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Selling digital files, pricing
GoofBckt
Registered Users Posts: 481 Major grins
What do pros typically charge for their digital photos? And is there a particular "best" way to do this from SmugMug? Or do you usually email the chosen photos after you get paid for them? :dunno
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- Easy to search for a particular theme (content) so think about Tagging your images to make searching easier..
- Very reasonable pricing. Great individuality, better effect than 99% of stock images which are outstandingly boring.
- When we buy from an agency we normally pay 20-40$ for limited use of a stock image. The plus for an agency buy is that we trust that minor copyright issues are cleared and we are dealing with the agency (legal entity) who represents the photos - with Smugmug I am not so sure but I'll hold the photographer individually responsible in the unlikely event that any shit hits the fan. (The smugmug deal is basically between buyer and smugmug member).
- Very easy payment and delivery. Via credit card. The pro account takes care of logistics as far as I can see. We simply download after payment.
- Trust. The Smugmug folks seem to be a decent outfit and, implicitly, so are their members.
By the way, we do not want to own your digital master. Just to get a copyright disclaimer. Please keep ownership and responsibility for the original. Also bear in mind that we like to be a bit boring when we buy this stuff - it is adding visual interest to a carefully crafted story so it needs to fit. So keep the message very simple.
Other tips:
- Keep the selection small. When I search for someone texting on a mobile phone I do not want to select from a library of 300 shots.
- Think about the usage. In above case I do not really care about the girl's hair. I need an image to add visual interest to a story. Arty effects equal extra hassle because they distract the audience from the main storyline. Very rarely are stories written around a photo and then I would not expect to be buying such a photo via a stock agency.
- don't back away from being responsible for what you are selling. I will never take ownership of your grey zones
One can purchase digital files from your smug account like you would prints. After the customer has paid, he/she will get the option to download the files. It doesn't require interaction on your side
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
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We can easily downsize and crop images to fit so we prefer to buy rights for a straight forward jpeg with max detail.
In smugmug terms I would put the same price for any resolution. I either like your photo or I don't.
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
Perhaps Goofbckt should ask this on the smugmug board - I don't understand how it works in detail.
If I was using smugmug to sell shots I would keep my site very focussed on that goal. I would open a second account for my personal stuff. Don't expect buyers to trawl through your galleries - they have a very specific problem to solve and quickly.
On my selling site everything would be for sale, albeit with different prices but nothing is free.
Keep the pricing and terms very simple. People who buy this stuff are usually under time pressure. It is about getting a good result quickly at a market rate. So it needs to be easy to find, they need to find you easily for a repeat buy, and it must be zero hassle.
But she was asking about selling only digital downloads. Her smug site already has pricing for other items - so if she only wants certain photos to be sold as downloads and nothing else they would need to be placed in a gallery where the other items are not offererd for sale. Setting the price to zero (in the pricing tool) removes the ability to purchase that item, so it is possible to price downloads and disallow other sales. It's up to the gallery owner.
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
She has made many brilliant photos with a sensitive artistic spirit. There are also protected galleries for shoots - all in all a very personal and diverse site which respects privacy. I think she and I would get along personally should we ever meet. I like her already.
I try to help her in this thread to sell stock photos to an anonymous and sometimes brutal world.
The site she has is brilliant for people who know her or for people who are personally recommended, even for people who are looking for fine art.
It does not work as a commercial vehicle for stock photos.
So, eg, when she likes to sell horse pics she needs to have a site which people can find easily and which just contains horses.