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PSA: a rush job I quoted at $400 on a Thursday turned into $1500 by Monday and it was all one email
Last Thursday a guy I do product photos for emailed me asking if I could move a shoot from the 24th up to the 19th because his launch got bumped. I quoted the rush at $400 and he said yes on the spot. By Monday morning the same thread had three more replies and the list went from 12 shots to 31, plus two rounds of edits I never agreed to. What really got me was the timeline: Thursday night it was "just a few extra angles," Saturday it was "can we add the whole accessory line," and by Monday he was asking if I could drop the files by Wednesday noon. I checked my phone and the original email had one line about timing, no mention of more product at all. I screenshotted that first message and sent it back with a new quote for the difference, and he paid it without a fight, which tells me he knew exactly what he was doing. The before and after on my end was wild, I went from a calm two hour shoot to a 14 hour week and I almost ate the cost just to keep things friendly. Anyone else keep the very first message pinned somewhere so you can quote the exact words back when the scope quietly grows?
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williams.luna2d ago
Ever notice how this same slow creep happens with contractors, wedding vendors, even babysitters who start adding "oh I just did the dishes too" to justify more money? It's like people test one small ask, see you say yes, then keep inching the line until you finally push back.
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