First and foremost, I would like to express my greatest appreciation for those who came down and supported the shoot. It was a great shoot and I hope everyone did manage to obtain some great photos and have a wonderful time.
Its not my usual practice to engage in arguments over in clubsnap. However, I would just like to highlight certain facts to ensure that both sides of the incident can be well read and understood.
I had never worked with Shirley (MUA) before. Prior to the commencement of the photoshoot, she pm-ed me offering to help out as an MUA in the photoshoot. She
proposed that it shall be a TFCD with some transport allowance. Out of goodwill, I decided to pay her $30 for doing up
ONLY Michelle's eyes and hair.
Kindly note that the market rate for a FULL bridal makeup is $70-80 for a decent MUA.
Paying Shirley $30 not even for a half makeover is more than appropriate. Furthermore, I had also promised her some closeup shots of the model for her to feature it under her portfolio which is NOT mandatory on my part.
It is true that the initial venue was proposed to be at Jap Gardens. It was made clear that the venue was not confirmed. Upon the confirmation of venue at Vivocity, notifications were sent out as early as on Sunday morning.
I notified Shirley
once to meet at 7am but she claimed that 7am is too early and asked for an extension till 730 am.
I gladly agreed and no more further notifications were sent out. It was only until Sunday evening that I gave Shirley full details on where to meet, etc. There was
NO last minute changes, nor were there numerous calls/messages.
This morning (actual day of shoot), I texted all my MUA's and models at 7am to check if they were awake and preparing. Being
professional, it is my duty as an organiser to ensure that my work partners are in their best form and are preparing on time. Having been in the photoshoot business for quite some time, it is not unusual to have late-comers, or no show. Therefore, like any other organisers, it is a practice to check if both models and MUA are prepared. Contacting my workmates 1 hour prior to the meeting time is definitely reasonable and logical. However, there was no reply from Shirley.
In cases like that, I will give a call to ensure that my workmate(s) have not overslept (cases like this happen all the time). It was once again, done out of goodwill as being late for a photoshoot does not reflect very well on Shirley's reputation. I told her that if she is unable to make it, let me know so that I can make the necessary arrangements and probably get another backup MUA to rush down. Shirley chose to take my call negatively and was very rude on the phone. She slammed the phone in spite of anger.
Unlike Shirley, it is unjustified for me to claim that her attitude is unprofessional as she might have misunderstood my act of goodwill. However, I am certained to say that I did my part professionally and the shoot went on smoothly. Thanks to the other MUA, the models and photographers who made it on time and understood the rationale behind reminding my workmates and ensuring that the entire shoot goes on smoothly.
I sincerely hope that such incidents would not happen again between shirley and other organisers.
All the best
