Post wedding sales ?

[paul33]

Was just looking back over my past ten years in the business and calculating that post wedding sales (ie; outside of package) have moved from 40% of revenues in 2003 to 15% in 2008 to 6% in 2011.

I make my money from up-front package prices so it is no show-breaker for me and I understand that the explosion of POS digital cameras, the inclusion of the DVD of hi-res images in all my packages and what appears to be a monster shift away from prints to "on PC" digital images are the key reasons but ...... I'm interested to hear whether any of you have found new post-wedding opportunities.

Is the sale of prints to wedding guests now largely a thing of the past ?

[memoriesoftomorrow]

I've never sold prints from day one, never tried to either. I've included digital files with all my packages since I started the business 5 years ago. The only post wedding sales I tend to get are parent albums.

[Gatorboy]

Once you give the images on disk, forget any further sales.

[siddr20]

^ +1 to that. Though now I try and convince my clients why my prints are better than a local retail store. I do show them my prints so they can see it in person.

Once they know this they try and print from me.

Everyone wants high res files. Its like the first thing they ask me before they even ask if I have a backup camera lol.

[snakeman55]

Originally Posted by memoriesoftomorrow

I've never sold prints from day one, never tried to either. I've included digital files with all my packages since I started the business 5 years ago. The only post wedding sales I tend to get are parent albums.

Me too exactly.

[brokensocial]

We don't focus on the post-sale. Really, the only tangible products we even offer are discs and albums, and discs are part of every wedding we shoot.

[Peacefield]

I actually do a fairly robust business in print sales (not a ton, but robust based on expectations of $0). Never from the couple, nearly always from friends and family.

[Gomar]

So does everyone here provide hi-res images in their packages on DVDs? Or do you lower res so as to prohibit printing or copying?

Do you shoot in RAW but provide jpegs?

I bet the only ones asking for prints are older folks with no computers.

[snakeman55]

Yes in my experience it's only older people that want prints. Yes I shoot raw and deliver jpegs.

[Peacefield]

Everyone wants hi-res images on disc; very hard to sell a wedding without that ability. For me, they have to either purchase the disc or it's free with other purchases.

[umphotography]

Originally Posted by Peacefield

Everyone wants hi-res images on disc; very hard to sell a wedding without that ability. For me, they have to either purchase the disc or it's free with other purchases.

Yup.. no disc, no work here in MN. We do not give full size JPEGS....but large enough to print 8x10's..full size files and clients that want to get wall prints must go through us. If they dont like it they can hire someone else. And ive lost a few and dont really care that i did.

At some point, when your full time, you have to establish standards that will allow you to stay in business for the long run so making a reasonable profit on a large wall print is something we want to go through us. If they want to go to smug and get one for $100.00 v/s 300.00 through us, they will have to hire someone else. And, we tell them, look we roll into a venue with 20K of the best equipment available and we have been doing this for a while. So,we have to reserve some items so that we can continue to stay in business,,,they get that. The ones that dont care will hire someone else. And Im OK with that as well.

The industry has changed so much and there are so many part timers out there that it makes it hard to compete. We really try to convince the clients that they need to print something. So the only full size files we release are the album files.

[Niccas9]

umphotography - Your explanation may come across as harsh but it makes perfectly good sense to me. As someone who is in the market for a wedding photographer I would respect your reasoning and understand that those higher costs come with higher standards.

[PeaceFire]

Originally Posted by umphotography

Yup.. no disc, no work here in MN. We do not give full size JPEGS....but large enough to print 8x10's..full size files and clients that want to get wall prints must go through us. If they dont like it they can hire someone else. And ive lost a few and dont really care that i did.

I've shot many photo sessions and weddings in MN and I don't offer a disc with all of my wedding packages and none of my portrait packages. Just today I had a client order a $600 print package from a MN engagement session, actually. So, no disc, no work isn't exactly true. I'm not even based in Minnesota and get plenty of work there using the no-digital file sales method. Probably not nearly as much as you, but those clients who value prints and albums over digital files do exist! Even in MN...