So, today I did a shop that required me to get a picture of a window cling... except the window cling was behind a wall of bushes and grass plants several feet high and was barely peaking out. I tried to go inside and sneak a picture to show what the dilemma was but there was a group of men hanging out on their lunch blocking the cling from that route. I was on a set time limit and waited about half an hour "eating" at the place for this final image. No luck.

I went outside, did not climb through the bushes because I would have been seen, and snapped an image of what was peaking out as well as images of all the other clings around it and of the reader boards and such so they have about twenty extra images to look through.

This was an MF assignment so no way to make notes but I did email them in hopes this route was okay to take. The bushes and grass plants were up three feet or more so it would have been highly visible if I were trampling through them. Also, the building was mostly glass so everyone could and would have seen and noticed me.

Suppose this will be okay? I'm somewhat newer to these types of shops.

And all that being said, how have you guys and gals dealt with getting some of the harder images? Or did you have to skip some things because nature, humans, or animals got in the way?

I have had to get gas station pumps at an angle due to a car being parked there the entire time. I think you did the best you could.

@clinen11 wrote:

And all that being said, how have you guys and gals dealt with getting some of the harder images? Or did you have to skip some things because nature, humans, or animals got in the way?

Getting nature and animals in my photos is just a bonus for me. Humans, not so much. I had a bunch of butterflies (some of them were mating) on parts of a gas station ID price sign. The butterflies added some color to my photo. I have had a dog "popping a squat" in my overall location photo. The homeless guy peeing on the side of the dumpster, not so much.

@Sybil2 wrote:

@clinen11 wrote:

And all that being said, how have you guys and gals dealt with getting some of the harder images? Or did you have to skip some things because nature, humans, or animals got in the way?

Getting nature and animals in my photos is just a bonus for me. Humans, not so much. I had a bunch of butterflies (some of them were mating) on parts of a gas station ID price sign. The butterflies added some color to my photo. I have had a dog "popping a squat" in my overall location photo. The homeless guy peeing on the side of the dumpster, not so much.

There are days you absolutely crack me up!

I'm not the client, but if I was the client; I would want to see the cling ad the way customers see it. Those things are advertising tools and cost a packet from inception to the end display.

Having invested the amount of money those things cost; I as the client would be royally peeved if the customer only sees a half or worse a fourth of the ad dollars the company needed to part with just to get them on the windows.

Your photo also displays the fact the on site management has neglected the landscape. I shop a store that you cannot see from either direction. I know where I need to turn, but I'm not the average new potential customer. Oh and the locals can't find it either because of the lush landscaping. In my mind that isn't helping to grow the business.

How can it grow, when new customers don't know the business is back there?

Thank you! That does make good sense to me. I submitted and was emailed an approval. The scheduler said it looks like what the client wanted to see. Honestly, you could not even see a fourth of it. I only saw one word of the top line peeking out and that's the only reason I realized what it was last minute as I was walking around the place looking for the window cling. Sometimes they stick them in on the back or side and not near the door which is a no-no too because they want that to be the freshest image in folks minds as they go to order.

It worked out in the end for me, yay, but dang they do need to cut the grass and landscaping.... then again... it may be company contracted and they franchise who owns it may not be doing their part?

If concerned about getting busted, say you lost something, contacts, key, dollar, whatever. I can snap about 6 photos in 1 second with my phone camera. Try it. If all else fails, you can always turn on video and pretend you are texting. It only takes a couple seconds of video, and you can pull a still off the video.

I would have had to walk about twelve feet through four foot tall grass, pull back several tree type bushes, and walk through thorn plants on this one. I couldn't have possibly lost something and it wasn't the least bit windy that day. I would have had to of been standing in the four feet tall grass plants to even get a sliver of a better image.

I guess there comes a time when you occasionally have to say, "I did the best I could given the conditions." If that is not good enough, then you can put that shop (or client) on your list and do not shop them again.

They actually liked my photos. I was tempted to detour by there today to see if the landscaping was taken care of yet. The place basically ACED everything that day. They were having an excellent day. I didn't even have to find good things to include with the negatives because this place was A-gaming me and everyone from the start. I figure they knew it was mystery shop time since they had new items out.. but those plants/grass/landscaping! YIKES. They probably lost points on that little detail.