I was paid a nice compliment today - I had 3 people ask to BUY copies of a few of my photos
Here is ther deal - I'm NOT a pro - I won't restart the arguments, but I've been in business before - and frankly, I have NO want to be in business again (any business, particularly one based out of NYC)
How do you hand theis - Gift? Expenses?
Right now, I'm leaning towards "Christmas gift". These are the kind of folks where it would be appropriate to give them a small Christmas gift, but I also don't really want to undercut the pro market - Making a nice wrapped Christmas gift might eliminate that IMHO - Thoughts?
What's the problem with selling them if they want to buy copies? You don't have to be in business to sell a few prints here and there.
What pro market are you undercutting? This is a red herring argument IMO. Unless they can get the exact same product from 'pros' then there is no undercutting going on. Price your work at whatever you want.
If you want to give them as gifts, do it because you want to be nice, not from any fear from other photographers of ruining their markets.
Well, these folks take care of me (literally - they are a couple of Residents/Med Students at my MDs office), and I figure a nice gift to folks who have admired my work would be nice. I'm in there every week due to some chronic health issues, and they were raving about my stuff to the new students "You have to see his photos, we've been trying to get him to sell us posters"
No worries ... you aren't a GWAC out there marketing to undercut the working pros (all that goes with that).
My .02 would be about the correlation between respect/appreciation and value. While everyone likes to save a buck ... these people have placed a value on your work and unlike the old rattler thread, they are not only willing ... but DESIRING ... to pay for your work.
Sometimes, people want to pay me for something I've done for them out of the goodness of my heart (usually emergency roadside repair for a traveler type thing). Over the years, I have tried to reject their money, believing in a "pay it forward" kind of thing.
BUT ... BUT, I've noticed that they receive JOY from paying me and if I don't accept it, they feel like they've CHEATED me because they TRULY VALUE my work ... even if it didn't cost me anything more than my time/experience/training that I already had. Money is a funny thing ... sometimes it is money, sometimes it is something much more valuable ... a way of showing appreciation & respect. If their heart is insistent on wanting to buy from you, let them be true to their heart. I'm confident you'll find the "right" amount to sell it to them for ... to which they'll still likely think you 'gave' it to them for far too little.
Charles Gallo wrote:
Well, these folks take care of me (literally - they are a couple of Residents/Med Students at my MDs office), and I figure a nice gift to folks who have admired my work would be nice. I'm in there every week due to some chronic health issues, and they were raving about my stuff to the new students "You have to see his photos, we've been trying to get him to sell us posters"
I think that if it's meaningful for you to thank your caregivers with a gift of your photography, then I think you should go that route. If they insist on paying you for the work, perhaps suggest that a donation to a research organization or charity in your name would be appropriate.
I don't think giving images to personal connections who like your photos will undercut the pro market. If you get a call from Hilton hotels and you give away all your images thinking they will look great in 500 hotel rooms around the country then you are under cutting the market.
Thanks everyone - clears things up in my mind - I've seen (and been in) many threads about giving away work - in this case, it would be a pure "Holiday gift" "You said you like this photo, This is for you"
I think a very appropriate gift in this circumstance is to sell them the print and then offer to sign and frame it for them at no extra charge. But then again, you might be undercutting the pro framing industry.
