When I go out to do a shoot on a car or truck, I often get asked, “How do I get a copy of these pictures?” That’s an awkward question to answer – or at least it was, until recently.

Every picture I take for a magazine is getting sold to that publication. Until the article runs, I can’t sell a single one of those pictures to a customer unless they want to pay to compensate for the shoot. Once it runs however, I’ll sell a CD of the final product to them for a fair price. The grey area happens when the article hasn’t run yet and it’s been a long time since the shoot. Until the magazine has signed off on it, I can’t do anything with the pictures. They just sit on my server until my editors make a decision.

Now, that’s going to change. I’ve been spending some time recently establishing an account at SmugMug, where soon I’ll have some of my favorite shoots available online. Soon you’ll be able to hop onto whippsindustries.com, head into the shop area and buy prints of any image I’ve put online. From wallet sized to 30X30 box-framed posters and everything in between, it’s all there. Better yet, it’s affordable.

See that guy in the upper right corner? His name is Dino, and I’ve shot several of his trucks in the past few years. The first few galleries that I’ll be putting up are of everything of his that I’ve put in front of my lens; my favorite pics of his many rides. I could fill the site with his trucks alone – trust me, he’s had plenty – but as I do more shoots, I’ll put up selected favorites for customers to purchase. Consider them reserves that don’t go to the magazine, but will be available for prints just a few days after the shoot.

Of course, not everyone wants prints, and I understand that. In those situations, I’ll still offer a CD or DVD of the images from the shoot, but only once the article is published. Sorry, certain things I can’t change.

Although this is for my customers, I do have a selfish reason for this new addition. I’ve taken some shots that I’d love to have framed and hanging on the walls in the office, but local print shops want a small fortune for them. Now, I’ve got an option for myself that’s not only affordable, but the quality is amazing as well.

The way I see it, I just might be the shop’s best customer.

Born at 3:45 pm. 8.2 lbs, 20.75 inches long and healthy.

I’m ecstatic.

I got a call from a good friend of mine the other day, about shooting a truck for one of the magazines I work for. “They screwed this article up royally,” he says to me. “I wasn’t even listed, and neither was another guy. You should shoot it for another magazine and make sure we get the right credit.”

I’ve been in this situation before, and it was a tricky scenario. Back then, I was a young photographer, just trying to make my way in the business. Now that I have a bit more experience however, I know the way this should go down.

Chances are pretty high that there’s a reason why my friend’s credits weren’t given in the tech sheet. Either the owner wasn’t happy with the results, or maybe someone else had to be paid to redo the job. Regardless, the owner doesn’t want to give certain people credit, and as the guy who possesses the vehicle, it’s his right to do so.

This puts me in a weird situation. I want to shoot the truck because I think it’s a great vehicle and I’d love to put it out there. But if I do that, I have to choose between satisfying the owner, and satisfying my friend. Either way, someone is going to get ticked off.

What’s the answer?

I put the truck on my “do not touch” list. It’s not a very long document or anything, but from now on, I don’t touch the truck or anything the owner builds. That way, I don’t risk irritating anyone along the line. Sure, that does rule out me shooting anything he does in the future, but more often than not, I photograph the cars of first-time vehicle builders. Chances are pretty good that I won’t be asked to shoot one of his trucks again, and if I do, I’ll politely decline.

Sometimes it’s more about being political than anything. It’s not a great situation to be in, but by avoiding it entirely, I also avoid the potential problems down the road.