A few days ago, the Instagram algorithm suggested me to look at a profile. It belonged to a person who was looking for photo shoots. I thought he was nice and that we could make a good work together. Therefore, as I had a free session, I wrote to him.

It took him a while to answer me (I should have found that suspicious). Anyway, when I had almost given up hope that he would answer me, he said yes. I proposed a day, a place and a time. We closed the appointment.

At the beginning, everything went very well. One more of the dozens of photo sessions I have done.

However, it didn’t take long for things to go wrong.

A few days later, the day that should have been our first session, I took all the equipment (it’s a big backpack, which is quite heavy, plus two tripods) and I set off.
With barely an hour to go before the appointed time, the person texted me that his girlfriend had had an emergency.

Oh, I hope it’s nothing, I replied.

And him: Can we do the photo shoot next week?

Yes, sure. What day would be good for you? Monday (today) or Tuesday.

Perfect, Monday is good for me.

I didn’t think anything strange, really. No one is free from suffering a mishap.

However, I was a bit annoyed because I had to return home with all the equipment. It’s not easy to carry a big backpack on crowded trains.

No hard feelings. I didn’t think anything more of it.

However, trying to avoid the same thing happening to me today, yesterday night I sent him a message on Instagram.

Just to be safe, I said, See you tomorrow at such and such a place and such and such a time?

Yes, of course.

And me, adding an extra control: if something unforeseen happens, I leave you my phone number. Whatsapp is faster than Instagram.

Sure, sure, he replied by message. No worries.

I went to sleep.

Early this morning, when I had all the equipment for the afternoon session, again a message. The horror. Him, again.

It’s just…You see, I’m tired from the weekend (on his Instagram stories he looked like he had a great time) Can we do the shoot on Thursday or Friday?

At this point, I could tell the person had no interest.

But for me the question is, why didn’t he say so from the beginning? And if he was really interested, why didn’t he do his best not to be tired? After all, what the heck, we were going to do a photo shoot. It’s not like he was going to be digging ditches in the street.
I have to confess that, sitting on the train, with all the equipment occupying the seat next to me, I felt quite a jerk and got angry at what, at the time, I considered a lack of interest and respect for my time.

Then I thought to myself that you shouldn’t let these things take away your self-esteem. After all, you are just as good a photographer before a no as you are after a no. I also thought that a photographer receives more no’s than yeses and that, if you want to dedicate yourself to this business, you have to know how to manage the refusals and try to make sure they affect you as little as possible.
My personal method is to open the folder on my cell phone where I have the photos I have taken that I like the most. It is a pleasure to realize that, although some people have told me no, others have been very happy with the portraits I have taken of them. Many of them have my images as their profile picture in their social networks. After all, you can’t please everyone.

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