The Obvious Question

This was the funnest gardening store I'd ever been to. They'd incorporated interior deign ideas into the layout of their plants, so that every corner was a lovely nook with a different artsy feel. Succulents, planted in a wall display, never looked so inviting! Great use of color and textures everywhere. It was the perfect place for a photoshoot. So I asked the guy at the cash register about using Flora Grubb Gardens for photography.

In the past, they welcomed photographers, and said Sure, Come On Over and Do Photoshoots! But then. The photographers started bickering. I imagine they were getting in each other's backgrounds. Perhaps ceramic flower pots or exotic gourds were hurled. Photographer assistants pushed into cacti. In any case, FGG had to put a stop to this nonsense. "We have a small fee for photography", he said. I uttered the obvious next question. He replied "$100".

I tried not to look absolutely shocked. Apparently, they get such high-end photographers that can afford such an entrance fee! Me however, $100 is more than I make in one session. As enamored by the place as I was, I knew that photographing there was an impossibility. What a complete disappointment, that some drama queen photographers who couldn't Share have ruined it for everyone. Sigh! But taking photos Not for photo session are free. So here you go.

Speaking of being shocked by prices. Remember that the Yelp person was to give me a call today? Yelp can do all these wonderful things to make my Yelp profile stand out. I can be a "Sponsored Search Result" so that my page pops up first when ever anyone types in Photographer San Francisco. My ad will even pop up on competitors' pages. I'll have a huge slide show on my page. Sounds fantastic. Once again I ask the obvious question. $300 a Month for the cheapest package?? And $1000 for the most expensive. If you've ever wondered how Yelp makes money, well now you know. I said that my business is not at the stage where I can afford that kind of advertising. Especially given that Craigslist is working well for me at the moment. And Yelp keeps pulling my reviews.

As for Review Pulling, there's nothing they can do about that. I made a verbal suggestion for their Suggestion Box - at the very least, please Notify the reviewer and reviewee when the review is pulled. She said she'd bring it up with the relevant peoples.