bob jr. Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Hi! Please give me suggestions on how I should nicely tell the couple getting married Friday that I wont be giving them the full resolution versions of the photos? One person suggested waiting till 18 months had elapsed and another suggested charging a fee for the full resolution picks. These strategies will allow me to make some money off of the ordering of pictures (I have a professional account with smugmug) (although I really want only a small margin more than cost). What I need help with is the HOW in telling them "No" when they ask for the high resolution pictures. [Or, should I just give them the CD with all of the retouched, full res. pictures?] PS - to help you advise me, this is the situation: I'm charging $700 for coverage of the wedding, which will include a $100 photo album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen hazelton Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 If you've agreed to furnish "the pictures" on CD, I'd say just give 'em the full resolution pictures, retouched to whatever extent you do them for the album. You might just ask them what they want the images for- if they just want them to email, they may prefer smaller file sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradfarlow Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Tell them there is no way you would do a full service wedding for under $5,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ky2 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Never say no. Just price it very close to impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob jr. Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 The only thing is, I feel a little uncomfortable telling them that they would need to pay me, for example, $200 for the cd of full res pictures....or get their pictures in hard copy from the website... Hey, I have an idea: the smugmug has a DVD that can be ordered with pictures on it for viewing. Would that not be better for them to purchase? That way they could view the pictures on a wide screen TV and also order them off of the DVD, correct? Or would they not be able to upload the pictures to a website or at a Wal-Mart or something with the DVD disc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 what does your contract with them say? You do have a contract? If not, what did you exactly verbally agree to? Or was this whole issue never discussed? Seems to me, whatever you promised in writing or verbally you should do. If there was no discussion on it, then you charge them for the extra item when they bring it up. And you charge them your expected profit of future sales for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellery_chua___singapore Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 what does the agreement say ? If you are shy about this how would you react if the couple now tells you that they will pay you only 500 ? my 2 cents a 700 wedding is not likely to come back for enlargments unless you're a rare talent hidding in the bushes. 4R's is what they will do. so why sweat it ? In this day and age it could be better to let the client run around to handle their own reprints if there is no value in the print order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v.anisimov Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Agree with Ellery. A value-drive couple is unlikely to re-order anyway. If you don't give them a proper CD, then you'll achive two things: (a) they'll print/scan from whatever they've got; (b) they'll bag you (and for a good reason). I.e, your future sales may suffer. The whole deal sounds dodgy. If most people expect to get a "ful res" CD as part of the package then that's what you should give them. How'd you feel if you bought a car and the dealer charged you extra for the wheels? "...Sorry, we never discussed the car comes with wheels..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 What are you doing....making up the rules as you go along? What have you promised them already? If you want to charge like a pro I think you need to get some training and professional experience behind you first. My guess is that they're already overpaying you....just what is a $100 album? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob jr. Posted June 14, 2006 Author Share Posted June 14, 2006 OK, OK...that is quite enough...thanks for taking me out back behind the barn...it has been a good experience...now I'll tuck my tail between my legs and move along........... ;) - bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_gillette Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 How clearly is the deliverable product defined in the contract? Otherwise, it's going to be some rather mater of fact talking (but don't come across slick) that the fee covers the atendance and coverage of the event and time and materials required to do initial processing and editing to produce the album. Have you already prsented them with the price lists for prints and the content details for the album? I wouldn't hit them up with the gory details on the wedding day though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Just give them the high res stuff. Your prices are too low already and not too many couples reorder after 18 months. Best to give them an A+ job and then when kids come along you can make it up on baby shots and family portraits. Who knows, you might get a mess of referrals if you tell them they are the only couple you gave a high res dvd to. Tell them you usually charge ? amount. I shot a wedding last September for $300, told the couple to never tell anyone about this special price. They were broke. Got 6 or 7 wedding referrals from them already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Bob, how could you possibly know that his prices are too low? Where I come from $700 is a serious figure. If you throw in an extra $50, then you could have my short event package which includes professional coverage, some prints, online viewing/ordering, and a 10 page leather IMount album from Art Leather. I use contracts and I have one pricelist. I use the same pricelist whether you pull up to my studio in a BMW or a 1992 Ford Ranger pick up truck. If you want hi-res files/negatives, that's fine, the cost is on the pricelist. If you want to upgrade to a bigger/better album, then that's OK too cuz those prices are listed as well. I'm all for helping newbies and people starting off in the biz, but just because you hear that studios are charging two to three thousand dollars for a wedding, it doesn't make non-professional coverage a bargain at $700. Unfortunately, many of the newbies have no clue how to use their equipment, are ill-prepared to use flash, are completely lost with "fill flash", and think that all you do is run around all day takin purty pictures like you're a guest at a party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayt Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 I just charged a bride $275.00 to make a slide show with 226 pictures. Each picture had to be scanned and the music synced to the slide show. The show is almost 30 minutes long. It will only be shown during the reception. So, charging $200.00 is not at all unreasonable for the high resolution images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_h.1 Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Robert, I am going to take you behind the barn for another round. It is for your own good. On June 10 you asked for a sample wedding contract. On the 12th you made a post with this passage included.... "One of the questions bordered on asking if they can have copies of the pictures. What should I say?" Everybody needs to learn the ropes but it appears you are just shooting in the dark and not aiming at all. A client asking about copies, reprints, cds ect. is one of the most basic things they can ask you. Having a contract that you understand is a prequisite. Hopefully the wedding shoot will work out. You seriously need to learn the rudimentaries of running a wedding photography business before taking on professional engagements. There is always a huge learing curve as you go along but you must have the bare bones established. At least read some books or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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