Price too high?

+1 vote on sticking to your guns.

she won a session, that's discount enough as it is. she wants copies, she should pay. simple as that. if she doesn't want to pay the price for all 119 shots, she can pick her favourite 10 or whatever is fiscally suitable to her and be on her merry way.

as a couple folks already mentioned, maybe a free 11x14 or 8x10 would have been nice so there was something from the shoot but it's a bit late for that?

it's threads like this that make me happy that 95% of my subjects can't talk.

Thanks everyone! Client ended up buying all full res images after I explained why photography costs what it does.

As for my wedding price, I'm aware I have a messed up pricing system... but I'm making around $2k per wedding, which for me is decent money for a 22-year-old in school full time who has only been shooting weddings for 2 years. I've already been chewed up by my commercial photo professor for the way my business is set up.

I appreciate everyone's input!

cdifoto wrote in post #13878650
Actually, we don't know what was or wasn't included. The OP is EXTREMELY devoid of detail.

To clear this up -- A previous client of mine bought a 1-hour session voucher from me and entered it into an auction. It was for charity.

You guys have a good point about offering some sort of print or product with a session. I'll look into that.

Oh, and I'm a "she". =)

Don't give full res images for free.

bananas13 wrote in post #13879544
To clear this up -- A previous client of mine bought a 1-hour session voucher from me and entered it into an auction. It was for charity.

You guys have a good point about offering some sort of print or product with a session. I'll look into that.

Oh, and I'm a "she". =)

Interesting..... I've never really heard of someone going to buy something like that to donate. I can see where that could lead to a delicate situation.

Why would one want all the photographs from from a session. That someone would buy 119 high res images at any price seems absurd. I assume that the client was able view the images so she could select the ones to purchase.

I always include a reasonable sized print when I donate a session to a charity because that's what I'm doing - making a donation. I understand that the OP's was a different situation.

bananas13 wrote in post #13879544
To clear this up -- A previous client of mine bought a 1-hour session voucher from me and entered it into an auction. It was for charity.

You guys have a good point about offering some sort of print or product with a session. I'll look into that.

Oh, and I'm a "she". =)

Okay. So given the fact that your services were purchased and resold at auction, that's even more reason to stick to your guns. Glad you did and glad she paid you full for all the photos.

Yep... just clicked your website. You're definitely a "she."

Frugal wrote in post #13890833
Why would one want all the photographs from from a session. That someone would buy 119 high res images at any price seems absurd. I assume that the client was able view the images so she could select the ones to purchase.

Yah I've never had this situation before... the photos were of her kids and she apparently couldn't decide which ones she wanted, so she bought them all. Yes, she was able to view all the proofs in a gallery.

Nathan wrote in post #13878194
Perhaps a regular auction attracts those types of people, but charity auctions attract a different sort. People who bid on charity auctions know that they are doing so and that sense of altruism tends to incentivize them to contribute more than they would actually pay for a service. In this case, we have not been told what she paid at auction for the photo-session. She could have paid $300, for all we know... Now, she's trying to not spend more money on the hi-res photos because she feels that money goes to the OP and not the charity.

The problem, therefore, is the client. Although I agree with the above comment that he should have offered a tangible prize in addition to the session, perhaps an 11x15 print. However, that is water under the bridge. At this point, he's already fulfilled his obligation. He should stick to his prices. If that means she needs to pick 1 favorite photo in order for her to walk away with something, then so be it.

Although the OP wouldn't make any profit off the session, who cares? The whole purpose of participating in the auction was for charity, right? Profit would have been a bonus, but let's just say that the OP gains a lesson. Otherwise, negotiating and bending his price structure only allows the client to go off and tell others how she duped the OP.

Don't even give out web resolution images. In my opinion, the contract has been fulfilled... the client was never promised anything other than a photo session and she was presented with the rates.

In other words, this woman is not a client. She hasn't paid the OP for any services. She is simply a holder of an auction voucher. She can redeem the voucher for what is represented on its face... no more, no less. The OP doesn't have to negotiate with a nonclient.

I am not a professional photographer and I think I see the problem here. I have friends who's fallen for the "get a free photo shoot" thing. This is kind of the same thing. For non photographers, getting prints, or for todays youngsters (like me ) high resolution files, is part of the photo shoot. You need to establish from the start that no files or prints are included in the deal. Ideally I think a couple of prints or files should be in every deal. How can one sell something that is of no value to the client? A photo shoot with no prints or files is useless.

If she bought them all and you and she left on good terms, you definitely need to put her on your Christmas card list/Thanksgiving list/summer portraits list/ etc....

Sounds like she likes her photos and is willing to pay for them.

bananas13 wrote in post #13879511
Thanks everyone! Client ended up buying all full res images after I explained why photography costs what it does.

As for my wedding price, I'm aware I have a messed up pricing system... but I'm making around $2k per wedding, which for me is decent money for a 22-year-old in school full time who has only been shooting weddings for 2 years. I've already been chewed up by my commercial photo professor for the way my business is set up.

I appreciate everyone's input!

Good job. Glad you got paid.

Your age and experience have nothing to do with your pricing.

Match the market and compete on quality and reputation.

JimAndersson wrote in post #13891216
A photo shoot with no prints or files is useless.

The client didn't win a photoshoot. She won a voucher redeemable for a photoshoot, which means she purchased a discount for shoot + photos.

Let's say a photoshoot normally costs $200 and 10 Photos cost $200. Groupon event shows up in your inbox advertising 50% off photoshoot = $200 value. You purchase and read the print that says the Groupon will go towards the value of the photoshoot, but you still have to pay for photos. You kick yourself for not reading the fine print, but it's still your fault... all the information was there.

Nathan wrote in post #13893860
The client didn't win a photoshoot. She won a voucher redeemable for a photoshoot, which means she purchased a discount for shoot + photos.

Let's say a photoshoot normally costs $200 and 10 Photos cost $200. Groupon event shows up in your inbox advertising 50% off photoshoot = $200 value. You purchase and read the print that says the Groupon will go towards the value of the photoshoot, but you still have to pay for photos. You kick yourself for not reading the fine print, but it's still your fault... all the information was there.

Yes, I know. I understand the logic. I still think the whole idea of separation is wrong though. In my opinion you can not charge for something that doesn't benefit the customer. You need to get payed for your time but shouldn't have an option where no product is delivered.

I did say above that offering a print at the time of auction would have been the preferable route... but that doesn't really get to the crux of the issue here... which is the client. Even if it was clear that a few prints or digital files were to be given at the end of the shoot, the client would have still wanted to get the 519 photos for next to nothing and the same conversation would have commenced.

Nathan wrote in post #13893983
I did say above that offering a print at the time of auction would have been the preferable route... but that doesn't really get to the crux of the issue here... which is the client. Even if it was clear that a few prints or digital files were to be given at the end of the shoot, the client would have still wanted to get the 519 photos for next to nothing and the same conversation would have commenced.

I was talking more about the method in general than this particular case.