A pack and not a herd
So we fear collaboration.
Why?
Look, when your client hires you, they're not just hiring you. They're hiring your assistant(s), your lab, your stylist(s), your accountant, every single person you use to keep your business running. If one of those links fails you, your relationship with your client is damaged as much as if your strobes didn't fire.
So why are we afraid to bring in another shooter to do lighting? Or hire a fashion shooter to direct a model? Is Martin Scorsese threatened by his cinematographer? Was Miles Davis quaking at the thought of having to play with John Coltrane? Who's more important to The Mote In God's Eye, Larry Niven or Jerry Pournelle?
I can understand there being some issues with stealing the client when you bring in another shooter, but that can be overcome with the right words on the contract. And any worries with your client about seeming inadequate to the task can be overcome by couching it in terms of bringing in the right people to make the picture better. The client understands you're not a makeup wiz, they can understand you wanting to bring in a specialist in another area.
It can be done. I've seen it done. Don, Daniel and I shot a couple of skating competitions this way. Who was most important to the shoot? We all were. If one of us left, the whole operation would fall apart. So why doesn't it happen more frequently? Are our egos that fragile that we can't learn from each other without being threatened? Do we think our fellow shooters are all out to stab us in the back? And do we think this is something our clients don't notice?
You are not more important than the photo. The photo is not more important than you. What IS most important is the client gets the absolute best photo for his money.
Why?
Look, when your client hires you, they're not just hiring you. They're hiring your assistant(s), your lab, your stylist(s), your accountant, every single person you use to keep your business running. If one of those links fails you, your relationship with your client is damaged as much as if your strobes didn't fire.
So why are we afraid to bring in another shooter to do lighting? Or hire a fashion shooter to direct a model? Is Martin Scorsese threatened by his cinematographer? Was Miles Davis quaking at the thought of having to play with John Coltrane? Who's more important to The Mote In God's Eye, Larry Niven or Jerry Pournelle?
I can understand there being some issues with stealing the client when you bring in another shooter, but that can be overcome with the right words on the contract. And any worries with your client about seeming inadequate to the task can be overcome by couching it in terms of bringing in the right people to make the picture better. The client understands you're not a makeup wiz, they can understand you wanting to bring in a specialist in another area.
It can be done. I've seen it done. Don, Daniel and I shot a couple of skating competitions this way. Who was most important to the shoot? We all were. If one of us left, the whole operation would fall apart. So why doesn't it happen more frequently? Are our egos that fragile that we can't learn from each other without being threatened? Do we think our fellow shooters are all out to stab us in the back? And do we think this is something our clients don't notice?
You are not more important than the photo. The photo is not more important than you. What IS most important is the client gets the absolute best photo for his money.
This entry was posted by Kevin Creighton, on
10.24.2005.
You can leave your response.
