Clients with questions - help

I have a couple of clients that have DSLRs and both of them are constantly doing the whole, "What do you shoot with?" "What lights do you use?" "How do you do that in photoshop?" And while I am flattered that they like what I do I know the one lady has already started up a photography business in a neighboring town.

I have no problems with them learning the art of photography but I kind of feel like they should learn on their own like I did rather than just piggy back off me ...

How do other people handle constant "learning" questions. I don't want to seem rude but at the same time I don't want to teach them everything I know either.

tracyvb wrote in post #15246147
I have a couple of clients that have DSLRs and both of them are constantly doing the whole, "What do you shoot with?" "What lights do you use?" "How do you do that in photoshop?" And while I am flattered that they like what I do I know the one lady has already started up a photography business in a neighboring town.

I have no problems with them learning the art of photography but I kind of feel like they should learn on their own like I did rather than just piggy back off me ...

How do other people handle constant "learning" questions. I don't want to seem rude but at the same time I don't want to teach them everything I know either.

Just give very basic answers, I shoot with Canon gear .... Its a mix of several adjustments that depend on each image ..... I use strobes ..... that sort of thing. That way you can give an answer in turn not seeming rude but your not just giving them the answer either.

Any information you give someone just by answering questions like these is not going to give them a photography education or set them up in business.

I might be different than some in that I want to teach people everything I know. When I am asked about something photography-related, I'll start talking and won't stop until their eyes start to glaze from incomprehension.

Just give them answers that are truthful, direct, and not entirely enlightening if you see them as a possible competitor. Otherwise I am all for teaching when its not distracting or a threat.

Respond with...
"All will be revealed at the first of my forthcoming photography tutorials. The normal price is #$300 but I will give you a special low price of $320."

Any further requests for free lessons can be met with....
"Sorry but it wouldn't be fair to my paying students if I gave you the info for free."

I have had this and say something like" It all depends on the style and look you prefer. Everyone is different and there are a lot of different ways of doing the same thing. You can look online and find a lot of tutorials that will explain thing a whole lot better than I can and show you the different approaches. "

If people are really annoying and don't take the hint and want to take up too much of my time, I give them confusing answers and again reccomend the best way to learn is look it up for themselves.

I'm careful with people anywhere near me as although the competition as far as ability dosen't worry me, I have been bit a couple of times where they have stabbed me in the back and told Clients something to the effect of I taught them what I do but I charge $xx and they can do the same thing for $xx less. Also had one clown sucker me in and pester me to come on a wedding and approached the wedding co ordinator for the venue to use them instead of me.

She didn't appreciate that anymore than I did and we both through the ingrate out of the place before the the reception was over.
OTOH, I have mentored 3 people that have all gone on to be very successful Photo business people but none of them were in my area or did the work I'm going after. :0)

I don't shoot professionally now, but we used to do a lot of tournaments and we constantly got questions. And it went so far as someone walking up to our photographer or our sales tables, and ask if we can configure their new xyz DSLR they bought so it can take pictures like we are taking. Seriously, there are people out there who have that much gawl. The reality with what we doing, is that it didn't matter what settings they made, their DSLR could shoot the high ISO range we were shooting, they didn't have the lenses we had, they didn't have the access we had to get close, and they also had no clue what they were doing. So in the end, I have always "tried" to answer truthfully and keep the answers quick. What usually happens is the answer would lead to more questions, and we were always very, very busy so eventually I'd have to just say, "look, I'd like to help you but I have a job to do and can't stand here talking".

The other thing I'll point out is that many of the folks I saw sporting a DSLR at an event were some of our biggest customers. While they had a nice camera, they didn't have the glass and experience... and they did appreciate photography.

The only things that really just annoyed me badly was when I was trying to do a large group picture, and people would try to "just get a shot" after I've done all the work to get the group posed the way I wanted. Of course while they were "just getting a shot", they caused have the group to now be looking at them instead of me. I had a guy one time come up and kneel in the floor beside my tripod so he could take a picture of every pose I did. I was using studio strobes, so I have no idea what his pictures looked like, but again... people have a lot of gawl.

I had some seniors..one in particular...who would chirp questions at me during the shoot and I'd happily oblige (mostly because she was adorable) but clients don't usually ask me for my "secret sauce" with the intent of copying with their own business. I guess they respect my time.

I am not worried that answering a question about how I shoot is going to allow someone to open a business and compete with me.
I do it all the time. I have had clients friends who are interested in shooting professionally shadow me and answered their questions.
I enjoy it.
But, if I get busy and need to move either help or get out of the way.

Funny though, we ask and answer questions here. Why is that any different?

All good points. So far my policy is to tell people what I'm shooting with. I don't go into specifics about how to shoot in manual or how I process in PS. Those are the parts that I think make it "me." It does amaze me how people have no problem asking anything at all though.

zagiace wrote in post #15249361
Funny though, we ask and answer questions here. Why is that any different?

Well, because people on here are generally not in direct competition. But not even that as much as I feel like this is a learning community to find who YOU are indivually. I refer them all to this site all the time as an excellent source for learning but none of them have.

tracyvb wrote in post #15249456
Well, because people on here are generally not in direct competition.

It's not as if they are either, despite being in the same town. As you should already know, this stuff isn't just picked up one afternoon and mastered. If they got you licked after a few tips, you probably aren't offering much in the first place.

cdifoto wrote in post #15249479
It's not as if they are either, despite being in the same town. As you should already know, this stuff isn't just picked up one afternoon and mastered. If they got you licked after a few tips, you probably aren't offering much in the first place.

Good point!

If it does get real bad, just charge for lessons.