it rude if i told anyone with a baby who is 1 or younger that i need them to feed the baby before bringing him/her for pics?
i hope this post doesn't offend or upset anyone, i just need to know two things, if you don't mind answering--how many minutes late should be considered acceptable before i start penalizing in some way and what would you feel is a fair penalty and is it rude of me to clearly say on my website and/or contract that a nursing baby or even bottle fed under the age of 1 needs to be fed beforehand to avoid a cranky, screaming baby?
holley79 replied: We just had pictures done of Catelynn and Annika about a week ago. We arrived 15-20 minutes prior to our scheduled photo shoot so we could dress the babes. I then nursed Annika and she was fed prior to her photoshoot. Luckily with A she is more apt to nurse quicker then some because of her age. I think this all need to be taken into consideration when you have children. If everything has been done and you still have a cranzy baby they you did the best you could.
I will see if I can find our contract. There was a late clause in there also. You have to call if you are going to be late and if possible reschedule (depending on how late). I think there was a 50.00 late fee if you were going to be more then 30 minutes late and you did not call prior to. I remember her stating that children are not an excuse for being late but things do happen along the way. (She was very nice about it when she said this also.) I would just come up with something and make it a rule that must be followed each and every time.
gr33n3y3z replied: what ever you choose to do make sure its in the contract
luvbug00 replied: personally I say you make an appointment with a professional then you should be ready when you arrive ( child tamed and all. BTW they should have schudaled this at a time when they knew their child would be at their best **madybe make that a seggestion in your brochures**) anyway i would charge for overtime and put it in the contract.
C&K*s Mommie replied: $50 for the first 30 to 59mins late then $100 60mins 90mins seems more than fair. Then maybe beyond 90mins late a reschedule would be mandatory.
A clause about calling to inform you that the client will be late would be fair as well.
I would not be offended about the mere suggestion of feeding a baby beforehand. I would not put it in the contract though. On the website definately, since a feeding schedule would effect the time of the appointment. Also mentioning feeding a child prior to the shoot when discussing the setting, any outfits, etc before the final contract is signed.
CantWait replied:
I agree.
It's definetly not rude to ask to feed and dress baby before hand. It takes to much time.
Also charging extra for late appointments is more then fair. There's no excuse, if I know I have to be somewhere at a certain time then I do everything early even fi it means I'm at my sceduled appointment earlier then expected. It's just common courtesy.
MotherForever2043 replied:
I agree. And also, make sure you take your time to read the contract.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I didn't read what everyone else wrote, but YES, I think it's perfectly fair to charge people for being late. Wil's little school charges $1 for every minute a parent is late, starting after 10 minutes I think. I also think it's fair to put on your website a list of "Suggestions to Parents for a successful photoshoot" and include the note about feeding your child before you arrive. BUT make sure it's in bold and maybe have parents sign it with their contract. Not everyone reads. Timing is everything when it comes to photos with kids (I know that from experience with my own), so it must be planned out ahead of time. I think it's fair if a hair styist charges me if I'm late, so why wouldn't it be fair if you did??
Calimama replied:
I agree. When we do pictures we make sure Bella is fed, dressed and ready to go before we even get there. I cant believe people would think they could do it in the middle of the shoot. 
sparkys2boys replied:
I agree, your also paying for this so you would think the people would of wanted to get all of there time with you in and not be rushed.
Cece00 replied: I think if they are 20 min late or more, they should have to pay a late fee or reschedule. And perhaps if they call, and TELL YOU they are running late and its a legit reason, you can rescind the late fee. I would be furious if I had to wait to do my shoot because some other inconsiderate person was running REALLY late.
My3LilMonkeys replied:
 Although I would suggest making feeding the baby more of a suggestion than a rule. I would avoid feeding Brooke right before pictures because she had reflux and I was afraid she's spit up all over the place - I'd try to find other ways to make her calm and happy instead.
Hillbilly Housewife replied: in my opinion... anyone with kids knows kids will make you late. Especially if it's the SECOND child... so you have to get ready and leave earlier.
And, if you know that you need to get the baby re-dressed before the photo shoot... whouldn't that be your responsibility (as in the parents) to get there a little early so that you can dress your baby and be there on TIME?
I used to get a little annoyed when I'd get charged an additional fee etc... but I likened it to this... if I go to a mechanic, and they charge me as per the book, which is a 30 minute job in the book, even if it only takes 10 minutes, is still charged for 30 minutes... well I'm sorry, but that mechanic WILL sit with me for the extra 20 minutes. I paid for the 30 minutes... why should they get money for the time spent, more than once? 
So I agree with you
MyBlueEyedBabies replied: I would totally charge a late fee but and not give them extra time to the point that the rest of your day and clients are inconvenienced also. I have 3 kids and one of them would often go through a few outfits before we could get out the door but still I am never late...I hate being late anywhere. I just learned how much earlier I need to leave to get somewhere on time. ANd I think it is totally reasonable to request a fed baby so you can have the best chance at good pics. If the parents don't want to take the time to prepare for good pics it's their fault they dont get the good ones.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I don't know if anyone already suggested this...but what about asking for a deposit? This way you can cash the deposit if they are late. This would probably help people be on time! We all have been late, but come on! I don't think it's fair to make your next client wait because of someone else's tardiness. Like Lisa said, if someone is late and their child is fussy, it's their own fault that the photos don't come out that well, not your's! JMHO.
Jamison'smama replied: I think I would make a strict reschedule policy. If you are going to be more than X min. late, you will need to call to reschedule. A deposit will come in handy here also, if they don't call or refuse to reschedule and just cancel, you have some money for your wasted time. If they do come on time etc. the deposit can go towards pictures, fees etc. I think the thing that makes me the most frustrated is when I am on time and the photographer makes me wait. I plan so specifically, feeding them, dressing them for the minimum wrinkling time, my daughter's hair only lasts for a short amount of time before it gets wiggy--never mind that the kids start getting cranky as can be having to wait in a small area with nothing to do.
Sounds frustrating. Hope you come up with something. My studio often reminds me of things like feeding them when I shedule the appointment or get the reminder call. You can also send an email with suggestions for clothing, feeding, props etc.
Nina J replied: I think its fair, but I also think life is unpredictable. My kids can be uncooperative at the worst moment and make me late, even if I was all set to go.
hawkshoe replied:
I agree with this.
45 minutes late is inconsiderate to you and your other clients. There definately needs to be some penalty assessed. As for the feeding, I would not make it a contract issue, but rather put it on the website and maybe on a separate piece of paper as a suggestion (along with others) for a successful shoot.
Kirstenmumof3 replied:  I sympathise with the problem that you are having! I agree that there should be some sort of penalty for being late. I know that Sears charges if you are late. I'm not sure what kind of a price I would put, only because I'm not in the business and don't know what would be acceptable.
I did have a situation with my own family where the parents and the baby showed up 45 minuntes late for the babies christening. It was wierd, everyone else arrived on time and there reasoning was they had to feed the baby.
b&bsmom replied: I agree you should make some policy on being late, and either rescheduling or a fee, I would also make up a suggestion sheet, where you could put, make appt. at best time for child, it is helpful to have child fed before shoot, to keep them happy, that sort of thing. I see nothing wrong with making a fee for being late, or even if they need to feed or change outfits what have you, make it a time limit and if they exceed that limit because of feedings or outfit changes then you need to pay extra. Good luck!!!
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