Wedding print choices.

Hey guys!

I am starting to fire on all pistons with my wedding photography business this year. I wanted to find out from all of you what kind of system you used for selecting with images.

Do you let the client select what makes it to prints/DVD/Album?

If so, how do you go about collecting that information? How much time do you give the client?

Do you select them for them?

Thanks Guys!

I would ask this question on this forum, you'll get more information. Or join http://www.digitalwedd​ingforum.com , it's $100 well spent. On DWF search for "album predesign" there, it's a very interesting read.

All my wedding clients get a DVD with all the images (minus the obvious throw aways) either in proof form or full resolution, depending on the package they bought. After they get this DVD I go to work on the album with no input from them. Once I am done with the album design we get together and look it over on the computer, or sometimes I get them a DVD with proof-size of the album design to look over. They look over the album design and that's when they can suggest changes. They know all the images I am working with and choosing from because they have the DVD with all of them on it. So they can look at the album design and know if all the images they wanted in the album are there, or if they want to swap things around. So far The most changes I've had to make to an album design was one hour worth of work, very minor. Most of my albums go out as-is with no changes from the client.

Over the years I have found out that most people don't have the time it takes to make even the most seemingly simple decisions like choosing images for their album. By starting with something it makes it easier for them to deal with it. To try and co-design an album with the client by letting them make a lot of decisions up front it's going to drag out for weeks if not months. Some of my earliest clients from 5 years ago still do not have an album because they didn't buy that service from me. All their images still only exist on DVD with only a few in print form and those are only because they were included with the package. People do not have time, and/or do not want to make the decisions or deal with it. The more you can assert yourself into that process the happier they will be. It seems like the logical thing to do would be to have the client make these decisions because you figure only they know what they like best, but the fact is most of them don't know.

I've got a photographer friend who does it this way, he has them identify the 20 images that must be in the album, and 20 that they do not want in the album, then he designs the album around that, including a lot of images that were not in either catagory, but including all the must haves. I like this approach as well, but you might have to stay on top of them to get you the list. They will put it off if you don't.

Hello photog - glad to hear the business is taking off well for you.

I will provide the client with 400-500 proofs (4x6 lab prints) in a proof book, and an order form for their final album selections as well as additional loose enlargements they may wish to order for gifts, frames, etc. They will have already contracted for an album plan, and that will specify quantity and sizes of the finished pictures. I ask them to return the order to me within 4-6 weeks. On the average I will get the order back in 2-3 months which is not too bad. They rarely have difficulty making their choices.

I also provide an online gallery so out of town guests and families can view the work.

I do not provide a hight rez disk of all the images for two main reasons. First, I have no idea where they will take the images to be printed. Most will run right out out to Walmart for some quick prints, and will NOT have applied any sort of Photoshop PP to the images - ie. blemish removal, highlight and shadow fine tuning, reflection removal, sharpenning where necessary..... in other words all the little extras that make you shine as the pro that you are. Give them the disk and it's your name on the whatever output they concocted.

Also, when you give the disk away you give away additional sales and shoot your business in the foot. The exception to this of course is if you are charging sufficiently high to cover those lost sales. I would include a disk also, but then I'd have to raise my prices significantly. Hope this helps. - Stu

As you will soon find out there is more than just one business model. You will have to decide what works best for you. Different models fit different shooting styles as well as your own personality best. Only you will know what works best for you.

Like sapearl indicated, you usually end up in one of two camps. Either you charge more up front and offer full resolution files, or charge less up front and make up for it in print sales. There are pros and cons to both.

I charge more up front and give full resolution files, but those files are files that I have processed as well... they've beend straightened, cropped, white balanced, contrast and exposure adjusted, saturation adjusted and sharpened. I know how long it takes me and have built the time into what I charge up front. I take one or two of the best portrait style images and do some fine detailed touchup work to them and use them as samples as to what I can do with any of the other images they have on disk. I put the before and after shots in a seperate folder. This way they know what is possible. So any additional work they want done on other images I offer as an additional charge/service.

By having the post processed files in full resolution there is the greatest chance that they will be able to make good quality prints. You want this because as sapearl indicated, you don't want your name on lousy prints. I used to offer proof books of small prints as well but what they did then is scan the prints on some cheap scanner and printed out terrible 8x10s from the scan. So you see that by not providing the best quality media to start with does not mean they will not try and print it and you end up with the same problem of having your name attached to bad prints.

I also like to wrap up a job as quickly as possible and then be done with it. I hate having a job drag on for months afterwards. I like designing the album while the shoot is still fresh in my head. In my mind having the couple return their picked images for the album on average of 2 to 3 months later translates directly to they absolutely had difficulty making their choices. I am typically completely done with everything 4 to 6 weeks from the time I shoot the wedding to the time I deliver an album (the album company I use typically takes 3 to 4 weeks ro process/deliver).

As a side note I have a large percentage of my clients come to me for their prints even though they have the full size images on disk. Sure they print their own small prints. But for some reason once you get up to or above 8x10 they feel that a pro lab and pro handling of that size print needs to be handled by me. So I get the benefit of getting print sales on top of the higher price I charge up front. Of course I show them samples I keep on hand of some 16x20s printed on specialty media like metallic paper, or canvas, etc.

Great feedback guys! thanks...

Sounds like you guys are designing some high end albums. I am currently planning on just doing a 10 x 10 leather bound album with prints inserted. But i do want to study up on the possiblity of a designed and layed out album.

So i wonder, what companies do you guys use?

Thanks.

Well photog, I'm currently using Maxima which I get from Albumsinc.com for my 8x10 prints:

http://www.albumsinc.c​om …7-4747-9EB2-043916A55F0B}

It's a bound book with mat slip-ins. I'm in the process though of trying to decide upon which vendors coffee table book to add to my offerings. This is the type where you design the pages on screen and then send the pages/montages/layouts direct to the book binder.

photog_87 wrote in post #4759063
Great feedback guys! thanks...

Sounds like you guys are designing some high end albums. I am currently planning on just doing a 10 x 10 leather bound album with prints inserted. But i do want to study up on the possiblity of a designed and layed out album.

So i wonder, what companies do you guys use?

Thanks.

I've used Renaissance in the past but recently opened an account with Finao. Lovely books. Very cutting edge.

And Tim's advice is good, although DWF Pro membership is now $129 per year. I just write it off as a business expense. It's truly money well spent.

Sorry Liza, what is that company name? Finao? Nothing relevant seems to surface on google for that.

http://www.finaoonline​.com/index.php

thanks.