question for those who DO give away the CD

tonycortes wrote in post #2372287
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.

TheSteveMadden wrote in post #2372340
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.

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.

jbstudios wrote in post #2372375
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.

jbstudios wrote in post #2372375
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.

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.

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.

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.... - Stu

jamiepeter wrote in post #2371461
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.

sapearl wrote in post #2374346
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.

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.

jbstudios wrote in post #2372202
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.

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,

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.

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

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. Now, whether or not they're buyin' what I'm sellin'....... we'll have to see how my print sales go for 2007.

islandphoto wrote in post #2376726
So you would still encourage them to order enlargements from yoU?

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