If I was pragmatic I would say that I’ve just become a pro photographer. However, if I consider the magnitude of the project I just smile. It’s just one single picture printed 20 times in A5 size in photography quality.

The story started when I photographed the bridge that’s being built near my home a few weeks ago. The guy who let me shoot there is actually the CEO of the company that supplied and installed all the steel wires and cables of the bridge. He asked if I can show the pictures I made. I showed him the photos and he said that he might need one of them printed to share it amongst all the workers who worked on the project and asked if I can arrange that. I said sure.

He selected one of the pictures I made that time saying that it should be retaken with greater contrast and the last piece of bridge installed.

I tried to treat the “assignment” (hey, stop laughing… ) professionally from the beginning. I checked the printing costs and made an offer that my “client” accepted. (Just read a great article from David Ziser recommending simply asking about the budget before making an offer. As brilliant idea. It would have been great if I had that read the article before making the offer. ) I answered my client’s emails quickly and politely. Requested for a vector logo and also his permission to use this assignment as a reference in the future.
The whole “project” is/was so extremely small that we did not prepare and sign any official contract, however we both treated our exchanged emails as official statements.

I went to the visitor center of the bridge two times and tried my best to shoot the bridge and make it nice. And it didn’t become really nice from that angle. I preferred my original “close up” photos way much more than this one. I find the others great and full of eye pleasing geometric forms that makes the bridge look good.
But the client wanted to see the whole bridge. I offered him that I go there again by a boat for a better view if budget allows. It did not. I assume this is how things are in the pro world. The client might be satisfied even if the photographer is not. It would be worse the other way around.