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The Worst Excuses For Cancelling
neoracer wrote: My Fav? Sep 09 15 04:59 pm Link Patrick Walberg wrote: rp_photo wrote: Over a 35 year period of time doing my own castings in person for everything from theater actors and musicians to models, I've at a higher ability to catch the flakes before they catch me. Sep 09 15 05:42 pm Link Just got another good one: "I have to go to Japan to get my dog and things." I think she's being honest...but it sounds magnificent. Sep 10 15 10:52 pm Link Sometimes the excuse seems valid enough, but in combination with the timing... That's where things start to look fishy... Case in point (for a photo session that was on the books for a solid week in advance of the shoot): a cancellation text message at 2:30AM bailing on a shoot at 8:00AM later that morning... "I'm typing this from the floor of my hotel bathroom. I think I have food poisoning." OK, valid enough, although maybe pigging out at the Mongolian grill the night before my shoot wasn't the best idea, but things happen, and I can accept that and chalk things up to the occasional costs of doing business, even though it blows my whole day in the studio and puts me behind on client projects. Three months later the same model returns to town on a subsequent tour, so I contact her to reschedule. "My rates have gone up..." Like an extra 50%, with no consideration or concession with regard to honoring our previous agreement after burning me the first time. I told her "No thanks" and hired someone else. Unfortunate events like that do underpin my resolve to show the individuals I work with fundamental respect and demonstrate both personal and professional integrity in our business dealings and other interactions, even if it isn't always reciprocated... Sep 10 15 11:51 pm Link From one teenager: "I forgot that I work on Saturdays." From a college girl, one of the first shoots I tried to arrange through MM: "I forgot that I have my nephew's birthday party today." Yes, the party she had mentioned in every communication for the last two weeks. The party for which she was the prime organizer. From two OMP-based Russian models living in the Bay Area, friends but unrelated, they both had medical emergencies in their respective families (for one, a grandmother; the other, a grandfather) and they would each be out of state. The two messages were copy-and-paste identical except for grandmother/grandfather). I never heard back from either of them when I asked what the odds were of two families both having medical emergencies at the same time of the shoot. I later saw a tag on their profiles from a photographer thanking them for the great shoot held in the Bay Area the afternoon they were supposedly out of state. Sep 11 15 12:45 am Link Goldfish not eating well, now refuses to drink water .......... Sep 11 15 01:25 am Link Is it bad that I honestly don't care much if a model cancels if they at least tell me so? They could just say they're feeling tired and I'd be totally cool with that if they told me a few hours before the shoot. I just shoot for fun so if people aren't going to be into it I'd rather just shoot another day. If they keep bailing though for dumb reasons then I mind cause it's not worth the effort to plan it. Normally when I have girls bail we'll end up shooting another day. Sep 11 15 08:29 am Link Sep 11 15 09:05 am Link The most exasperating E mail comment I had from a wannabe model was ... Quote" I never give out my phone number because you might be a pervert " !!! Needless to say that was the end of that endearing connection...!!!! Sep 11 15 09:34 am Link > Left my make-up at my boyfriend’s house. I was going to call you this morning but my cell phone died. > I was out late last night partying and I don’t think I look my best. You want me to look my best, don’t you? > I’m two hours away and my roommate took her car and hasn’t come back yet. I was thinking, how does next Thursday look? All delivered by text approximately 15 minutes before the shoot was supposed to start. Sep 11 15 08:10 pm Link This: Yes we need to reschedule 😓 sorry I'm bloated too from eating all the cake and fatty bday foods And this: hello sorry I was sleeping because I was so sick, are you available today or tomorrow to shoot at all? Sep 11 15 09:36 pm Link Garry k wrote: From the same person? Sep 11 15 10:02 pm Link My favourite: 21:35 All ready for tomorrow! . . . 00:57 Sorry but I can not make it. I need to go to Oshawa to pick up the bunny I ordered. I've saved that text, it's worthy of David Lynch. Sep 11 15 10:08 pm Link Patrick Walberg wrote: I haven't canceled a gig yet, but when my 15 year old feline meets her time, I'd likely have to clear any gigs for weeks...unless the photographer wants a series of me with sunglasses on, or only back shots/silhouettes. When I cry it's an uuuuugly cry, and my eyes stay puffy for days. If I'm upset and think "don't lose it and cry again" I'll likely just cry again. Sep 12 15 01:15 am Link Honestly, I think all reasons for canceling are excellent. People have lives, motivations and their own psychology to deal with and I'm entirely satisfied when someone communicates with me that they're not going to be able to model that day. That's much better than someone who is distracted, unenthused, or just going through the motions. So I'm totally supportive of any reasons to cancel and thankful for the thoughtfulness from a potential model on not showing up on a bad day. I want people fully present and committed, any less than that and I'd just as soon be doing other things myself. So, please cancel, even if for reasons that seem whimsical, trivial, undignified or unimportant. I'm good with it and we can pick it up again at some later point when we're both in the right place for giving our undivided attention to the activity. Sep 12 15 06:45 am Link Laura Bello wrote: Yep that's me as well, also it's basically the same as people calling in sick at work. Too many photographers get their panties in a twist about this, and I also see so much bull sheet on here from some who are GWC . Sep 12 15 07:51 am Link I ran out of gas. I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD! But seriously, any notification is good. Ideally a minimum of 24hrs before the shoot, just so there's enough time to action plan b. Sep 12 15 08:27 am Link Not sure what the ''excuse'' was, but I once had a really complicated set staged and the model cancelled.... after spending all affternoon telling me she wouldn't cancel. Seems she was driving almost all the way there BUT she didn't believe it was just another 10 mins away and gave up 20 mins before the shoot (workshop for 7 people) began. Or rather COULDN'T begin. Most of them are coming farther than she was too. They were coming form Orange County and LA se was driving form La Jolla, to Carlsbad. Sep 13 15 01:33 pm Link Jeffrey M Fletcher wrote: Seriously? Sep 13 15 03:16 pm Link Jeffrey M Fletcher wrote: That's a great attitude, but totally misses the point that being unreliable is not OK; and being deceitful is really not OK. The excuse given is just words that get passed along while people vent about being treated like crap. If a person's word means nothing to them, then what does it mean to the person they are talking to? This is a non-stop recipe for failure that hurts everyone. Sep 13 15 08:15 pm Link Worst reason/most common reason... "I looked at your work." Sep 13 15 09:49 pm Link DespayreFX wrote: Sep 14 15 06:49 am Link Laura Bello wrote: Basically. One or both of us are going to suck if one or both of us don't want to be there, lets not force that shit. Sep 14 15 11:51 am Link "Oh, I forgot", and this is after she emailed me the night before confirming she would be there, and really wanted to get started as a model. That was the end of her modeling career. Sep 14 15 12:01 pm Link Laura UnBound wrote: 6 weeks is too far beyond the attention and interest span for most other than experienced pros. Sep 14 15 12:55 pm Link A decade has passed but this has never been topped: "hi richard, i have sucsessfully torn my back up this morning when i was releasing raccoons i trapped ...tomorrow i am spending the day in my dad's office in hopes that he can put me back together ( he's a chiropractor ). so i am having to postpone all my shoots for tomorrow. i will keep you posted on my recovery and hope we can reschedule this asap. talk to ya soon..." Sep 14 15 12:59 pm Link rp_photo wrote: I booked a few months in advance when I was on tours, but that doesnt mean I still really wanted to be there by the time those dates rolled around. You can get someone who shows up because they promised they would, or you can get someone who shows up because they really fucking want to be there. Chances of getting both consistently are not that high. I don't get pissed off when people no longer feel like doing something as stressful as modelling can be and have to postpone/cancel, maybe because I've been there. Sep 14 15 03:14 pm Link Laura UnBound wrote: The Difference? An Employer has a relationship with you, a photographer has often just the one opportunity. It is to your credit that you have turned up. You're tough. I have shot with a broken foot in rough terrain, etc. I haven't had many cancellations and strangely it has been MUAs and hairstylists that I have my most difficult moments. I have someone who had some significance in TV. It is the kind of shoot that take you higher. She really wanted to be shot. I actually drove to her place to pick her up when her ride fell through. I couldn't shoot her, for beauty, because two HMUAS didn't make it and they looked really bad. That hurt. But I bounced back. Sep 14 15 03:31 pm Link rp_photo wrote: This is what I'm talking about! Love it. Probably the truth, but so ridiculous, it's entertaining! Thanks for sharing. Sep 14 15 10:50 pm Link DespayreFX wrote: Wow. That burns worse than a dropped lens...well, maybe. Thanks for sharing. Sep 14 15 10:54 pm Link TerrysPhotocountry wrote: I think i was the same person on both of those 2 days that I flaked Sep 14 15 11:53 pm Link Kentus Photography wrote: Sorry I'm getting an abortion today. Sep 15 15 01:32 am Link crx studios wrote: Yes, I'm far more concerned with weeding out people with any ambivalence about modeling for me or who haven't thought things through. I require models with a full commitment and focus on the work. Canceling before the session is always a favor and I'm happy to help with it. This works for me, I wind up with committed, dependable, inspired people to work with on an ongoing basis. crx studios wrote: Because money can be motivating? Hardly surprising. I do pay models a modest, blue collar wage. This makes sense to me as they are working on my projects at my direction, schedule and to my specifications. However, whether it's a position paid in cash or trade I think it can be something of a mistake to overstate the motivating influence of money and ignore other motivating factors. Money's an immediate and easy motivator but ultimately doesn't work as well as having clear goals, good communication, a sense of productive and meaningful work, etc.. Pay in cash or in trade, it's still to my benefit to examine problems to see what I can do to fix them, and baring that, weed out those people who are not motivated to work at the level I require. Sep 15 15 05:28 am Link Pictures of Life wrote: I don't get many deceitful excuses, although I have to admit that I don't think I'd remember them much if I did. White lies offered up for a day off aren't a big concern of mine. Sep 15 15 05:43 am Link I ate some candy yesterday, and I feel fat. Sep 15 15 06:01 am Link A model friend and me were planning a meeting via whataspp with a photographer, and suddenly he didn't get back to us to confirm the meeting we were having the next day. A month later he told me he got his mobile stolen. He did have our email, FB address and so, and he kept using Internet from home. Sep 15 15 06:19 am Link Ike Lace Photography wrote: That's actually probably the best reason to cancel a photoshoot. Sep 15 15 06:46 am Link "I forgot my airplane ticket said my flight was this morning. The other photographers I had scheduled today were pretty pissed off. One had a studio booked right after you were going to drop me off at his location". These were all paid shoots (the others paying more than I had agreed to). So she lost some $$ off of that blunder apparently.( or maybe she had something juicier at her destination and just simply dropped us to take that one. For me I agreed to pay her standard rate...no negotiating involved and was to provide transportation to and from the location and the morning's coffee! Sep 15 15 01:04 pm Link I had a model text me 30 minutes before the shoot that she twisted her ankle, it was swelling, and she wouldn't be able to shoot. OK, that's fine, we'll reschedule when the ankle is better. An hour or so later, she posts on FB that she is going for a run... Sep 17 15 08:01 am Link "I was in jail." (A text that came the next day after I asked her why she hadn't shown up--and having known and worked with this model before, I had no reason to disbelieve her.) Sep 17 15 11:29 pm Link |