Lesson Learned

I negotiated a deal with a regional health care company which was opening a new clinic. They wanted to print and frame the images themselves in order to keep a consistent look across their clinics. So I sold them the right to print one time from my digital files.

I just had the chance to see them yesterday and was mortified. Not only were the prints wrinkly in their frame, they had converted them to black and white or some murky sepia tone (at least those I saw in the lobby area - the ones in exam rooms or other rooms may have not been altered.) Luckily, my name is not on them but I'm still just very disappointed. I spent a lot of time getting the colors right in preparation for printing and could have done the conversion myself had I known they wanted them in B&W/Sepia. One of the images is not all that great except for the color and so now it is just a very mediocre print devoid of any color.

I never considered they would apply additional post-processing and should have included that, I suppose, in my contract with them.

Just an experience to share with others who, like me, may never anticipate severe color correction after selling a digital image.

Nic

Sorry to hear that your client "destroyed" your photos. Would language in your contract have prevented them from doing so. What will you do to prevent this in the future.

I think you should print out a few of the photos in color and B&W and show them the difference. Offer, for an additional fee, a reprint of all of their photos and perhaps framing too. I'm sure they don't know what they gave up when they printed and framed the photos themselves.

nicshow wrote in post #18098198
I negotiated a deal with a regional health care company which was opening a new clinic. They wanted to print and frame the images themselves in order to keep a consistent look across their clinics. So I sold them the right to print one time from my digital files.

I just had the chance to see them yesterday and was mortified. Not only were the prints wrinkly in their frame, they had converted them to black and white or some murky sepia tone (at least those I saw in the lobby area - the ones in exam rooms or other rooms may have not been altered.) Luckily, my name is not on them but I'm still just very disappointed. I spent a lot of time getting the colors right in preparation for printing and could have done the conversion myself had I known they wanted them in B&W/Sepia. One of the images is not all that great except for the color and so now it is just a very mediocre print devoid of any color.

I never considered they would apply additional post-processing and should have included that, I suppose, in my contract with them.

Just an experience to share with others who, like me, may never anticipate severe color correction after selling a digital image.

Nic

Hopefully, the price they paid you for a digital print makes you forget your sorrows.

I see 2 ways to approach this:
- The first is to require them to purchase the prints through you, so that you can QC the final product. That could lead to them being disappointed with the final product, since it didn't meet their vision.
- The second approach is to know that in selling them the digital file, there is always a possibility that either the client or the print shop will manipulate the file in a way that you didn't anticipate, resulting in a final product that doesn't meet your standard, but apparently does meet the client's standard.

In the end, you got paid to provide them with what they wanted. I'm assuming the client is happy with the final product. If they weren't happy, then they have the print shop or their own processes to blame, as you simply provided them with the file as requested.

I don't see a problem here as long as the client is happy with what they purchase. Art is a funny thing where there is no right or wrong. I've gone to enough galleries and have been horrified by the neon saturated colours of some of the images...hurt the eyes looking at them yet obviously the photographer thought they were great and I'm sure someone bought them and proudly hang in their living rooms.

nicshow wrote in post #18098198
. . .my name is not on them . . .

JacobPhoto wrote in post #18098378
In the end, you got paid to provide them with what they wanted.

Hogloff wrote in post #18098382
I don't see a problem here as long as the client is happy with what they purchase.

My sentiments exactly. It doesn't really matter what the prints look like. What matters is that you got paid.

My suggestion is that if you're looking for some kind of personal satisfaction, then you can have some prints made the way you like and hang them in your place.


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