E-Session Proofing Questions

Just a few questions regarding e-sessions. I would be very grateful for any input.

1) How many proofs do you typically supply to the client?

2) Do you offer "alternate" edits?

Remember these questions are for engagement shoots only, not Wedding. Thank you for any input you may have for me.

60-100 depending on how long and varied the session was.

And yes, I always do this for both engagement and weddings.

Oh man. That's a lot more than I thought.

I only have like 2 dozen fully edited photos for my couple. uh oh. I better start getting back to work.

Thanks for your reply.

The (thankfully) few times I've done an E-session I had about 25 or so to show them.

Yeah, when i have done things like this, i have learned less is more, to an extent. If you give too many and get too loose with your selection process, it seems to loose value.

Thanks for the responses guys.

I was thinking all night about this. Kinda stressed. My conclusion ... I don't want to release mediocre shots just to make the numbers higher. That's just not my style. I'll stick with what I think looks the best and hope they like them.

One more question, if you don't mind ..

How long are your average turn around times? From shoot to proof?

If I finish tonight, it'll be two weeks exactly. Is that acceptable?

20-30, in my office, on the big screen. This ordering session appointment is arranged at the same time as the portrait time is, and all decision makers (ie people who control the budget) must be there. If one doesn't turn up the session's rescheduled. Portrait proofs never go online.

For portraits I prefer a seven day turnaround, max. Preferably a couple of days.

Yeah two weeks seems like a long time for a portrait session. I would say a 5-7 days...

Tim, you're awesome. Thanks for dropping in on this.
Means a lot to me. I'm a big fan of your work.

I just finished the edits and actually ended up with close to 40 (plus alternates). I'm doing one set with "standard" processing and another set "stylized" (e.g. BW, Cross-processed, etc). Not sure if this is standard in the biz, but I wanted to offer my client a choice in the way they were processed.

Anyhow, I think I did okay. This was my first session, so I was a bit nervous. After PP, I like the way they came out ... so I feel a bit better now.

Giant thanks to everyone that responded here. It helped, big time.

I admit, I definitely spend too much time on PP work. Yea, I need to fix that.
In all honesty, I probably could of cranked them out sooner. But, I've been short on time, due to day job and family stuff. But, I really need to work on getting photos out faster.

I agree with you .. I think a week should be the maximum.

Thanks for your comments.

For what it's worth, I don't do alternate edits. I think that being the photographer, we know what we were trying to capture, and you know how best to get that across through processing.

By telling the client "Well, i know i posed you and waited until the decisive moment to capture the image i wanted, but now I don't which version better communicates the message I was trying to get across" makes you seem a bit wishy washy and unsure of yourself.

Some photos are naturally suited for BW or cross processing.

I don't doubt that I'm heavy with my number. I don't edit myself nearly as much as I should. Something I need to get better at, both for engagements and weddings.