Photographer gets bashed after refusing to work for an Instagram “influencer” for free
Jul 5, 2019
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
Share:
It’s not that rare for self-proclaimed Instagram influencers to feel like they’re entitled to getting freebies. One of them asked Betrothed & Co for a $5,000 wedding photography package, and they wanted it for free, of course. The photographers said no in a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek response, but then the person called them “abusive” and threatened to publicly shame them.
Betrothed & Co is a small UK-based wedding photography business. This June, its owners Frankie Lowe and Laura Dunning received from someone called Melissa, a PR person of an unnamed “Instagram influencer.” Melissa said that her client was planning a wedding for April 2021 and she offered Frankie and Laura a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for free.
Melissa requested the services the mysterious influencer would need, offering nothing in return. Well, let’s be fair not exactly nothing. She offered the promotion of Betrothed & Co to 55,000 of her client’s influencers, as well as at least a 25% discount on their packages. The email tactfully ends with something that sounds to me like a warning. “Just so you are aware, we have approached four other similar businesses in your area so a fast response will be beneficial to your business.”
Now, c’mon, ho wouldn’t feel like their work is valued after an email like this? Joke aside, Frankie and Laura didn’t appreciate this “generous offer,” so they rejected it. As I mentioned, I find their response brilliant, with just a right amount of sarcasm. They were wondering if there was a typo in the number of followers, considering that “55,000 is not usually the level of following which can command the free transfer of products worth between £ 3-4K in total.” They added that recommendations from high-value clients would normally help them raise prices instead of having them knock 25% off. Finally, they expressed their appreciation of “how valued as artists and professionals” the email had made them feel. I mean, who wouldn’t feel special to know that the exact same email was sent out to other artists, too?
Melissa didn’t seem to receive the response very well. She called their email “unprofessional” and “appalling.” She said that her client will no longer consider Laura and Frankie as contenders to shoot “what would have been a very lucrative wedding” for them. “Other companies had replied with additional offers of goods and services, basically paying us to work with them,” Melissa wrote. She didn’t miss the opportunity to play the guilt-card, randomly adding that the client’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer, which hadn’t been mentioned in the initial email. Finally, she wrote: “Please don’t ever email again as we will have to name and shame you if you continue with this abuse.” Abuse? What?
The threat didn’t seem to affect the photographers, so Frankie did email Melissa again. He was polite in this email too, but again being snarky to just the right amount. He stood up for himself and his and Laura’s business, and I believe that he did it just the right way. In the end, he asked who Melissa’s client was anyway. “I’m, like, super curious by this stage!” he wrote.
I hope Frankie and Laura get a response because now I’m also curious who the mysterious “Influencer” with such “generous” offers is!
[via Insider]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
Related Posts
Lifestyle blogger bashed for posting a photo of “fake pancakes” on her Instagram profile
Instagram star bashed for photoshopping herself to different locations in Paris
Photographer bashed for using gay couple photos, turns it into a display of love and inclusion
Australian bridal magazine goes out of business after refusing to feature same-sex weddings
Join the Discussion
DIYP Comment Policy
Be nice, be on-topic, no personal information or flames.
38 responses to “Photographer gets bashed after refusing to work for an Instagram “influencer” for free”
Influencer have no real power, dont care about these very selfish and pretentious persons
Influencers pay double.
‘Could of’, ‘Would of’. Yikes. I hate to be a Grammar Nazi but geez. If the ‘influencer’ is that important you would think he or she would choose a spokesperson who isn’t having grammar issues.
millennial speak
Influencers are spoiled children. Grow up and get a real job and start to pay for things!
Obviously they’re not that influential…
My guess is the “client” and Melisa are one and the same.
Influence deez nuts
Influencers are basicly freeloaders.
It’s good to see more and more *ahem* “influencers” being called out. Sometimes it feels like every wannabe on Instagram who puts a label on their body is suddenly an “influencer”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48873551
?????? Influencers!!!! ?
The best influencers ARE photographers themselves.
Scam
Freeloaders to the Max!!
The problem is that “influencers” is a very real thing in today’s world. As sad as that is. The internet is making us a nation of idiots. YouTube as a whole can be amazing and then it can be just a sad social commentary as to where we are heading. Don’t just blame the infuencer, also blame the followers. Stop making stupid people rich and famous
name and shame. haha, hello defamation case! Influencer my …
here’s one for ya Linda Jenkins
I love their response, it’s brilliant.
Linda Jenkins I just read about another influencer convincing people to live on air alone. No eating. People are literally dying from following it. It’s called breathanarism or some stupid thing.
I have to look this up. Insane!
He was very polite, I would have told them to go take a flying f##k!
Funny that your all saying the influence is t not e issue to me it sounds like they have a managing company and that’s who is contacting them. Most influencers I know have paid for allot ig not all of what they have and only the big ones even try for free stuff u less a company offers them product. Are some spoiled yes but it is a real job and it is hard work. Content creation is not easy and it very time consuming.
wat
Please say that in a translatable language
You know influencers? So you know people with social media accounts? That’s most everyone in the world.
I wonder if Melissa works for her client for exposure only :D
Influencers should really go to jail for stuff like that. Arrogant lazy parasites.
Kudos to Frankie and Laura!
No, being an self determined “influencer” isn’t a real job, doesn’t require one to do anything, and we all pay for things we acquire so that isn’t any sort of argument. Didn’t you see the piece about the bridezilla who was going to be famous (Get my autograph now) because of her dance … where her enormously fat titties flopped out of her dress? Get over it.
I get publicly snubbed because I didn’t do work for free for a drag Insta celebrity in the city I live in. I’m so ready for social media to evolve because I’m sorry to say, it’s not going away.
Maybe we need a new social media platform that requires a basic competency and minimal moral standards test to be passed before being allowed to join.
1. Influencer = @$$h0le.
2. By putting that “name and shame” line in the email, you now have hard evidence of blackmail, which I assume is illegal in Britain.
Something definitely wrong with this Planet ???
This is why I will never support any products being endorsed by a leech, err.. “influencer”. Let us all do this so that this freeloading culture fades away
I remember when Yousta-B-Bruce Jenner was an Olympic Athlete and pictured on the Wheaties box. Not so much of an influencer these days, but that insane brood of Kardashians sure are out there making a splash (with their big butts if nothing else).
He should get a medal for those responses! GENIUS!
I was first introduced to social media “influencers” by the video of the Snowflake and her adventures with a hotel in Scotland.
It’s good to see people like Frankie and Laura not being intimidated/coerced by these basement dwelling Snowflakes. Oh, the hotel didn’t go for it, either and the Snowflake was “so offended.”
Receiving an email like this seems to work absolute wonders for your “exposure”.
Just saying…