The competition is down to "free" in my area. How about yours?

[jeffc1]

If anyone has ever read "my opinion" to the future of photographers, here's an

example of what I am talking about: I had to decrease my prices to remain

competitive in my area, and I have been getting a lot of calls/emails ever

since. We now have a "Super Wal Mart" that has a portrait studio where people

can get a photo session and a large picture package for 2.99 or whatever the

price is. Now, a local photographer, who also has a 1-hour photo processing

store, who also does work for local professionals, including myself, and who

takes images at the area schools, just sent a flyer home with my kids pictures

where he is now offering a "free" family photo session and they get a "free"

8x10? Now that makes NO sense to me because of the technology that's out there.

I mean I could go to him (not really, just sample) and get the free session and

the free 8x10, then buy a photo scanner for under $100 if I didn't already have

one, and scan the 8x10 and make all the copies I wanted? Legal or not, it's

extremely possible, so how does he think that he is going to proffit from that?

Not only is he cutting his own throat IMO, but he's also hurting other

photographers in the area. Unless of course, that's his plan? Is this sort of

thing happening in your areas?

[abby_lorenzo]

Jeffrey, read the responses on the thread entitled

Generic Wedding Studios Ruining Business? by meg reul (2006-09-06)

within the Wedding and Social Event Photography.

I know your question pertains to "family photo sessions" specifically, but the responses apply to your concerns as well.

I hope this helps.

[jeffc1]

Abby: I just read it. Thank you. I didn't see it before. It makes sense. The only thing about that, for my area anyway, is that all we have are "Golden Corals", and most of the people in this area seem to prefer "Golden Corals" rather than a better steak house. However, I am getting calls from the bigger cities now in Ohio like Columbus, Toledo and Michigan. I just did a wedding last week and the couple was from Colorado that got married in this area with family, so maybe there's still hope for me after all?

[gluteal cleft]

A free photos session and 8x10 are kind of standard in my neck of the woods. It's a catch - they get you in, take some pictures, and give you a free 8x10, but if you want prints of any of the other photos, they've got you. They're taking the photos on speculation.

 

Buying a scanner and making their own copies is still beyond most folks these days.

 

If he's cutting his own throat, then he'll go out of business. If he stays, it's because he's turning a profit. Free market, man.

 

steve

[StuartMoxham]

The idea is that the photographer will show them many images that they will just want to have and will have to purchase if they want them. Get them in for free offer them 1 free 8x10 and shoot the best pictures of them they have ever seen. If there are children take plenty of great shots of the kids and sell them, that is what the photographer is hoping to do. The extra prints should be well priced and that free session could result in large print sales of course some will take the free 8x10 walk away but you can be sure when there are kids involved parents will want to get extra shots of the kids. You could try it Jeffery and it could work for you.

[eric merrill]

Usually, you don't get to choose which pose you want for the "free" 8x10. So if you want any others, you're spending money.

[ned1]

It's what retailers call a "loss-leader". All big retail chains do it. Sell something way below cost or give something away so that you can sell the high profit stuff to those who come calling. McDonalds makes almost nothing on a Big Mac but a fortune on its sodas.

[austinphoto]

If the man has a good salesman, free could end up making him lots of money. That said, the sad part of the digital world today, is that many places have purchased very expensive digital machines and noticing that the volume of processing has gone down. To pay for the machine, or at least, keep it working so the chemicals don't go bad, they hope that giving a way a freebie, even if they lose some money on some customers, at least the machine is working and they have a chance to make some sales. Digital is wonderful, but very bad for the labs. Having just closed my lab after many years, I know that the digital world means the customer will print his own work in very small amounts. The bulk of the photos will remain on the computer or cd. Times are changing!

[chris_waller]

Some years back in the UK (early ninties) the 'free sitting plus 5x7 print' was launched as the salvation of High Street portrait photography - it almost destroyed it.

[._._z]

As Abe said, times are changing. People are now ever more comfortable sharing photos instead of dealing with prints, especially now that it's so easy to email photos they've shot or scanned or downloaded or themselves been emailed. The marginal cost of shooting extra photos with digital is virtually nothing, so volume portrait businesses take advantage of that.

[robin_raquet1]

A similar "scam" I have heard about was a a company who sends out a slippery guy and his young blonde assistant who contract to make Church Directories. You were limited this sickly blue background and when you are summoned to see the proofs he also chose the poses he would provide. Of course, a lot of the people in the directory came out looking completely ghastly because he used passport/driver's license/mugshot lighting. BUT guess what!!!! a whole lot of people bought lots of copies for family, themselves to frame, etc. There's just no accounting for the taste and relative sophistication of some folks! That is precisely why it is so difficult to sell "Art Photography," especially when black & white.

[larry_kincaid1]

The way you describe it, the free photo offers sounds horrible. But I was thinking of doing it myself! Why? Simply to get started in a new business where know one knows who I am or how well I can make portraits. Presumably, if any of them are good enough, the customer will want to buy more prints or more photos from the session. Then word of mouth would gradually increase demand. . . IF the photos are really any good. The outcome would tell you one way or the other. I could afford to do it all for free for a while just to see if the results were any good. What you describe above does sound horrible. What I just described sounds quite reasonable. One difference, of course, is the expected quality. If the free photo is lousy, no one will want it anyway nor ask to buy anything else. If the quality is there, and the demand is high, then the price can float upward. Do you think that established professional portrait photographers worry about "free" or cheap competition from the mall?