How to show work to clients????

[enrigonz]

I recently shot 10 teenage girls in a studio setting and after all said and done, I'm left with about 400 pictures I will like to present to them so they can pick and choose the one(s) they want printed. I though of printing a proof sheet or burning a CD with small images (640x480) and let them tell me which they want. Or simply have them online somewhere where they can see them all and email me what they want.

Any ideas??

[PhotosGuy]

I'd put them online (640x480 w/watermark) because 1. I don't want to print them & 2. Online printing is better than inkjet.

Links to most of the sites:
Online orders question (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=501332)

[EveryMilesAMemory]

I usually upload to my Smugmug Gallery with them watermarked, only available to look at on the smallest setting and right click protected until they pick the ones they want.

Once I've worked on these images and have them the way I want them, I then put them into another gallery and upload them fullsize.

I still have the watermark on them because in Smugmug its only an added layer and have them right click protected, so at this time they can order any size they want for purchase

On the first gallery, you can even password protect the gallery so they're the only ones who can view the images

This saves a ton of money from having to print anything only to toss it out

It also saves a ton of time because you can upload small files very fast and dont have to go through the hassle of editing anything till they've picked out the ones they like

[enrigonz]

I usually upload to my Smugmug Gallery with them watermarked, only available to look at on the smallest setting and right click protected until they pick the ones they want.

Once I've worked on these images and have them the way I want them, I then put them into another gallery and upload them fullsize.

I still have the watermark on them because in Smugmug its only an added layer and have them right click protected, so at this time they can order any size they want for purchase

On the first gallery, you can even password protect the gallery so they're the only ones who can view the images

This saves a ton of money from having to print anything only to toss it out

It also saves a ton of time because you can upload small files very fast and dont have to go through the hassle of editing anything till they've picked out the ones they like

I liked it! do you have a specific pricing set for each print or do you charge a percentage over their pricing? Do you mind sharing what you charge for certain print sizes? I'll like to know what people are paying for 5x7s, 8x10s, 13x19s, etc.

I can see charging 10 times more for a 4x6 or even a 5x7 but not a 13x19 or anything larger than an 8x10 for that matter. I wonder if this is the way to go for my photography instead of me doing all the footwork?

What kind of results have you had with them? Do you use their lab for correction or do you do your own?

Sorry for the bunch of questions but so far you lead me to a place I like.

[RDKirk]

Who are you actually expecting to sell the pictures to? I'm presuming you actually expect to sell to the parents, not the girls themselves. And if you expect to sell to the parents, you should understand that you're actually selling to the girls' mothers.

Now...what is the best way to market to mothers? It might not be the way that's easiest for you. One of the things we've learned over the last few years is that every time a client sees an image, it diminishes her desire to purchase the image. If they are given an opportunity to view images at their leisure, the enthusiasm to purchase drops, drops, drops.

The best results come from showing and selling--or at least writing the orders--on the spot. I and a lot of photographers create slideshows to show on a laptop, and take the orders while they're still overwhelmed from the initial impact of seeing the images for the first time.

[FlyingPhotog]

No one worries about people seeing images on other screens which are (probably) not calibrated?

I've got my first senior shoot early next month and have been struggling with how to provide proofs. I guess I can do it through a passworded gallery on my Zenfolio and let them order prints directly through Mpix then...

[EveryMilesAMemory]

I liked it! do you have a specific pricing set for each print or do you charge a percentage over their pricing? Do you mind sharing what you charge for certain print sizes? I'll like to know what people are paying for 5x7s, 8x10s, 13x19s, etc.

I can see charging 10 times more for a 4x6 or even a 5x7 but not a 13x19 or anything larger than an 8x10 for that matter. I wonder if this is the way to go for my photography instead of me doing all the footwork?

What kind of results have you had with them? Do you use their lab for correction or do you do your own?

Sorry for the bunch of questions but so far you lead me to a place I like.

I've tried a few different routes and found that if I charge a high price for 4x6's, I dont sell that many. If I charge only a few bucks for a 4x6, I tend to sell a ton of them with a few larger sized prints as gifts or the main order

I used to try and sit down with the clients and do the hard sell stuff, but it was so time consuming and I'm not the type to presure someone into buying things from me.

I do all my own editing and upload to my Smugmug Gallery so the images they see are the images they order.

I've had mediocre results with models ordering from my galleries, but fantastic results from almost any event we attend.

When shooting events, we usually have a batch of cards made specifically for that event, either Vista Print or Next Day Flyers so it looks way more professional and the card says "Check out Photos from this Event at ...website address"

We then charge accordingly to what type of event it is and what we think people will order.

Smugmug has paid for itself time and time again and earned us some good money in the past few years. Cant think of an easier way to sell photos

[themadman]

A online service like Smugmug or Zenfolio will do =)

[enrigonz]

A online service like Smugmug or Zenfolio will do =)

Which between the two lets you make the most money on the premium/professional accounts?

I noticed to start with Zenfolio is $100 while Smugmug is $150 and wonder what one has to offer better than the other. So far I'm trying Smugmug for 2 weeks before I decide which way to go. I've noticed they offer many items for sale and have two separate labs, EZ Prints is the one I'm using just as a try out but if any of you have more suggestions please keep them coming, so far I like Smugmug very much but the annual fee on Zenfolio is better and I wonder what else is.