Forums > Digital Art and Retouching > retoucher answer casting call

Photographer

A-M-P

Posts: 18465

Orlando, Florida, US

saying is available  and to send payment and images. You send full payment upfront and images and then get back  a reply to you saying they don't have time right now that they received payment and that they will start on it sometime next week. Umm why would they answer a call saying they are available ask for payment upfront and then  say they are not available afterwards. Should I ask for my money back and use someone else who answered. Is this normal procedure? I usually do my own retouching but have no time right now.

Feb 17 13 12:02 pm Link

Retoucher

The Invisible Touch

Posts: 862

Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

A-M-P wrote:
saying is available  and to send payment and images. You send full payment upfront and images and then get back  a reply to you saying they don't have time right now that they received payment and that they will start on it sometime next week. Umm why would they answer a call saying they are available ask for payment upfront and then  say they are not available afterwards. Should I ask for my money back and use someone else who answered. Is this normal procedure? I usually do my own retouching but have no time  right now.

Not a normal procedure at all...

Did you gave him/her any information on when the job was meant to start?? You can ask for your money back of course, at the end of the day you are the client!!

Feb 17 13 12:18 pm Link

Retoucher

The Invisible Touch

Posts: 862

Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

How did you pay?

Feb 17 13 12:19 pm Link

Photographer

A-M-P

Posts: 18465

Orlando, Florida, US

The Invisible Touch wrote:
How did you pay?

Paypal

No I did not set a date for the time to start just set a date on my casting call as the date I posted it. I'm in no rush  but felt a little odd  as in what if I did needed them asap. I don't think is a good way to start a relationship with a new client, specially since I wasn't the one who messaged him and he was the one who answered my casting call. Not a big deal but just wondering if this is perfectly fine and I shouldn't worry

Feb 17 13 01:17 pm Link

Retoucher

The Invisible Touch

Posts: 862

Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

As I said before, try not to pay in advance!! And you can revert the payment from paypal.

Feb 17 13 01:22 pm Link

Retoucher

MMRetoucher

Posts: 210

Tulsa, Oklahoma, US

As a retoucher myself, I do the work first, then charge. I do not send the finished products until I get payment. I suggest you find someone that doesn't charge up front.

Feb 17 13 02:09 pm Link

Retoucher

Mike Needham Retouching

Posts: 385

Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom

Depending upon the value of the work it would be normal for a retoucher to charge a 1/3 or 1/2 retainer fee. This would be with the understanding of a start date and an end date.

Feb 17 13 02:48 pm Link

Photographer

365 Digitals Exposed

Posts: 807

Perris, California, US

hopefully is not the same lady I had a bad experience with. she asked me for payment first, them  4 days later she came back saying she couldn't open Raw files> she asked me to convert it to tiff of PNG.  I send her the link to download the PS raw converted from adobe, and she refused to do it,   anyways after all the  drama the picture came back not as close to what I see in her portfolio, now I learned no to pay first unless I see the  final result, if you wish t know who the digital artist is  I can let you know in private.

be aware lot of people doing  Ps work doesn't even have a legit  PS software

good luck in the future.

Feb 17 13 04:34 pm Link

Retoucher

iRetouch

Posts: 60

Noblesville, Indiana, US

As a retoucher what i've learned that for me what works best is finishing the image and putting a watermark across the whole image and showing the client. This way they can decide if they like the work. If they do they can pay, if not we can get it fixed!

So sorry that happened to you!

Feb 17 13 08:28 pm Link

Retoucher

The Invisible Touch

Posts: 862

Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

iRetouch wrote:
As a retoucher what i've learned that for me what works best is finishing the image and putting a watermark across the whole image and showing the client. This way they can decide if they like the work. If they do they can pay, if not we can get it fixed!

So sorry that happened to you!

Sorry but for me watermarks... unprofessional!! You either have to trust or not your clients... never/ever charged in advanced to my clients and never had a problem & obviously no watermarks!! :-)

Feb 18 13 02:19 am Link

Retoucher

NotoriousRetouch

Posts: 32

SUSQUEHANNA, Pennsylvania, US

365 Digitals Exposed wrote:
hopefully is not the same lady I had a bad experience with. she asked me for payment first, them  4 days later she came back saying she couldn't open Raw files> she asked me to convert it to tiff of PNG.  I send her the link to download the PS raw converted from adobe, and she refused to do it,   anyways after all the  drama the picture came back not as close to what I see in her portfolio, now I learned no to pay first unless I see the  final result, if you wish t know who the digital artist is  I can let you know in private.

be aware lot of people doing  Ps work doesn't even have a legit  PS software

good luck in the future.

Wow, as a retouch artist she should know how to convert files.

Feb 21 13 03:44 pm Link

Digital Artist

Joe Diamond

Posts: 415

Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

When i first started here, i made many works and send the high resolution file and guess what i havent heard of them. I have old clients for who i make dozens of works and they pay me when they can but this connection was built over years. None trust none. This is internet.

Best is to take an advance payment and in the end the rest of the payment, if you are new in business or in Photoshop best learn from others then judge their system

Feb 21 13 10:34 pm Link

Photographer

Ruben Vasquez

Posts: 3117

Las Vegas, Nevada, US

That strikes me as kind of odd and a bit unprofessional but it is acceptable only if you decide it is. It just depends on what the terms of agreement you two established (if any). Typically when I'm retouching for someone else, they give me a deadline to turn in all images. So long as I get all the images in when required, I'm free to start when I like. That being said, I make it a priority to get the images done as soon as reasonably achievable; especially when they're paying me. But that's just good business practice. And for that reason, I probably wouldn't want to work with your retoucher and would ask for my money back.

Feb 21 13 11:15 pm Link

Retoucher

BorderlineBunny

Posts: 2201

Tulsa, Oklahoma, US

I first read this and got ready for my reply, then read others comments and now I'm a little shaken by some of them...

If you provide your clients with a watermarked photo, I would think they would be insulted. I would never in a million years place a watermark on a clients photo unless I didn't want them contacting me again, even as an example.

I mean, a perfect alternative for people really worried about sketchy clients who might not pay up would be to send low resolution examples for approval, asking if any changes were needed or if the client was satisfied, and upon agreement of the end product, request payment and then send along the larger files upon receiving it. At the very least it will give the client the idea that it isn't a trust issue but more of an asking if the end result is satisfactory in a fast efficient way...

But I have to ask, why the lack of trust in your clients? Does anybody who watermarks or gets payment up front research their client upon contact? If they seem sketchy, why work with them?

I've never asked for payment in advance and I've only been stiffed once. I mean, you take that loss but I think you gain much more by building a good trusting relationship with your clients.

They are far more likely to come back to you if you're easy, professional, down to business and aren't treating them like potential crooks from the get go.

But that's just my two cents on the matter. I never sneeze at long term, solid  business relationships with clients and will even do some free things here and there if the job is very small and quick. Good relationship with a client means they come back to you every time and that's not only a connection to other clients by word of mouth but more money in your pocket. smile

Everybody wants their clients gushing about their amazing work, but it's also such a satisfying and worthwhile perk for them to compliment you as a person and consider you a part of their team.

Feb 22 13 12:09 am Link

Photographer

Marin Photo NYC

Posts: 7348

New York, New York, US

BorderlineBunny wrote:
I first read this and got ready for my reply, then read others comments and now I'm a little shaken by some of them...

If you provide your clients with a watermarked photo, I would think they would be insulted. I would never in a million years place a watermark on a clients photo unless I didn't want them contacting me again, even as an example.

I mean, a perfect alternative for people really worried about sketchy clients who might not pay up would be to send low resolution examples for approval, asking if any changes were needed or if the client was satisfied, and upon agreement of the end product, request payment and then send along the larger files upon receiving it. At the very least it will give the client the idea that it isn't a trust issue but more of an asking if the end result is satisfactory in a fast efficient way...

But I have to ask, why the lack of trust in your clients? Does anybody who watermarks or gets payment up front research their client upon contact? If they seem sketchy, why work with them?

I've never asked for payment in advance and I've only been stiffed once. I mean, you take that loss but I think you gain much more by building a good trusting relationship with your clients.

They are far more likely to come back to you if you're easy, professional, down to business and aren't treating them like potential crooks from the get go.

But that's just my two cents on the matter. I never sneeze at long term, solid  business relationships with clients and will even do some free things here and there if the job is very small and quick. Good relationship with a client means they come back to you every time and that's not only a connection to other clients by word of mouth but more money in your pocket. smile

Everybody wants their clients gushing about their amazing work, but it's also such a satisfying and worthwhile perk for them to compliment you as a person and consider you a part of their team.

+10

Feb 22 13 12:22 am Link

Retoucher

Greg Curran

Posts: 231

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

been retouching for over 10 years and never have been paid (or asked for) payment before I even start the job.  Very strange practice.

Feb 22 13 05:15 am Link

Retoucher

Tetyana Dyachenko

Posts: 112

Kiev, Kiev, Ukraine

Using escrow is efficient way to pay only for results  and avoid many payment problems

Feb 23 13 03:48 am Link

Photographer

A-M-P

Posts: 18465

Orlando, Florida, US

Well I have yet to hear back from the retoucher who took advance payment. Awesome

Feb 23 13 08:57 am Link