Stop Shooting to Burn

shming

I hope I'm not out of line here but forgive me if I am. I'm urging photographers to stop shooting to burn. Giving your clients a high-res image cd is like handing away your entire inventory and potentially giving you a lower percentage rate of a repeat client. Once the images are in there hands - quite frankly put - they honestly don't know what to do with it. Hmmm -- get prints at the local Rite-Aid - or how about Walmart -- It's got your name on it! and that puts your reputation on the line. Trust me when I say that shooting to burn is merely supplying your client with false hopes. Most people don't know how to properly touch up an image - Most people don't have the proper eye for alterations either. That is the main reason they hired you!! right? for you expertise -- well don't end your job after the shoot is done -- finish it!! And for God's sake don't shoot to photoshop to burn!! It's bad enough that our clients have the ability to take a screenshot of what they see on their computer screens - don't you agree? All that hard work / all that training - I think that shooting to burn is a mere desperation in a poor economy. A similar thing happened in the music industry years back involving the introduction of mp3 files - and now it has creeped its way into the photography business. The only difference is WE HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER IT!!! at least to a certain degree --- but some of us are choosing to just give away there work. Lead your clients in the right direction - be proud of your print lab -- be proud of the fact that you hold onto your art - be proud to be a photographer - and share that with your client - bring there standards up to your level. Show them the difference - educate them on why you are a phenomenal Photographer!!! Shooting to burn is like an artist scanning his own original one of a kind Oil Painting - storing on a cd - and then forgetting the fact that the original ever existed. I can go on forever here!!! If your having trouble with clients not buying prints --- put a time limit on there order. I don't know --- give them a slightly lowered fee if they buy there prints within the first three weeks. Tell them that after three weeks it goes into your portfolio pricing which is higher - reward them because they deserve it!!! And if they don't order after that -- pull there gallery and back it up on a cd only you can use. If they want you to repost -- charge them a reasonable fee and be very nice about it --- but DON'T SHOOT TO BURN!!!!! It's KILLING US ALL!!!!!

orljustin

shming wrote:

I hope I'm not out of line here but forgive me if I am. I'm urging photographers to stop shooting to burn. Giving your clients a high-res image cd is like handing away your entire inventory and potentially giving you a lower percentage rate of a repeat client. Once the images are in there hands - quite frankly put - they honestly don't know what to do with it. Hmmm -- get prints at the local Rite-Aid - or how about Walmart -- It's got your name on it! and that puts your reputation on the line. Trust me when I say that shooting to burn is merely supplying your client with false hopes. Most people don't know how to properly touch up an image - Most people don't have the proper eye for alterations either. That is the main reason they hired you!! right? for you expertise -- well don't end your job after the shoot is done -- finish it!! And for God's sake don't shoot to photoshop to burn!! It's bad enough that our clients have the ability to take a screenshot of what they see on their computer screens - don't you agree? All that hard work / all that training - I think that shooting to burn is a mere desperation in a poor economy. A similar thing happened in the music industry years back involving the introduction of mp3 files - and now it has creeped its way into the photography business. The only difference is WE HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER IT!!! at least to a certain degree --- but some of us are choosing to just give away there work. Lead your clients in the right direction - be proud of your print lab -- be proud of the fact that you hold onto your art - be proud to be a photographer - and share that with your client - bring there standards up to your level. Show them the difference - educate them on why you are a phenomenal Photographer!!! Shooting to burn is like an artist scanning his own original one of a kind Oil Painting - storing on a cd - and then forgetting the fact that the original ever existed. I can go on forever here!!! If your having trouble with clients not buying prints --- put a time limit on there order. I don't know --- give them a slightly lowered fee if they buy there prints within the first three weeks. Tell them that after three weeks it goes into your portfolio pricing which is higher - reward them because they deserve it!!! And if they don't order after that -- pull there gallery and back it up on a cd only you can use. If they want you to repost -- charge them a reasonable fee and be very nice about it --- but DON'T SHOOT TO BURN!!!!! It's KILLING US ALL!!!!!

What a whine. Clients these days have more things they want to do with their images than put a 16x20 over the fireplace. There's nothing wrong with supplying the client with what they need, at the price point that gets you what you need. If you can't charge the amount you expect to get for prints up front, then apparently, they don't think you're worth their time. Perhaps you need to work on your marketing.

Holding people's paid for images hostage is not the solution.

bendruckerphoto

Clearly someone's having a slow year. I agree that we should do everything we can to keep things in our control. If clients want their photos on Facebook, post them on a company fan page, and then have the client tag themselves or post a link. Include print credits in packages to provide an incentive for the client to order a quality print. If you charge through the roof for prints, you are guaranteeing they go to WalMart.

The important thing is how you sell the CD. I say to my clients that they are getting a print credit through a professional lab (Bay) and have the SmugMug guarantee behind them. I say: you can go print a few 4x6s at WalMart or Costco. No big deal. The print credit is so you can get a good selection of high quality prints essentially for free (at least in the client's mind).

The fact is, clients want CDs. While I can't stand photographers who shoot, burn a CD of SOOC images and take their $400 check, it's because it pains me. I hate to see someone fail so badly as a photographer that burns CDs and calls it a day. That's too easy for me. When I show my NAPP credentials and explain that I spend twice as much time time editing, preparing, and perfecting my work as I do shooting, I won't lose one serious client to a shoot and burn photographer.

If someone just wants a CD, no prints, and tells you that someone on Craigslist is willing to do it for $250, do you really want that person as your client?

Cygnus Studios

Print sales are not the bread and butter for most photographers.
If you are properly charging for your experience and time, the back end sales of prints matter very little. Commercial studios have understood this principle for many years now. Photographers should focus more on making their money on the front end of the deal, versus hoping to make money on prints.

I agree that we all should educate the clients about getting great prints versus prints from low end commercial printers at the drug store.

mercphoto

shming wrote:

but DON'T SHOOT TO BURN!!!!! It's KILLING US ALL!!!!!

No, its not. Sticking to an outdated business plan is going to kill you though.

shming

bendruckerphoto wrote:

Clearly someone's having a slow year. I agree that we should do everything we can to keep things in our control. If clients want their photos on Facebook, post them on a company fan page, and then have the client tag themselves or post a link. Include print credits in packages to provide an incentive for the client to order a quality print. If you charge through the roof for prints, you are guaranteeing they go to WalMart.

The important thing is how you sell the CD. I say to my clients that they are getting a print credit through a professional lab (Bay) and have the SmugMug guarantee behind them. I say: you can go print a few 4x6s at WalMart or Costco. No big deal. The print credit is so you can get a good selection of high quality prints essentially for free (at least in the client's mind).

The fact is, clients want CDs. While I can't stand photographers who shoot, burn a CD of SOOC images and take their $400 check, it's because it pains me. I hate to see someone fail so badly as a photographer that burns CDs and calls it a day. That's too easy for me. When I show my NAPP credentials and explain that I spend twice as much time time editing, preparing, and perfecting my work as I do shooting, I won't lose one serious client to a shoot and burn photographer.

If someone just wants a CD, no prints, and tells you that someone on Craigslist is willing to do it for $250, do you really want that person as your client?

Thank you!! No I'm not having a slow year -- I probably just wrote out my post unclearly -- I agree - my point was to educate the client. They need to know the difference --- I don't mind the few 4X6's at Walmart --- It's when someone - shoots an entire session and just hands over the cd and calls it quits--- I do in some cases provide a cd -- but it usually entails a combination of a photo book --- it's been working out wonderfully for me. I'm not pushing my way of business on anyone by know means -- I just am really against shooting an entire session and then handing it over to the client and not educating them. Usually in most cases the client orders through me after I inform them of the pros and cons. Plus I also have in my session fee a portion of that fee is credited towards their print order. This seems to work best for the way I operate. and Thank you everyone for your opinions.

bendruckerphoto

I find that CD sales are a great replacement for the wildly overpriced prints some photographers sell. My clients think they need it, and therefore upgrade their package to get it. What they don't realize is that there's a 95% chance that they lose and/or never use the CD. The better the print credit and packages that you offer, the higher that chance is.

emeraldrose

frankly I agree. In fact I was speaking to a bride today and told her that she could find someone cheaper that will just give her a cd, but I want quality control and she agreed that if she got a cd it'd probably just collect dust and she'd never get around to doing anything with it.

shming

emeraldrose wrote:

frankly I agree. In fact I was speaking to a bride today and told her that she could find someone cheaper that will just give her a cd, but I want quality control and she agreed that if she got a cd it'd probably just collect dust and she'd never get around to doing anything with it.

Funny thing is my wife and I are full time photographer's and when we got married the photographer gave us the cd knowing that we were photographers. I am sad to say we still haven't gotten around to creating ourselves our wedding book. What's up with that? It's a perfect example of hiring someone to get it done for you. Our CD now is somewhere in our studio. Where I don't know --- but right now we are designing a wedding book for one of our clients.

sweet caroline

My pricing takes into account processing time and the fact that I won't make a profit on prints. My clients still order their prints through my website to get the pro quality of Bay. They mostly use the disc to share images online and to play it as a slide show on their DVD player. It also gives them peace of mind to have the photos archived on a disc.

I cringe at the idea of shoot-and-burn straight out of camera, but that's very different than selling digital images with a personal use license.

Caroline

bendruckerphoto

sweet caroline wrote:

It also gives them peace of mind to have the photos archived on a disc.

#1 reason why clients want DVDs/CDs from me.

nipprdog

shming wrote:

when we got married the photographer gave us the cd

If all of your wedding photos fit on a 700MB cd, you got hosed.

bendruckerphoto

We're using CD and DVD interchangeably here. Also, a wedding shot in digital on an early 5 megapixel SLR in JPEG could fit on a CD.