Client Red Flag Bingofor Photographers and videographers
How many have you heard? Tap each one that sounds familiar.
Today’s board · 25 Oct
What is Client Red Flag Bingo?
Client Red Flag Bingo is a free BrieflyGo game for freelancers: a 5×5 board of the things difficult clients say — “it’ll be great for your portfolio”, “just one more small change”, “we’ll sign the contract later”. Tap the ones you’ve heard, get your score and a shareable card, and see a practical way to protect yourself from each flag. There’s a new board every day, drawn from over 50 client lines. No sign-up, nothing you tap is linked to you.
Glossary: what a “client red flag” is →Client red flags for photographers and videographers, and what to do
General practices freelancers use — put them in your quote or contract before the project starts.
| Red flag | Practice | How to protect yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Can you send ALL the photos? | Source files priced | Source, working and RAW files are a separate line item. |
| We’d like the RAW files | Source files priced | Source, working and RAW files are a separate line item. |
| It’ll be great for your portfolio | Paid trial only | Offer a small paid starter package. If you do work free, cap it in writing. |
| It’s only a couple of hours | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Will you price match? | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| We want copyright on the photos | IP transfer on payment | Rights pass to the client only on full payment. Keep the right to show the work in your portfolio. |
| Don’t use these in your portfolio | Credit and portfolio rights | Agree credit and whether you can show the work. Price ghostwriting accordingly. |
| We can pay you in exposure | Fixed fee | Quote your rate. Exposure is a bonus, never the fee. |
| We’ll edit them ourselves | Source files priced | Source, working and RAW files are a separate line item. |
| My uncle has a nice camera | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Just bring your camera to the party | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Can’t you just fix it in post? | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Photoshop Grandma into the group | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Sneak peeks within 24 hours? | Rush fee | Anything faster than your standard timeline carries a rush fee, agreed in writing. |
| One more quick location | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Film it vertical AND horizontal | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Use a Taylor Swift song | Asset licensing | The client supplies licensed fonts, photos and music — or pays to license them. |
| Posted with a filter, no credit | Credit and portfolio rights | Agree credit and whether you can show the work. Price ghostwriting accordingly. |
| We’ll sign the contract later | Signed before you start | No signature, no start. |
| Ends at 5… okay, 9 | Overtime rate | Time beyond the booked hours is billed per hour at a stated rate. |
| “Paying next week” — every week | Payment terms | Due dates, a late fee and a pause clause. |
| Drone shots, no drone budget | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Ghosts for weeks, then “URGENT” | Client-delay clause | A client-delay clause moves the deadline; keeping the old one costs a rush fee. |
| Cancels halfway, wants a refund | Kill fee | A kill fee clause covers work already done. |
| My mom’s paying, so she decides | One approver, set hours | Name one person who approves, and state your working hours and response time. |
| Can we have past clients’ numbers? | One approver, set hours | Name one person who approves, and state your working hours and response time. |
| Can you shoot it on your phone? | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Candlelight only. No flash, please. | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| We want to edit the signed contract | Signed before you start | No signed agreement, no start. If they “don’t do contracts”, bring your own one-pager. |
| Unlimited edits, right? | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Need it ASAP. Like, yesterday. | Rush fee | Rush fee, in writing, before you start. |
| Won’t name any budget | Tiered packages | Ask for a range, then send tiered options. |
| Just one more small change | Revision limit | Count the rounds. Extras go on a change order. |
| I’ll know it when I see it | Written scope | Get the brief signed off, with approval checkpoints. |
| Can you do a free sample? | Paid trial only | Point to your portfolio or offer a paid test. |
| Feedback from five different bosses | One approver, set hours | One named approver. Feedback arrives consolidated. |
| Changes the brief after approval | Change order | The approved brief is locked; changes go on a change order. |
| Vanishes when the invoice arrives | Milestone billing | Milestones. Final files go out on payment. |
| Asks for a discount up front | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. |
| Haggles after delivery | Fixed fee | The signed quote is the price. |
| Net-90 payment terms | Payment terms | Negotiate net-15 or net-30, or build the wait into the price. |
| Make me look 10 years younger | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Can you remove the ex from all photos? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Just one more group shot (30 people) | Overtime rate | Time beyond the booked hours is billed per hour at a stated rate. |
| Can you shoot the whole wedding solo? | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Make it look like the filter | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Billboard use? Same fee, right? | IP transfer on payment | Your licence covers the agreed uses; bigger uses cost more. |
| Can you film it in 4K, 8K, whatever? | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Travel’s on you, right? | Fixed fee | Travel and accommodation are billed on top of the fee. |
Already signed with a red-flag client?
Check what your contract says about payment, revisions and rights — free, in about a minute.
Questions
What is a client red flag?
A sign early in a project that a client may cause trouble later: refusing a contract, pushing for free samples, haggling before you’ve quoted, vague briefs, or “we pay when we get paid”. One flag isn’t a verdict, but several together usually mean scope creep or late payment ahead.
How do I protect myself from difficult clients?
Most red flags are handled by a few habits put in writing: a clear scope, a set number of revision rounds, a deposit before you start, payment terms with a late fee, change orders for new requests, and rights that transfer only on full payment. Each square on the board links its own tip.
Is Client Red Flag Bingo free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it’s free and there’s no sign-up. Your board is kept in the link itself — there’s no account to tie it to. We only keep anonymous usage stats, like how often each square is tapped.
Which boards are there?
A general board for every freelancer, plus boards for designers, developers, writers and copywriters, and photographers and videographers. Each one has 24 squares and a free centre square.
Does the board change?
Yes. Every board draws its 24 squares from a larger pool of client lines, and there’s a new board every day — the same for everyone, so you can compare scores with friends. “New board” deals fresh lines from the same edition, and each edition (Agency, Cheap Client, Payment Nightmare, Worst of 2026 and the profession boards) has its own set. The classics show up on most boards.
How do I challenge a friend?
Finish a board and press “Challenge a freelancer”. Your friend gets the exact same board, sees your score, and when they finish, both scores appear side by side.
Is this legal advice?
No. The tips are general business practices freelancers use. For a contract with real money at stake, have it checked — you can run a free risk check on BrieflyGo or talk to a lawyer.
Just for fun. Tips are general business practices, not legal advice — for a contract with real money at stake, get it reviewed. Last updated .