enginyr wrote:
People keep talking about selling larger prints. I don't quite understand why that is a recurring issue. When I do shoots, I charge for my time and what comes out....comes out.

So if you guys charge per print, technically the customer could say...Nice prints, but no thanks and just take your sample pics?


I never give a minimum purchase but many will have set minimums. The reason is I know I will get amazing images no matter what I have to do. The client will be happy and like the samples. Usually I include XX number of finished prints with options on larger.
The reason most want to provide prints is to make money ( only reason I shoot photos ) and to control the quality of the prints. I feel I am cheating my client if I don't provide the print. The prints I give them will be up to my standards or they will be re-made. Giving a CD and letting them go to a mass market lab will not give them a top quality product that they deserve. The color will be off, the crop may be really bad and the end product is usually not even close to professional lab standards. Nothing I want my name associated with. I will give the re-touched images that were printed on CD for use on line but at least they have a master print showing how it should look.

thanks...

there is nothing wrong with posing the families close...but there should be a continuity about it, in your images you just need to re-arrange the family members.

YOU are losing BIG money selling the disc....trust me I learned the hard way.

I charge a session fee...and sell the prints. there isn't any "minimum" must buy limit. at times the sale can be 300.00 to 2000.00. and if a disc is sold it was for 1k. i'm working with a photographer that is more established and she is an amazing sales person.

image:

1. i'd pose mom and dad together...with dad on right side and fill girls to each side of parents...lower you camera angle so the horizon is not going through their neck

2. again... parents in center and girls fill in..move family to Left. good angle.

3. collage...the lower left image has to most potential for a large print sale. move the little girl to mother's left, and you have a WINNER.

the lower right has good potential...turn dad alittle more to camera and lower head with better angle...would have had good sales for the image.

trust me....a nice 24x30 canvas print with some small image sales will add up to a nice 1k profit for an hour shoot.

Thank you jefferies and Tony.


Tony, So you can charge, Lets say $200 a session fee then. include some 640 x 480 pictures for the rest of their shoot or not include any?? Then charge $300 or $500 for big canvas shots. What about framing? I seem to be meeting people that don't want prints even, and if they do want prints, they just want cotsco's.

i'm saying....you give them options for prints sizes....4x6, 8x10, 16x20..etc...the clients will tell you what sizes they want..........i'd say charge less the 200.00....150.00 etc...as a customer 200.00 sounds a lot. look at Sears portraits...low session fees but people walk out buying a 1k dollars worth of images. if they want images to share on the web...then sell the images WEB size of the images they chose to buy.

i'd leave the framing to the clients....

when i started i wanted learned the "photography" side......and i've had to learn the hard way the "business" side...and my friend is teaching me A LOT.....i still have much much to learn on the business end.....and photography techniques also....(I'll be the first to admit that)........its take practice to pose families....but once to get a hang of it....they people begin to fall in place, and your quality will IMPROVE.

Tony Brown wrote:
image:

1. i'd pose mom and dad together...with dad on right side and fill girls to each side of parents...lower you camera angle so the horizon is not going through their neck

2. again... parents in center and girls fill in..move family to Left. good angle.

3. collage...the lower left image has to most potential for a large print sale. move the little girl to mother's left, and you have a WINNER.

the lower right has good potential...turn dad alittle more to camera and lower head with better angle...would have had good sales for the image.

trust me....a nice 24x30 canvas print with some small image sales will add up to a nice 1k profit for an hour shoot.

These are very helpful suggestions, Tony. Since I'm trying to work on posing as well, these specifics are what I keep looking for in the forum.