DEAR ABBY: I am a semiprofessional photographer. I charge for some of my work, but most of it is done for fun.
Recently I attended the wedding reception of some close friends, and I shot four rolls of film (about 100 photos) at the event. I had the film processed and printed, and I printed labels for the backs of the pictures giving the date and names of those in the photos. I put them in a wedding album and gave it to the bride and groom as a wedding gift.
A friend of theirs invited me to her wedding reception. It was unspoken, but understood, that I would take pictures there. I paid for four rolls of film. However, since the bride works for a photo lab, I thought she could get the film processed and printed free (or at a discount), so I simply gave her the rolls of film.
She had assumed that I would pay for processing the film, and now she's upset with me. I think she was expecting too much for nothing and should have been happy to pay for her own developing costs. Am I wrong? -- OHIO PHOTOGRAPHER
DEAR OHIO PHOTOGRAPHER: Unspoken messages are frequently misunderstood. Without words to clarify the details, how could either of you know what the other expected or assumed? In the future, reach an agreement (in writing) before committing to any photography assignments -- even with friends.