Passport to nowhere.

Having just placed some advertising with Yell,com, can you imagine the excitement of receiving my first 'sales' call! I could hardly contain myself.
"Are you the photographer?" she asks
"Yes indeed, how may I help you" I say in the most helpful and convivial accent I can muster.
"Do you do Visa and passport photos?" she quizzes.
"Why of course!" says I, thinking to myself what a pleasant sounding lady.
She goes on to explain that her husband has been posted abroad and they need to get updated Visas/passport photos done for all the family. She sounded so excited.
"How much do you charge?" comes the obvious next question.
"I will come to you..."I explain, "... and it's £30 per person"
"Oh that's great..." she says, "...how soon can you do it?.....I'll fit in with you."

Now sometimes in life, you meet or speak with people and you have an immediate affinity with them. She sounded like a really nice person, someone you just know you would be friends with. The conversation went off at a tangeant. She started chatting to me, clearly full of anticipation and hope over their new adventure, with a second child on the way. Oh what joy to be young and adventurous.

"...so i could do it anytime early next week, Monday or Tuesday?" I advised her.
"Fantastic..." she said. "...either suits me."

Now it's at this point that the 'inner me' took over my brain and my mouth. I don't know what it is about me, but it's probably what make me a lousy businessman I guess, because the next words out of my mouth were:
"You do realise that you can just have these done down at your local Snappy Snaps for under £10 each don't you?" I can hear that little fella on my shoulder screaming in my ear 'what the hell are you saying!?'
"Oh really?" she says.
"They're bog standard photos against a white background, full detail needed, so a creative photographer not exactly needed" I explain further.
"Oh, I didn't know that" she responds gratefully. "I'll do that then if you don't mind?"
"No, not at all." I lied.
"Well thank you so much for your help." she says as we finish up the conversation. "You're welcome" says I.
I stand looking at the phone now back in it's cradle wondering what on earth happened there! Bemused. Did I really just talk myself out of some work? Did I really just advise a potential client to go somewhere else because they were cheaper!!!

I console myself with the fact that I had just saved someone, a complete stranger, £60. Ignore the fact that I also missed the potential of them using me for a proper portrait at some time in the future. Hey, they're off to America anyhow. I'll never see them again! Well definitely not now. Will I?

I called upon gussy to step into my office.
"I need to do a passport photo Gussy...please stand into the shot" I directed.
"Where we going Dad?' he asks.
" Nowhere Gussy. Nowhere."