North London Free Photoshoot!

jerryathomas

Hi everyone,

I was not sure which thread to post this in so let me know if it would be better somewhere else

A friend of mine recently had a photo session with a new photography business in Borehamwood, Herts. When I saw her photos I said 'they must have cost a fortune!' But she told me the photographer is giving FREE photoshoot sessions until his business is established.
She still had to pay for the prints but they cost far less than anywhere I or she knows of, and they are real professional stuff!

Anyway, she gave me this link to his myspace page as he is having an official website built. http://www.myspace.com/mike_aeon

And his email is [EMAIL="mike@aeonphotography.co.uk"]mike@aeonphotography.co.uk[/EMAIL] so you can request info.

I will contact him and find out when his free offer is ending, and will let you guys know.

[Deleted User]

Very interesting.. even if your message shouts a bit a of SPAM

I live in the 'hood.. where about is their office?

jerryathomas

I have no idea where the office is. I did not bother asking my friend as I do not want any photos taken!
Why don't you send them an email and ask? If you are a local then it would mean more to you, as I have never been there.

jerryathomas

There is another website with the same offer.
www.aeonphotography.co.uk

jerryathomas

The Studio is in Borehamwood, Herts and the offer is ending before the end of August.

At the time of this message Aeon has informed me that bookings are full now for all weekends till the end of August and now fully booked for the rest of this week.

AlanJaques

heres the link,

http://www.doubletake-uk.com/free.aspx?id=219

I took my g/f along to this for a couples photoshoot - the studio is absolutely amazing and we have some stunning photographs to remember the day with, we went along to the one in Manchester though there are studios in London and Southampton.

soolin

Please be vey careful about these 'free' photoshoots, many of them use quite high pressure techniques to sell expensive photos with no real time to think about it.

On my own high street there are muggers for two companies, both Greater London based one where you enter a free competition for a photoshoot and of course everyone wins, and the other offering free photoshoots. It really is best if you want some very good photos to approach a professional studio and ask them for their photo rates and sitting fee in advance.

soolin

AlanJaques wrote: »

heres the link,

http://www.doubletake-uk.com/free.aspx?id=219

I took my g/f along to this for a couples photoshoot - the studio is absolutely amazing and we have some stunning photographs to remember the day with, we went along to the one in Manchester though there are studios in London and Southampton.

There is a thread or two on the warnings board about companies like this, always read the small print before committing yourself to what might be an awfully expensive 'freebie'.

This for instance is on their web site:

The complimentary photo is an individual shoot only. This experience is valid for 1 person; strictly over 18s only; valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. Appointments are subject to a fully refundable booking deposit and a no-show fee.

Why a deposit (which incidentally you can't see how much it is until you commit) if it is free, I wouldn't trust anyone with money if you know they are desperate to sell you something after spending time with you.

jerryathomas

Whoa, someone using this old thread to advertise Doubletake?

Unfortunately they now have the same bad reputation as other over priced, high pressure sales photographic studios!

Aeon no longer offers a free photoshoot as he was getting feedback comparing his offer as another scam. What a shame. So instead he offers roughly the same package as in the article below which explains something about how certain photographic studios work.

Read this portion of an article taken from a 'Model in London' newsletter:

The Big Rip Off!

This article has been included at short notice after a few models have informed us of how much they have spent (to our horror!) to create their portfolios:

It is the dream of many to become a successful model. But many aspiring models have found to their discontent the price of a portfolio can be very expensive and to keep it updated is just not affordable, so gave up on the idea or even worse, presented themselves to agencies and on web profiles with an unprofessional portfolio.

The models are not at fault though, misguided maybe, but just susceptible to the Big Rip Off!

In correspondence with some MIL members, we were informed of some of the studios where the members got their photographs taken and how much it cost them. When we heard of the prices being paid we fell off our chairs! Unfortunately, for legal reasons, we cannot 'Name & Shame' certain companies that in our opinion are ripping off clients for their services, but we can advise on prices they charge compared to others. It is the decision of any business what they wish to charge, which is a shame because if their was a regulation on price bands then there would be far more successful models than there are nowadays.

Please note: We did warn and advise all members that they must shop around for prices before booking any photographic sessions. We give this type of advice for the reason below.

We have done some further research and can quote you average prices of 'makeover' and photographic studios around London, and what they provide:

There are two main types of package open to potential clients:

The Free, or almost free photo session.

This is a killer, and we are all prone to falling for a good sounding offer. A company offers a free photoshoot, or a photo session for £25 that normally costs £175, or worse still, calls you to say you have won a free photoshoot and to came and collect your prize! It's a load of @*$&!....

You have been sucked in and so you book or attend the shoot. You are greeted, you are given some pampering and have some generic make up put on. Then you have the shoot which might include a variety of sets (the sets are worth nothing if you are not experienced or given advice on how to pose on them!), and hopefully you have been given a competent photographer that really does know what to do and is his/her desire to create great images of you. The truth is, that is all most of the photographer 's do, take your picture. They have no say in how it turns out, or have any creative design with it, because the image is transferred to a pc for another person to process and hopefully create some good images from them.
Meanwhile, you are pampered a little more with a cup of tea or something else...
Then you are taken to a private room to view the images taken. A salesperson, and I state this correctly. A salesperson, not a photographer or model agent or anybody interested in the least about your modelling ambitions or purse strings does their bit. The most important part of the whole 'experience'. They sell you the images. How marvellous you look in them! How special, the way your beauty/body/appearance radiates from the image! Something to show your friends and family for years to come, so do not allow this opportunity to disappear, buy some of today's images before you regret it! etc etc.
(Please note: I have been in sales and marketing for 20 years and know the tricks of the trade. I created Model in London to do away with the tricks and to hopefully open the up the modelling industry to the very many aspiring models that are not being given an acceptable and affordable way in).

So far, all this has happened at no or little cost to yourself. You have been given treatment for some time and you would feel 'awfully' guilty if you did not buy at least one print, or two, or even a canvas wrap image, or even a disc with some images on...!

Now the really important bit...

The cost of one 10 x 8" print will cost you approx £30 - £90 for each one to purchase!!!
The lower priced prints are offered if you have already paid a photo session fee.
So the lowest price for 12 of 10 x 8" prints for a portfolio would set a model back £360 minimum plus the cost of the session.

Some companies do offers from £399 which includes make up and about 6 images on a cd. Then charge up to £90 per 12 x 8" print!

It is the directive given to the staff to squeeze as much money out of a client as possible and I know personally of a client that has paid £650 for a portfolio photoshoot which includes up to 15 retouched images, plus £50 per extra image! . Upon showing me his portfolio of the day, I did not see him smile or speak any good of it, because he knew he was showing his images to the photographer that was about to charge him far less, and give him much more in return.
Another client wanted a canvas print and paid £1700 for some images plus the canvas!!!
Hello? Did any alarm bells ring when that price was quoted? Like, "maybe I should have checked the prices of a few places first, and if I am refused a price list then that company is up to no good!"
The canvas print in question could have cost the client only £300 if they had asked around first!!

Furthermore, 99% of 'makeover' or photographic studios do not care anything about your portfolio or your career. Their charges are for specific products or services with no ongoing help or advice thereafter, whereas Model in London's services to members are ongoing.

I could list sob stories all day long, but these two are common examples of what happens every day.

You may not be aware, but Model in London have specially designed members only packages* that offer up to three times what other companies are offering.

For example:

With our Members 'Career Booster' Portfolio Shoot for £150 you would receive:

A 1.5 hour photoshoot to include various backgrounds
Help & advice with posing (if necc)
35+ high res images on disc (colour & b&w)
35+ retouched web ready images on disc (colour & b&w)
(Professional Make-up and stylists provided at discounted rates or free with certain memberships)

Also, receive the Standard Model in London membership for only £15 (normally £46) if paid for with the photoshoot, which includes your own profile page on our website plus priority member benefits, if bought at time of shoot.

12 x 8" prints from the photoshoot would cost our members only £7 each (or £5 each for Standard Members)

Our Gold, Platinum & Diamond memberships include two or three photoshoots plus discs, prints, courses and more that other companies could not even come close to matching! (Payment options available for larger packages)

Now please, I beg all of our members, not to jump into a photoshoot without knowing for sure in your own heads, that the price you have been given is a fair price in your opinion for what you will receive in return.

Get your calculator out, do the sums in whatever combinations you can come up with, and you will then see why we state that Model in London is designed to help Models.

Model in London can create tailor - made packages to suit your needs and pocket, so please email us with details of your requirements and we'll put together a special members package for you.

* Model in London do not use 'hard sell' tactics by employing sales call operators or other means. Our services and information are provided to a Models request allowing us to charge the most competitive professional prices and create effective tailor-made options for the Models.

Penny54_2

Hi All,

My daughter had ‘WON’ a similar so-called FREE 'FAMILY' PHOTO SHOOT earlier this year from a similar company in north London called SNAPPY STUDIO on 177 Kentish Town road WHAT A SCAM. A woman called my daughter telling her she had won a runners-up prize for a free family photo shoot and a free picture ……WOW. She was so excited and took time off work bringing her young family to have the pictures taken, but it turned out to be all a bit of a SCAM. They did indeed give her a free picture the size of a post card!!! And then used ((HARD SELLING)) to get her into parting with over a £1000 pounds for the rest of the photos, using shots of her kids to coax her into buying them, which left her in a lot of debt.

Then a few months later she gets a call from the same company telling her ..... YET AGAIN she has won a RUNNERS UP PRIZE in a free photo shoot !!!

Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience???:mad:

jerryathomas

Hi Penny54 and any other readers,

It is a shame that your daughter has been caught by the so called 'Free' scam. In fact it is the most common way for businesses to attract customers, by offering something free. Why even supermarkets offer a 'buy one get one free' promotion to entice bigger spending (the reality is, that the companies involved are still receiving above their costs for the 'free' item overall).

The original post on this thread was for a free photoshoot. The difference was that Aeon Photography was promoting his new business, so waived the normal 'session fee' but still received income from photographs ordered (at a reasonable price I should mention!)

Mike Ogilvie the photographer for the business has since grown in popularity because of his fairness and quality to clients that he is currently ranked 3rd most popular in the world from 1,126 photographers on the largest global talent search site starnow

His Aeon Photography and Model in London business will be merging in spring 2009 to create a new kind of studio that will cause these SCAM BUSINESSES to either dramatically reduce their own prices to compete or to close down through drop of custom.

HOW TO EASILY SPOT A SCAM PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

Always remember that 'nothing is free'. The company needs to receive money in order to stay in business, therefore always ask what DOES need to be paid for. If the company refuses to give prices on the telephone AND CONFIRMATION IN WRITING SO YOU CAN USE IT AGAINST THEM IN A COURT OF LAW SHOULD THEY NOT PROVIDE THE FREEBIES THEY PROMISED then they are scamming you.

An exception to this rule is for 'test photoshoots and marketing shoots'. These are generally offered by photographers or studios in exchange for using the photographs to promote themselves in literature or on websites etc. Quite simply 'You receive a free photoshoot and some free images and the photographers keeps copyright of the images to use for whatever purpose he chooses'.

THE BIGGEST SCAMS OF ALL ARE COMPETITIONS!

Do not enter any competitions of any kind without reading the small print - ALL OF IT - because that is where you will find the bit that says what you do get and do not get (without paying for it).
If a competition advertised does not have any small print (competition rules) then it is most probably a scam without investigating any further, because any company that has something to hide WILL HIDE IT!

To anybody that reads this post:

I wish I had every email address of anyone wanting photographs of some sort or other so I could send this as a warning, but that is an impossibilty, so please 'copy and paste' the content of this and send it to your friends to warn them, or just pass the knowledge around in conversation. Hopefully in the not too distant future companies likes those that scammed the daughter of Penny54 will go out of business forever and leave legitimate businesses to provide the service that customers expect!

Kind Regards,

Jerry A Thomas (also on behalf of photographer Mike Ogilvie)