Fun Ways to Tell a Photographer You're Not Hiring Them
So, you reached out to a photographer (hi, hello 👋), asked for pricing, maybe exchanged a few emails, and now you’ve decided to hire one of their competitors. You proudly pat yourself on the back for having checked that off the list. Except you then realize….wait…there’s more!
“What is it!?”, you ask!? It’s (enter dramatic DUN DUN DUNNN!!!!! music here) that looming fear of sending a rejection email.
What if they cry?
What if they respond with a sad face emoji?
Or worse... what if they….(gasp!) say thank you for letting them know and wish you well!?
Fear not, friend! After 23+ years at this job, I’ve compiled my very own…
Creative (definitely not satirical) Ways to Let a Photographer Down
If you’ve found yourself frozen, phone in hand, thumb hovering over the keyboard like you’re about to disarm a bomb, don’t worry—I've got you covered with these 11 totally viable (and not-at-all ridiculous) ways to let us know you’re not booking us. Because believe it or not, we photographers can handle it, but it’s still nice to ascribe to the old adage of “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it”.
🔔 1. Hire a Singing Telegram
Why send a text when you can pay a total stranger in sequins to sing “So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music at our studio door? Bonus points if they wear a top hat and add interpretive dance moves.
We'll be confused, but entertained. (10 out of 10, would definitely TikTok it.)
🦉 2. Send Hedwig the Owl
Calling all Harry Potter fans: summon an owl, tie a polite note to its leg, and let it fly.
We’ll marvel at the magic and might even forgive you if it leaves a smudge when flying into our window mid-delivery.
Hogwarts-approved and surprisingly efficient.
(Owl training fees may apply.)
Photo Credit: Bob Brewer
🐎 3. Notify Us via Pony Express
Too modern for emails and texts? No problem.
Send a handwritten note via Pony Express. It'll arrive in 6-8 weeks—just in time for us to have gone through the full stages of grief over having lost you as our beloved next photo shoot.
But hey, who doesn’t love to daydream about a leather-studded cowboy showing up on a sweat-lathered steed, swinging his leg over the saddle to hop down, stroll over to you confidently and say “I have a package”. 😏
🤖 4. Outsource it to Artificial Intelligence
Feeling the guilt but still want out? Fire up your favorite AI chatbot. I’ll even give you the prompt!
““Dear ChatGPT: Write a polite ‘thanks but no thanks’ message to this photographer who has been helping me for the last 2 weeks.””
Boom. Robots handle your emotional labor. No guilt necessary. (We might get a laugh when your message reads like it was written by a sentient toaster, but hey—effort noted.)
Photo Credit: Alex Knight
Photo Credit: Joey Nicotra
🍽️ 5. Invite Us to Lunch... With a Twist
Set up a meeting under the guise of "chatting about details." Then casually have your actual hired photographer waiting at the table.
"Surprise! This is who we picked! We thought face-to-face rejection would be more personal!"
(Spoiler: It is. Too personal. Please don’t.)
📦 6. Ship Us a Glitter Bomb (With a Note)
Nothing screams “Sayonara Sucker!” like an explosion of microscopic rainbow-colored shards of aluminum…and a card that reads:
““You’re not our photographer, but this shimmer should give you some creative lens flare for days!””
We’ll be scraping iridescent particles from our ear canals for years, but at least we got closure…and sparkles.
Photo Credit: sarah b @sixthcitysarah
🎯 7. Make Your Hired Photographer Do It
When you do end up hiring someone else, make it a stipulation that they have to also be the one to break the news to us.
Imagine us opening our inbox, seeing what we think could be a friendly bit of camaraderie….an image they’re proud to show off, a vent about a crazy groomsman last weekend, a question about a piece of gear they’re thinking of, and instead we get:
““Hey, I got the gig. Sorry for your loss.””
Brutal. Hilarious. Honestly? Power move. Respect.
☁️ 8. Skywrite Your Message
Is it expensive? Yes. Over-the-top? Absolutely.
But picture us gazing up at the clouds, presumably to check the weather for our shoot later that afternoon, and instead of a feeling of wonder and awe at the expansiveness of the universe, we instead are met with the buzz of a bi-wing airplane zooming across the azure abyss to see:
"S O R R Y N O T B O O K I N G Y O U
- B E S T , J E N N A & C H A D "
Honestly, that level of commitment deserves applause.
📲 9. Send a Meme
Words are hard. Memes are forever. Hit us with the blinking guy GIF or Randy Jackson’s "It's a No for Me Dawg!"
We’ll get the message and maybe laugh through our tears.
💃 10. Organize a Flash Mob
Nothing softens the blow like 20 strangers breaking into a choreographed routine while holding signs that say,
"WE FOUND SOMEONE ELSE!"
Would it be traumatizing? Yes.
Would it go viral? Absolutely.
Photo Credit: Christin Hume @christinhumephoto
🔑 11. Or... (Hear Me Out) Just Send a Text or Email 😲
Bear with me here because I know this one is going to sound wild. You could actually just gently press your fingers on those letter-inscribed buttons you have in front of you…you know, the ones on your phone or keyboard that you use to ping your bestie asking her what she’s wearing to brunch tomorrow….and just type something like:
““Hey, thanks so much for your time! We hired someone else who fit our desired style/budget/ offering, but really appreciate your time and info.””
Look at you go with those sophisticated communication skills! No glitter cleanup, no exhausted ponies, no group choreography classes needed. Just good ol' fashioned words on a screen. 👏
Final Thoughts:
No…you don’t owe every company you interact with an explanation on what you do after you engage with them.
But photography (and all creative) services are often super niche, non-cookie-cutter requests that take time and thought to respond to, usually manned by small business owners who are taking time away from their other one-on-one time with other clients to check back in on you, who are holding a date on their calendar tentatively in case you’re legitimately needing a few days to review and get back to them, and who - if you do decide to go with someone else - just genuinely want to understand what their potential clients care about so they can offer the best possible service and options they can.
“It’s the difference between striding briskly through a department store and leaving after not finding what you want (totally fine!), versus meandering into a booth at an art fair, asking the artist about the work, and just as they turn toward the piece to explain how they created it...
POOF! You’re gone. No goodbye. No nod. No trace. ”
We don’t know if it’s a technical issue and our message got lost in the interwebs and you’re eagerly waiting for the info thinking how rude we are for not sending it, we don’t know if you got it and it wasn’t what you were looking for so we should close out the request, we don’t know if you’re just busy and a follow up message too soon is going to sound pushy, we don’t know if you’re fighting with your spouse and the thought of getting photos with them makes you want to gag now, we don’t know if our pricing was out of budget but you’ve been hoping secretly to get a fat bonus from work to cover the difference, or if we said something to tick you off.
So next time you find yourself in this dilemma, just remember:
Ghosting is for haunted houses, bad Tinder dates, and that one cousin who tries to sell you essential oils at family gatherings—not for professionals who are just trying to get you the information you asked for.
We’ll survive. Pinky swear. 🤝
Did this make you chuckle? Share it with someone who's been ghosted —or even someone who's DONE the ghosting (no judgment, we all panic sometimes!) —
and let’s normalize low-pressure communication, sprinkle in some laughs, and keep those meme rejections coming. 😉
And if you need to let ME down, just shoot me a message
with the who/what/why so I can learn from the opportunity and ultimately wish you well in your future photographic journey!
Karrie Porter Bond is a professional photographer based in Key West, Florida with over 23 years of experience bringing out the smiles of her clients, infusing a lighthearted approach to education of her fellow photographers, all with a cheeky and playful sense of humor in her communication, and an incredible eye for lighting, creativity and detail in her work. Learn more HERE