emeryfoto

<p>Good point - thanks! </p>

<p>Hi, just a quick question: I usually take payment from my clients when we do their in-person proofing session. At my last proofing session, it was insane - the client and his family went nuts over the photos and placed a large and complicated print order (yay!). However, they were in a very big hurry as they had another appointment, so I said I'd figure out the order once I got home and invoice them. <br>

A couple days after we met, I invoiced them and included the terms and conditions on the invoice - as per my price list, and earlier correspondence, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. The print order will not be placed until payment is received.<br>

It's been over a week since I sent the email and I haven't heard anything, which is unusual as this client usually writes back right away. <br>

How long before I contact them again? I don't want to appear pushy, but I don't want to place the order until I've received at least partial payment in advance.<br>

I'm kicking myself that I didn't collect payment at the proofing session, but it really wasn't possible as they were about to be late for their next appointment.<br>

<br />Arrgh.</p>

Thanks! the gray card will definitely

help in the classroom!

 

It IS easier these days - I made the

switch to digital only last year after

holding out for a long time!

Hi, thanks for your suggestions.

 

I'm doing a shoot on Friday and the lighting

is going to be a little difficult. I'm taking

photos of kids doing activities at their school

- a lot of their outside space is in full sun, or

in very dappled sunlight. Shade is not very

plentiful at any time of day at this place,

although I'll be doing most of the outdoor

shots from 9-12, and inside (fluorescent

lights!) from 12-2. (I have no choice on the

time - this is being dictated by the school

due to kid's schedules).

 

Normally, I shoot in natural light - but

wondering if I should try fill flash (I rarely use

it but have a great flash and bracket). The

kids I'm shooting are low functioning autistic

and I don't want to startle them with flash - I

suppose I could use a bounce? Any

suggestions on settings would help! It's

been a while.

 

Inside, in the fluorescent light, I figure I

could use no flash, just a higher ISO...

 

Anyway, would love tips and suggestions -

I'm going to have to shoot quickly and want

to be as ready as possible.

<p>Hi, I've been using Collages.net for a few years, solely to use their website service and to make it easy for my clients to place their orders online. (The clients placed their orders online through Collages.net, the orders were emailed to me, and I took my negatives to my local professional lab and got the order done there).<br>

<br />However, I've recently switched to digital, and I'm thinking of using Collages' full-service lab. I've searched photo.net and Google for reviews, but can't find anything recent. (Some of the online reviews seem like marketing ploys).<br /><br /><br />I've never had a bad experience with them - in fact, everything has been great so far! And I received some test prints this week that looked very nice. BUT, just in case, would love to hear from the photo.net community before I decide to go whole-hog with them and use them for prints, albums, canvas wraps, etc.<br /><br />Thanks!</p>

<p>Hi, everyone: I've saved all these tips and used some of them on my trip and still need to figure the rest out! I'm a little overwhelmed, so think I'm going to take the advice to have a definite plan of action on learning this new system. We'll see how it goes!<br /><br />Eric - so glad you had a great trip to Sedona! We did, too - took a ton of photos, enjoyed time with family, and ate a lot of good food. <br>

Thanks again everyone! </p>

<p>Thanks, everyone, for your help!<br>

I'll get some more CF cards and a spare battery before the trip! And I'm definitely bringing the charger.<br>

This really helps - I appreciate it.</p>

 

<p>Hi, I've been a photographer for a long time but finally just switched to digital. I bought the Canon 5D Mark II a few days ago. I'm going out of town (to Sedona, AZ) tomorrow on vacation, and I haven't had much of a chance to look over the manual. I'll be using my vacation to get to know this camera and have some fun with it before I start using it professionally. <br>

I've used this body a few times at a friend's house and I'm comfortable with it. My real concern, being new to digital, is making sure I'm not forgetting to do anything important before I bring it on this trip. <br>

Following advice I read online, I did the following:<br>

1) formatted the CF card<br>

2) charged the battery<br>

3) bought an LCD protector and attached it<br>

Is there anything else you can think of that is critical to do before using it? I feel kind of stupid asking this, but I'm so new to digital and feel somewhat lost.<br>

If I was bringing my old film SLRs, I'd know what to do - I'd have a ton of film in my pouch, for one! It feels weird not to have that anymore!<br>

Do you always bring more than 1 card with you (on vacation? Professionally, I'm assuming I'd have a bunch).<br>

I'm not bringing a laptop or anything with me, so I'll upload the photos once I return.<br>

Any advice is appreciated. It's always hard changing your ways, but I'm excited about this!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Oops, I forgot I wrote that. Well, in any case, I don't have a preference. It's just that my canon i960 did use ink and my kids wasted it! :-)<br>

Thanks for the recos - I'll look into those, too.</p>

<p>Hi, I don't think I specified that I wanted an inkjet printer. I definitely prefer laser! Thanks for your recommendation - I'll look into it!</p>

<p>Hi, I have an Canon i960 that still works well, but now that I've upgraded my computer to a new iMac, and we have iPhones and an iPad in the family, I'm interested in switching to a wireless printer for convenience. <br>

I'm feeling a little muddled about it, however. I think I mainly want a cheaper wireless (Air Print) printer for every day family use, and will eventually get a professional photo printer solely for my use. I have two children and don't want them running through vast amounts of expensive ink.<br>

Any recommendations on either one (professional photo printer and also everyday one)? I've looked at a ton of reviews online and finding a good Air Print-compatible printer seems to be an issue. Any advice is appreciated.<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>Thanks, you two - I like both of your ideas! I forgot about Protek - I used to use them when I lived in that area. But I think I will start brushing up on my Adobe PhotoShop skills - thanks!</p>

<p>Matt, thanks - you're right, of course, but I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not that proficient with Photoshop (yet!) I can do minor tweaking in it, but that's it - I'm still an old-school film photographer. But I'm planning on taking a course this year, and finally making the switch to digital. </p>

<p>Hi, everyone: I've been using Canvas on Demand for my gallery wraps. I really like their work, however they don't offer a Collage-Style canvas (multiple images on one canvas). They recommend a site called Picture Evolution - whose website didn't impress me too much.<br>

Has anyone used Picture Evolution? I'd love to hear your thoughts.<br>

Also, if you have recommendations for another source for collage-style canvas wraps, I'd love to know! I have a client who is eager to get one.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Katie</p>

Here's my latest result from the "Say Diarrhea" gambit:

Instead of saying, "Say Cheese!", if it's little boys, I say "Say.. Diarrhea!" This gets HUGE laughs! Also, poo-poo, etc. I don't know if the parents appreciate it, but I get great results! For little girls, this MIGHT work, but as the mother of two boys, I can't say.

I usually shoot as many rolls as I feel necessary - generally, though, around 3 rolls (108 pictures). I weed out the duds, and only post the best ones online. It depends on the photoshoot - sometimes, I can shoot a whole roll that's perfect (!), and sometimes, it's not as good. So if we're talking 3 rolls, it can be anywhere from 30-75. It really depends.

Beautiful and original shot - thanks for sharing!

I went to a photo show once where a guy had left his color negatives outside in the rain and

other elements for over a year or two - they looked pretty cool! But I can't imagine A&I would

like that........? Do you have your own scanner you can experiment on?

Thanks, Kier & DS.

 

I DO have an exact formula for calculating my per print price, DS, so your advice is helpful.

Thanks.

Hi, A client of mine asked me how much I would charge to allow her to use one of my images (of her

children) on her holiday cards, which she will design digitally.

 

I'm still fairly old-school and usually sell bulk 4x6 prints for people to use in their cards, so I'm at a loss

on how to price this fairly.

 

I think it's great she even asked, as most people (I assume) would simply scan in their copy of my photo!

(She doesn't have any copies, yet, though - she only received her proofing website from me last week).

 

What do you think?

 

Do I charge her the same price I would have gotten from a client if they had bought the photos?

Right now, I'm charging $50 for 25 bulk prints, $75 for 50 and $125 for 100. That seems a little steep for

what she's asking....?

 

Thanks for your input!

Hi, thanks everyone! I'm looking into these options - I actually went ahead and ordered the proof boxes from neil enterprises - thanks Rachel!

 

Let me ask - how sturdy are they? When you pack them for shipping, what do you do? (bubble wrap, as Jill suggests?)

 

Also, how do you all ship a small order - for example, 2 4x6's? Would it then be safe to put in a glassine envelope, tape the envelope to the inside of a cardboard "sandwich" (like 5x7) and mail in a photo mailer? Please advise - thanks!

Hi, everyone:

 

I saw a thread on photo.net the other day about this topic, and can't find it anywhere, so sorry if this is a

repeat!

 

I just had a large reprint order from a wedding I did and the customer ordered about 60 4x6 photos. How

do you recommend shipping them? (Do I put them in a small box, or sandwiched between cardboard, etc.?

)

 

Is there a place you recommend for packing products? I looked at u-line but didn't see anything for

smaller size photos like this.

 

I'd also like to make it a nice presentation, if possible.

 

Thanks!

 

Katie

Hi, everyone:

 

I encountered a problem yesterday and need some advice - I just started using an online proofing site

(collages - also experimenting with Simple Photo) and received my first reprint order through them

yesterday.

 

I explain on my price list that I offer color machine prints (my lab does gorgeous color prints on a

machine that color corrects, etc) and custom black & white prints. I don't offer black & white machine

prints as I don't like the quality (except 4x6 as a courtesy).

 

Of course, the way the site is set up, the client can bypass my detailed price list altogether, so this note

doesn't really help me at all.

 

Anyway, there's nothing to keep the customer from choosing the wrong price - my client yesterday chose

to get a 5x7 print of a black & white photo, but she chose the color price (which is considerably less - I

would lose money if I printed the black & white at that price). I have it set up so it's fairly clear - "5x7

color - $XX", and "5x7 black & white - $XX" but that didn't help.

 

What do you suggest? I don't want to offer one price for each size, as I'd be way overcharging for my color

prints, and way undercharging for my black & whites. They are really gorgeous quality and worth every

penny!

 

The only other thing I could think of is to send the client a link to two sites - one of their black & white

pix, and one of their color?

 

Any advice is appreciated - thanks!

 

Katie

Hi, I think you haven't heard back yet because there are a bunch of threads on this topic already - if you use the search tool for "pictage" here on photo.net you'll find a lot of info.

 

FYI - I was going to use them, but after doing a lot of research here, decided to go with Collages or Simple Photo (using both right now and trying to decide which I like better)! I didn't like how PIctage BOMBARDED my inbox, and from what I hear, they do that to your clients, too. Too bad, as they have excellent products.

 

Hope this helps.

Katie