question for those who DO give away the CD

[islandphoto]

Hi, I was just wondering for all you those who do give away the CD, do you resize images for your customers if they want to make an 8x10, 5x7 or do you actually sell the reprints, or do you reccomend a good professional lab? Thanks for the advice in advance.

[tim]

I don't give away the CD, but I do sell it. The images are 3000x2000 pixels, color, with white ballance, exposure, contrast, shadows, and brightness corrected. I sometimes put a couple of examples of fully processed images onto the CD in low resolution to show them why they might order prints from me.

[islandphoto]

Thanks, so when you sell I'm assuming it is to people who have a good understanding of how to resize it themselves if they want enlargements? Or do they ask you to resize to 8x10 etc?

[tim]

What they do with the images is their problem, I don't offer support for how to use digital images unless they pay my ad hoc hourly rate, which is not at all cheap. A lot of people want them "just in case" - eg in case I get hit by a bus and they lose access to their high res images.

That's why even when people buy the high res CD they sometimes still order prints from me, and their families usually order from me.

[islandphoto]

how much do you sell it for if you don't mind me asking :)

[tim]

It's tiered depending on how much they spend on their album and package. It can range between about $1000 (US $700 or so) and free.

[jamiepeter]

I was wondering this as well, almost every digital wedding photographer's site I browse, a CD full of high-resolution images is included--meaning they don't sell prints? And most often, they also include a "proof" book full of 300 4x6's.

[tonycortes]

If you are being asked to resize images, take the opportunity and offer them a price to do so.

[jessiper]

I include a disc w/high res images. All I do is convert the edited TIFF files into 8-bit, 300dpi JPEG's and put them on CD's or a DVD in folders. I tell them that if they do want to make a large print that the lab may or may not crop it the way they want. So, if they want a really large print then I ask them to tell me which one and I'll crop it to that size for them at no charge. It takes me about 1 minute, and it makes them feel good about my customer service and I know exactly what the print will look like. I do recommend a couple professional labs to them, and www.mpix.com. Hope that helps!

[jessiper]

I guess I should add that I've never felt that a client took advantage of me for this. If they asked me to resize all of them then I'd ask for a fee, but one or two pictures is no problem.

[liza]

I resize the images in the aspect ratios they request, and charge them accordingly. I also give them detailed information about printing and recommend that they use either one local lab in particular or Mpix.

[jbstudios]

do you guys narrow down the selection or give them all prints? i get the I WANT ALL IMAGES thing & just kinda need to know what others do with this situation.

[islandphoto]

great tips! I will do a handful at no charge but sometimes people want like 20 or so... it gets to be a little time consuming (not too bad but it makes me just want to sell prints).

[liza]

do you guys narrow down the selection or give them all prints? i get the I WANT ALL IMAGES thing & just kinda need to know what others do with this situation.

No way do they get all the prints. I have a 15 image CD and a 30 image CD for my portrait sessions. If they want anything more, the price goes up.

[tonycortes]

It ends up being up to you, but consider is there an appropriate opportunity for more business? will providing all images ensure me a returning customer? is my time worth it? it's a good feeling to be able to help a customer but it's very important to remain in "business." In other words, do what you can, but don't cut yourself short.

[TheSteveMadden]

will providing all images ensure me a returning customer?

If you're talking about the entire shoot, probably the opposite! Discards are just a byproduct of the process. I would cull it down to only those you are proud of, discarding any which have *any* problems with focus, composition, unflattering poses, or are for all practical purposes duplicates. Leaving any of those in the CD would most likely hurt your image rather than help.

That being said, the only way I would provide a CD is if they are web/e-mail sized and unsuitable for printing or if I was paid a pretty penny.

[tonycortes]

If you're talking about the entire shoot, probably the opposite! Discards are just a byproduct of the process. I would cull it down to only those you are proud of, discarding any which have *any* problems with focus, composition, unflattering poses, or are for all practical purposes duplicates. Leaving any of those in the CD would most likely hurt your image rather than help.

That being said, the only way I would provide a CD is if they are web/e-mail sized and unsuitable for printing or if I was paid a pretty penny.

a good example of a situation where you would not want to give a CD. that's why I mentioned you should ask yourself those questions and answer them for yourself.

[jbstudios]

i dont mind making a cd and i do not want to give all the crap photos, but just wanted to know how you guys word it when they ask you if these are all images, etc. of course the bad ones are taken out, but i get some girls that are very I WANT. I dont mind i want if they pay for it.

[TheSteveMadden]

i dont mind making a cd and i do not want to give all the crap photos, but just wanted to know how you guys word it when they ask you if these are all images, etc. of course the bad ones are taken out, but i get some girls that are very I WANT. I dont mind i want if they pay for it.


Yes, you can say these are "All the images" with a clear conscience.

Of course, you technically mean "All the images I will ever let anyone else see", but you don't have to share that distinction. ;)

[tonycortes]

i dont mind making a cd and i do not want to give all the crap photos, but just wanted to know how you guys word it when they ask you if these are all images, etc. of course the bad ones are taken out, but i get some girls that are very I WANT. I dont mind i want if they pay for it.

Sometimes, when a client wants digital files or I want to sell them (normally cause I don't look forward to working with them again) I explain the prices by breaking it down.

For example, you have 100 pictures and you want to sell the digital files now that you have sold them the initial package/prints. The price you have in mind is $600. I would never suggest for someone to ask for $600. Instead, talk with your customer, tell them that you can sell them digital files that are WB Corrected, Color, Contrast, etc. Show them the benefits: back ups to prints, email, computer wallpaper, slideshow, etc. And tell them you can sell the pictures for $6 each. After they agree, give them the number of digital files and total price.

[karensimmons]

I provide a disk of high res images to the client included in the price.

1 - The images are edited, color corrected, JPEGS. No retouchign is done. It's the same type of "negative" they'd get if I were shooting film.

2 - They are not cropped and I do not provide help or advice on resizing. Most consumer labs will automatically resize the image for you, just like they did from film

3 - I sell plenty of prints after the fact. Most of my clients are not getting their files to get cheap prints. They are getting htem for archival purposes. I still sell albums and anywhere from $600 to $1500 worth of prints after each event.

4 - No I don't release "all" the images; I edit for content. All the image that the client sees are put online, proofed, and burned to the disk for them. But all the images that the client sees are not "all" the images. I edit out the crap first. :)

K.

[tim]

My price list has the high res images available only if an album is purchased, I very rarely agree to do a wedding where the only thing they receive is a CD. I would only do this if it was a booking for not long away where I wouldn't get an album customer, and even then I charge a good amount for the CD.

[sapearl]

I still sell prints as well as finished album packages. I'm also one of the old-school dinosaurs - previously genus Bladosaurus now mutated to species Canosaurus - and just converted to digital in the past year.

My complete packages include coverage for the day, proof books with 400-500 4x6 proofs, and a finished album with a set quantity of pages for 5x7 or 8x10 enlargements. The pages can be customized for other size prints if the client expresses an interest.

I also provide on-line proofing as a "value added convenience service" in addition to the paper lab prints. I do not currently sell or include high resolution CD's of my images, although I haven't ruled this out as a future marketing tool. If I decide to include a disk, I will probably charge at least $400 for it when purchased with one of my modest packages, or simply include it with the high end albums. The jury is still out on how this could cut into my print sales....:rolleyes: - Stu

I was wondering this as well, almost every digital wedding photographer's site I browse, a CD full of high-resolution images is included--meaning they don't sell prints? And most often, they also include a "proof" book full of 300 4x6's.

[jessiper]

I still sell prints as well as finished album packages. I'm also one of the old-school dinosaurs - previously genus Bladosaurus now mutated to species Canosaurus - and just converted to digital in the past year.

Probably the same reason I include prints too. ;)

[sapearl]

No, they don't get everything. I shoot at their direction and my discretion. I don't give them garbage images. If it's out of focus, way over or underexposed, or just plain lousy, they never see it. After all, this is your work and it reflects on your ability as a pro. I consider myself both a pro shooter and a pro EDITOR/Deleter. I've never had anybody INSIST upon getting every single image. Maybe it's the way I present myself.....

What this means is: I'll shoot about 500+ RAW images during the wedding day. I'll delete some as I go along, eliminating things like eye blinks, boring duplicates, and other things like "why on earth did I shoot that ?"

I'll do a final culling of the herd after I get home and begin editing the RAW files. This will whittle it down to a final 400 - 500, all of which have been processed in PS. That will take me about 3-4 hours over a couple of days in the evening after I get home from my regular full time job.;)

do you guys narrow down the selection or give them all prints? i get the I WANT ALL IMAGES thing & just kinda need to know what others do with this situation.

[islandphoto]

So Stu - if and when you do include the CD, what will you do about the aspect ratio? Will you resize it for them if they ask?

Thanks,

[sapearl]

Hi Joanna... regarding the aspect ratio, I probably wouldn't do anything about it. I would give them a very nicely processed, high quality and high resolution disk. They would be on their own after that. I would stress that the purpose of the disk is like that of a set of backup negatives. However they may want to crop things if they make prints would be up to them.

[islandphoto]

So you would still encourage them to order enlargements from yoU?

[sapearl]

I would try to apply the salesman's art of gentle persuasion, pointing out the advantages of a professionally PS'd image, printed at a pro lab that is geared towards producing high quality wedding enlargements. :D Now, whether or not they're buyin' what I'm sellin'....... we'll have to see how my print sales go for 2007.

So you would still encourage them to order enlargements from yoU?

[PIXI_666]

i gave up trying to sell my prints...i find couples LAZY...when tey get their proof book. So i have been giving away the CD and telling them to print themselves, only coz im too busy in my full time job.
i photoshop my faves, then put them along with the rest onto DVD for them to print as they choose. It just saves ME a lot of hassle later on....i just wish i could buy my negs off MY wedding photographer :(:(:(

[PIXI_666]

PS: I used to charge $600 for the negs (And still do to "Clients" but i have a loooooooooooot of family and friends who want me as their photog)

[Lin-z]

I sell the disk, but when I give it to them I make sure they understand that when they print an 8x10 or 5x7, the photo will be cropped. Some of them know what I am talking about, some of them look at my blankly like "cropped what is that". When I do my PP I look at the images and thing, if they print an 8x10 with this how will it be printed. I make sure to give the subjects plenty of head room.