Selling prints from dance recital- how to?

Hello all! This is my first post in the forum.

I took dance recital photos last year for a studio, but this year they want to offer prints to the parents.

 

1. what's the best way to go about this?

2. will my initial price change since I have to photograph more detailed (try to get each dancer) rather than generally?

3. should i sell through my website?

4. should i offer the dance studio a cut or is that all my profit?

 

Thanks!

[dance recital] . . . this year [the studio] want to offer prints to the parents.

 

1. what's the best way to go about this?

What is the lead time?

How old are the students?

Are most of the parents of the dancers at the recital?

Do you have an assistant competent in selling and versed in simple Photoshop or Lightroom techniques?

 

2. will my initial price change since I have to photograph more detailed (try to get each dancer) rather than generally?

Last time, whom did you charge?

 

3. should i sell through my website?

Please provide a link to your website. . . a facebook page seems to be yours, but I can't find a website

 

4. should i offer the dance studio a cut or is that all my profit?

No. On account of the implication in your OP is that they have approached you, to shoot again this year. One would not relinquish that fiscal leverage by an offer when it is not necessary so to do.

 

WW

1) If you're not currently selling your photos online, a service such as Zenfolio or SmugMug is an easy way to start. However, if you don't normally sell photo products to events in general, it might not be worth the initial investment. I believe Zenfolio and SmugMug both have varieties of accounts, so look into those.

 

2) What are the costs you need to cover, including your time both in shooting and in processing? What other factors should you keep in mind when setting your prices, such as your costs of doing business? Do you believe you will make enough off of photo sales to the dancers and their families to cover your costs? If not, will the dance studio give you a "guarantee" of a minimum profit? In other words, let's say you feel you must profit $500 from this shoot. You only sell enough prints and other photo products to make $150 net profit. Will the dance studio pay you $350 to make up the difference?

 

3) If you're not experienced with e-commerce for your own site, I recommend using a third party like Zenfolio or SmugMug.

 

4) Unless the dance studio asks for a cut (which if they do, what are they giving you for that money?) you should be keeping it all yourself.

Hi! Thanks for your responses!

 

1. There's two 2-hour shows on a Saturday, 2pm and 7pm. Students are young, probably 2 years old to 18 years old. Most parents are at the recital but not allowed to take photos/ video, i would have exclusivity (though sometimes they don't listen and do it anyway). No assistant, just me.

 

2. I charge the dance studio owner/teacher. Last time I charged her $200 for general photos of the day, but we didn't sell prints. Selling prints bring a new aspect where the parents expect a photo of their child to be taken, even if they're in the last row. So, it requires more skill to capture the little ones in the back. These would be photos the parent can't capture on their iPhone so it's almost a guaranteed sale.

 

3. I'm currently in the process of switching my website over to Squarespace, I believe they just incorporated selling into their platform. "Introducing Checkout on Your Domain for Online Stores"

Also, I would like to charge more this time considering last time I had a Canon Rebel and a standard lens. Now I have a Canon 5D Mark III and a 24-70 f/2.8 ii lens. I also have much more experience and I've been educating myself at film school the last 2 years.

So, how should I go about telling her I would like to charge more?

Thanks!

Thanks for answering my questions.

 

"What is your lead time?" meant "How much time from now before you have to do the job?" / "What date is the job?" (I was asking to understand how much time you would have to plan any arrange any suggestions that might be made by comments here).

 

***

 

I agree with all Michael Chadwick's points.

 

As a general comment, IME the ultimate solution is POSS (Point of Service Selling aka "on site selling"). That requires at least one assistant and that's why I asked most of those questions.

 

The point is, Mum and Dad are much more likely to make a purchase or multiple purchases on the day at the time immediately after the recital, than later in their home looking on a computer screen after a day or two with all their other 'daily issues' swanning around in their head.

 

However it occurs to me that you are not yet equipped for POSS: and from a business cost benefit you, you may never do enough on-site sports/social fucntion jobs to warrant your business moving to that having a POSS procedure.

 

***

 

. . . how should I go about telling her I would like to charge more? . . .

.

 

If you charged the dance teacher before and you took 'general photos' then I expect for the $200 the Dance Teacher got to use those "general photos" to promote the dance studio.

 

If you want to sell the idea of a charging the dance teacher more money this year, then it would be a good idea to outline what are the 'cost benefits' to the dance teacher.

 

The fact that you will have a more comprehensive coverage which will include individual images of every student could be two big cost benefits to the dance teacher and the studio, you just have to work out why they are big cost benefits and then sell on those points.

 

The facts that you are: more experienced; have more sophisticated equipment; have to work harder are all lesser cost benefits points from the Client's point of view: most Clients typically DO NOT see any direct, tangible cost benefit to themselves in any of those facts.

 

Bottom line is if you want to charge the Dance Teacher more than last year then you have to make a pitch outlining how s/he and the Dance Studio will directly get more value this time.

 

WW

"What is your lead time?" meant "How much time from now before you have to do the job?" / "What date is the job?" (I was asking to understand how much time you would have to plan any arrange any suggestions that might be made by comments here).

WW

 

The Recital is June 24th

 

The fact that you will have a more comprehensive coverage which will include individual images of every student could be two big cost benefits to the dance teacher and the studio, you just have to work out why they are big cost benefits and then sell on those points.

 

The facts that you are: more experienced; have more sophisticated equipment; have to work harder are all lesser cost benefits points from the Client's point of view: most Clients typically DO NOT see any direct, tangible cost benefit to themselves in any of those facts.

 

This is such great information, thank you! I had actually never thought of it that way. It's hard sometimes to think that all of your money and effort to deliver better photos goes unnoticed.

 

However it occurs to me that you are not yet equipped for POSS: and from a business cost benefit you, you may never do enough on-site sports/social fucntion jobs to warrant your business moving to that having a POSS procedure.

 

It's true, I don't do enough of these kinds of events to warrant hiring an assistant, since I'm barely getting a payment myself. I actually wouldn't mind doing it myself, but it just seems a bit hectic to do so directly after the performance when the parent is just trying to get their child and get out of there. Is this how it usually goes?

Hello and welcome, I have just started posting here as well. I have been taken dance recital/costume pictures for the last 3 years and i will let you know what i have done in the past and doing currently with this year.

 

1. what's the best way to go about this?

- You can go through your web site and set up a price list if you have a site set up, i used smug mug, but just recently changed to Zenfolio as it allowed me more control over pricing and offered emailed orders if i use a separate photo Lab. I also have an account with NPI, which is a photo lab that i can upload my photos to and have prints of any size made, 8x10 to print cost around 2.00 so i can change 10 and make 8 profit.

2. will my initial price change since I have to photograph more detailed (try to get each dancer) rather than generally?

-You can charge what you want, i would charge i bit more then you have in the past because of the extra work you have to do cropping the pictures and stuff like that.

 

3. should i sell through my website?

- Again see answer to number 1, it is up to you.. If you have a web site already set up, an are able to sell through it, you can up load the pictures and set a price list through that, you would still have to neat in up the pictures to make sure they are print worthy

 

4. should i offer the dance studio a cut or is that all my profit?

- I do a 50/50 split with my dance studio, only because my daughter goes there and that is what we worked out. The pricing is enough were we both make out very well, But if this wasn't even mentioned i wouldn't worry about even mentioning it to them.

 

We havn't sold Recital Pictures in the past, this is the first year we are doing that option, normaly i would go to the studio and take the pictures of the dancers in there costumes for each dance they do, and a group shot. I would then have the parents fill out the form with the IMG of there kids and what Package they wanted. Prints on a CD - 20 for CD with on Dance/costume, then like 8.00 for each Addional Costume/Dance, Print package 8x10, 5x7, sheet of wallets for 20, then each additional would be like 10.00 Al La Cart Pricing, and A Memory Matte print. This year instead of a CD we are doing USB Drives.

 

I hope this helps, please let us know.

 

Jeff

Thank you! What is the website for NPI? That sounds great! Recital is June 24 so as it gets closer I may ask more Q's.

Sorry, It is NPL. Or National Photo Labs - Professional Photo Printing & Photo Gifts | Nations Photo Lab You can download Desktop software and see all they have to offer, they are really great. My Recital is on the 25th. May i ask what Lens do you use? And where do you try to postion yourself?