ronichas wrote:
i won't work for the charity or the event planner.
what i was looking for was some feedback on how others might handle this, do others think i should have not said anything, or should i have stood up for myself.
This sort of thing happens at times.
About the best way avoid it is to write up and sign a contract with event organizers/planners in advance. That contract needs to spell out your and their responsibilities - and should include a paragraph detailing your exclusivity to prevent competing commercial photographers from being able to offer their work. With it in writing, you may not be able to prevent them from showing up and taking some shots at the event, but you have done your best to be clear and up front with the organizer/planner and can ask them to require the other photographer stop selling their images.
The organizer/planner is nearly always in position to designate who can and can't offer images commercially. You are not. If the organizer/planner won't take care of this and enforce the agreed exclusivity, they'll be in breach of the contract you and they signed. Depending upon the size and type of event, this might even end up in court, if necessary.
If an organizer/planner won't sign an agreement such as this with you, walk away from the job.
There's less that you can do about private parties taking photos for their own purposes (assuming the event doesn't have any restrictions or prohibition on photography.... some do). One possibility is that, depending upon the type of event, as the official designated photographer you might have unusual access to be able to get shots that others can't.
Also, just do your best to make sure your images are better than any other photographer's. For example, at one recurring event there was a guy who showed up with a ton of gear and often followed me around, shooting nearby and taking probably 4X as many shots as me... he was an amateur with a kid who participated. Every time I shot at that venue and his kid was there, he was shooting like mad. As it turned out, his wife was one of my best customers, always bought a lot of shots from me, in spite of him taking way more. In fact, one time his camera was in for repairs (no surprise, considering how many shots he always took) and I even lent him one of my backups!
Besides private parties taking their own shots, you'll also sometimes encounter news photographers. They will only take a few shots and then run, though... and the organizers/planners need the free publicity. No big deal or direct competition for you.
Another type of commercial photographer might be one hired specifically by one of the participants at the event. That happens too. And since the participants at many events are "customers" of the organizers/planners, this often needs to be accommodated. Usually these photographers do the courtesy of introducing themselves and letting you know what they're doing (and what they're NOT doing). Again, in more than one case I've ended up selling lots of photos to the participant, too. After all, they must have a lot of interest in good photos, if they've gone to the trouble of hiring their own photographer. So while at first I'm tempted not to shoot those participants at all, it's turned out some of them have become top customers!
Conversely, there's a venue I'd love to shoot at, but that's widely known for their cavalier and even nasty attitude toward photographers. So I'll never go there to shoot for them. I have gone there and shot "for fun" and occasionally when hired by specific participants at their events. But I won't work for the organizer... They have a very bad rep with area photographers (but, unfortunately, are such a great venue they keep finding unaware "suckers" to come shoot anyway).
What was done to you was both rude and very poor business practice. These sorts of things end up haunting recurring events, organizers and planners. Make a mental note of it and never work with that organizer/planner again... Or if you do, don't do so without a written and signed agreement. I generally wouldn't bother sending letters or filing complaints now. Unless there is something to be gained, simply walk away.
Thankfully most folks are not so inconsiderate and a lot that I've worked with for many years I don't need more than a verbal agreement now. They go out of their way to help promote me and my images, as well as protect my exclusivity.
However, there also are "bad photographers". Some organizers/planners I work with make a point of avoiding them. In a couple cases, the photogs have a reputation for complaining and being difficult to work with. It's sort of a fine line to walk, between insisting on fairness, honesty and clarity dealing with each other... Without being overly insistent, difficult and demanding and, as a result, getting a bad rep.
By the way, if you and/or the other photographer are selling your images to participants or making some other sort of income from your work, then you're both commercial photographers... You are not "volunteers".