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Ah, mission creep —the unexpected plot twist in every creative professional’s journey. It’s the stealthy expansion of a project beyond its original game plan, like a Netflix series that was supposed to wrap up in one season but somehow ends up with six. It usually starts with one tiny addition and snowballs into a full-blown production odyssey.
The Hidden Cost of “Just One More Thing”
The real kicker? For photographers, designers, web developers, and video editors, mission creep almost always means more time in post-production. And let’s face it—post-production is where dreams go to procrastinate.
For a photographer, it’s not just snapping those extra shots—it’s the sorting, the captioning, the cropping, the editing… and the silent sobbing into your coffee when you realize the client expects this all-inclusive bonus without an all-inclusive fee.
When Clients Go Rogue
We’ve all been there: you lock in a project’s scope with a client, everyone’s nodding enthusiastically, and the plan seems airtight. Then, on shoot day or midway through a web design sprint, the client casually drops the dreaded, “Oh, and could you also…”
Maybe it’s a “quick” request to add six extra headshots when you signed up for 12. Perhaps it’s the school that suddenly wants after-school club photos—despite your day wrapping up at 3 PM sharp. Or the pièce de résistance: an assignment in central London that magically morphs into a surprise road trip to Exeter. (Thanks, Google Maps, for telling me it’s two hours—one way.)
A Survival Guide
Channel Your Inner Contract Wizard: Always, always define the scope in writing. Make “just one more thing” sound like a forbidden spell in your terms and conditions.
Captain Rob Edge
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