S'pore photography service asks followers not to engage freelancers, backlash ensues

Should have seen that coming.

Fasiha Nazren | November 01, 2020, 08:33 PM

Photographers play a crucial role in any event worth remembering.

And one would probably think that it is the skill and style of a photographer, and not so much whether the photographer works for a company, is important.

Which is why things didn't go down so well when photography service Afford-A-Graph tried to convince followers that they shouldn't engage a freelance photographer to shoot for their ROM.

The company appears to be relatively new, with its first Instagram post on June 29, 2020.

In addition to a full refund, Afford-A-Graph also said that they would pay customers S$10 if they were unsatisfied with the photos.

These were the five reasons they listed against freelancers:

  • Transport fees
  • Revision fees
  • Inflated prices
  • Poor customer service
  • No quality guarantee

Here are screenshots of their post, reproduced by freelance photographer Chris Fury on Facebook:

Photo from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Photo from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Photo from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Photo from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Photo from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

At time of writing, the original Instagram and Facebook post appears to be unavailable.

Freelance photographer responds

Fury questioned Afford-A-Graph's post in a Facebook post on Oct. 31.

The freelance photographer claimed to have been in the industry for 12 years, said that there is "a lot to know and understand" before one charges a paying client.

Furthermore, no photographer would get something "badly done or wrong in the first place" if they wanted to keep their job, Fury argued.

He added that the reason some photographers seem to have "inflated prices" is so that they can keep up with the times

He then questioned how much Afford-A-Graph knew about the topic of inflation.

"The nation is on inflation to keep up with the challenging times, so we as individuals will charge alil (a little) more to sustain our daily lives.

Camera cost? Human labour? Transport? Editing time? Food? You think these are free?"

The post has gained more than 280 shares, as well as several comments who agreed with Fury's stance:

Screenshot from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Screenshot from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Though, at least one person pointed out that Afford-A-Graph may just be a troll account.

Screenshot from Chris Fury's Facebook page.

Mothership has reached out to Afford-A-Graph for comment.

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Top image from Chris Fury's Facebook page.