Selling Negatives?

hi.. i am a photographer, (obviously) and i shoot weddings, and

other things like that. and, this client who is asking of my

services, wants to PURCHASE THE NEGATIVES of his wedding.. i have

informed him that it isnt really common practice to do so, and it

would have a pretty heafty price tag.

 

i have guaranteed around 1840 images. (provided that we use all the

film, and that is with 1000 digital images) there are something like

30 rolls of film that we are going to shoot. excluding like i said.

1000 digital images.

 

can anyone tell me how much i should charge for these images? i was

THINKING something like $5 an image.. (which would equare to 9,200

TOTAL) and im sure he wouldnt go for that..........

 

please help.. i am not experienced with this part.

 

thanks

 

Mitchell

Mitchell, 1,840 images, are you on drugs.

A local motel owner paid a bit more than $700 for two 24-exposure rolls of motel interior (room) images.

 

 

 

 

If you need more than 1,800 images to cover a wedding....you should be able to do the math, but ten rolls of 36-exposure film should be adequate for one wedding and the reception.

 

 

 

 

Good luck.

ok well thanks for the advice so far.... (except for the drugs comment)i figure that most of them are digital........ meaning FREE for me to take...

 

when i said that i guaranteed that, i said that incorrectly... i meant that i said i would buy enough film to be able to provide that many images, and could NOT guarantee that we would be able to shoot all if it, but would charge him accordingly. furthermore, this guy specifically asked for more images to be shot than normal. so as far as the drugs comment...... there was a logical reason behind shooting that many images... i just mis stated it before.

 

but any more valid opinions about how much i should charge this guy for the negatives, please feel free to respond. thanks

PS... this is also between 3 photographers. not just myself!

 

maybe it will make a little more since knowing that.. thanks

I'd be careful making gaurantees on numbers of proof images you're going to

provide. Get the images that they want, and get more. Would it make sense to have

1800 mediocre shots, or a handful of amazing images? Keep in mind digital may be

free for you to shoot, but you still have to do post processing on the images for

output, be it file conversion etc. Unless you consider your time free, digital images

are far from free. Many wedding photographers hold on to the negatives for a set

period and offer them up for sale at a flat fee after that point (say three years).

Generally people have ordered their reprints and family albums long by that point,

and those prints are a huge profit generator for wedding shooters. There are people

out there providing inexpensive wedding packages, negatives included. There is a

saying that goes "you get what you pay for" and based on the work I've seen by

people offering those packages, it's a pretty accurate saying. In the end it's up to you.

"ok well thanks for the advice so far.... (except for the drugs comment)i figure that most of them are digital........ meaning FREE for me to take..."

 

 

 

 

...and did your digital camera fall from a cloud up above?

 

 

 

 

 

You should be able to figure out how much per image (sort of divide the number of exposures you expect to get from the price your camera-lens cost) your cost is. Plus you have 'time' that it will take for you (and three others) to shoot the wedding [over and over by the number of shots you plan on taking.] Will you digital camera create the CD at the end for 'free,' too?

 

 

 

 

You may want to locate the small business administration office in your area (or the local community college) and see what courses they offer in setting up and running a small business.

jesus christ.. why do i always get drilled on here. some of you people read too far into things. should i spell out the EXACT circumstances? i understand about all of these things.. thank you.

 

i do appreciate the feedback, but i am well aware of spending HOURS in photoshop altering all the pics i just took for color saturation, etc etc etc etc, and i do NOT consider that free, nor do i consider my time with the client free. i charge them accordingly. but i also do what the client asks. maybe im not expressing it correctly. a few of you gave decent repl's, but some of you are overcritical, and are seeing everything except what i am asking.

 

thanks to those who gave me a decent answer, and i have nothing more to say to the sarcastic types.

 

to better clarify this, if you are going to be sarcastic PLEASE dont respond.... thats all i ask... but if you can possibly tell me how much a good rate to sell negatives for would be, or a formula, or SOMETHING that will help me in figuring that out, i would appreciate it. no more sarcasm PLEASE. no one appreciates it.

There is no 'set' answer for a question that has no limits to the ends you seek.

 

 

 

 

If you are in 'business,' then experience (yours) should apply and that would be the end of the issue.

My personal opinion on this is that you have a few things to consider:

 

First: Is the client also buying an initial set of prints from you or is it to be expected that he'll buy the negs from the first point and then make all the print he and his presumably large number of guests will want?

If the later, I'd simply charge enough to cover expenses and working time as well as whatever profit I'd have made from a fairly large but still reasonable set of prints and lastly, some sort of punishment fee for selling the negs. A reasonable one though. - You won't earn more if the client goes to somebody else because of your crazy pricing...

 

But then, I'm not a working pro...

Some folks around here (Tucson) who are trying to break into the wedding business, will offer to shoot a set number of rolls for a set price, and have the result commercially developed and printed a la Walgreens -- for example, four rolls of 36 exp for $250.00. Can't say I liked the results of the set that I saw, but, anyway, that may suggest a basement (or sub-basement?) price.

Hi Mitchell,

 

I would offer a CD of Digital 4x6 Proofs to your client. Explain that these proofs can be printed up to 4x6 size and are straight from camera.

 

Should they wish to enlarge anything they will need to come to you.

 

Depending on what you have charged them outright for your time and expertise you could command anywhere to 500-1000.

 

Remember - don't sell yourself short. If you do it "on the cheap" even once you will have people coming to you for the next 2 years saying well you did "the Barkers" for half that etc.

 

Best of luck,

JS