DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register) 
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Selling ONE digital file?
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 13 of 13, (reverse)
AuthorThread
 10/27/2009 07:47:28 PM · #1
This had never even crossed my mind before! A client is ordering a lot of prints, but asked if she could buy one digital file so she could make Christmas cards.

My answer was that I could make Christmas cards for her with the picture and just charge her per card...but it also got me wondering how to handle this question. I do offer to sell a CD of all files, but not necessarily at a per picture price.

Have you ever sold a single jpg? How did you decide on the pricing? Did you sell it high res or low?

Thanks! :)
 10/27/2009 07:51:10 PM · #2
Per similar recommendations I've seen several places -- I sell single high-res images at the same price as and I would an 8x10 print, for a given subject and client.
10/27/2009 07:51:42 PM · #3
You have to ask yourself - outside of this potential sale how much more commercial value has that image got? Probably none at all - if they are buying some prints anyway I would probably give them the file for nothing with a letter saying it can be used for personal purposes only but no commercial use..( but they can only have it as long as their print order exceeds xxx amount)

Message edited by author 2009-10-27 19:52:37.
 10/27/2009 08:05:58 PM · #4
It isn't the original camera file for Jutilda's current blue ribbon shot is it?
10/27/2009 08:07:26 PM · #5
Sell it.

Just retain your rights to it as well.
 10/27/2009 08:13:28 PM · #6
I sell digital downloads on my Smugmug site. It's setup so clients can buy personal or commercial usage licenses at three different resolutions and prices: low-res 1Mpix, hi-res 4Mpix, and original. The personal use licenses are less expensive than the commercial licenses and they limit the customer to non-commercial use.

If you would like to see the text of the licenses, send me a PM and I'll send them to you.


10/27/2009 08:16:24 PM · #7
If they ordered a lot of prints then you want them back as a repeat customer. So assuming the photo does not have much commercial potential other than with respect to this customer, sell the digital file for a modest amount and give them a coupon off for the same amount on their next photo session.

But I agree, retain your own rights.
 10/27/2009 08:34:28 PM · #8
I tell clients that they can buy digital images (full-sized and fully processed) for their personal use only for the same price as an 8X10 print (this is without print release - so web use, family newsletter, etc. only). That way if they want one or two, its fairly affordable, but 200 would be a much different investment. Note, I would still have to order the holiday cards for them. :)

For seniors (who are a different client alltogether) I just give them 4 or 5 images, web-sized with logos. They're gonna take them anyway (I've had seniors take screen shots from their videos - blur and all), you might as well give them the best quality you can so when they post all over the web, it speaks well for you.
10/27/2009 11:48:21 PM · #9
Ahhhh, some great info! Thank you all.

Much to chew on. :)
 10/28/2009 01:25:41 AM · #10
I often charge for one-time use or for short-term use. I never sell the image, I license it.

You should also have a good license agreement that spells everything out.

In my agreement contract, I include that they have to send me a sample of their final product (brochure, poster, etc.) If it is for a web site, they must supply me a URL. If the site is private, they must either provide access for me or screenshot it and send it to me.

Here's a funny story...I had licensed an image to Volkswagon Canada for them to make some posters out of my image (something like 400 in English and 100 in French), to be displayed across Canada at VW dealership showrooms. Since my license agreement states that they must send me a sample, well...they did. One day after I got home from the office, a rather large box was at my front door. It was about five feet long and narrow. After opening it, the posters were something like 8 ft by 5 ft. They were much larger than I thought.


10/28/2009 02:11:21 AM · #11
Originally posted by AperturePriority:
I often charge for one-time use or for short-term use. I never sell the image, I license it.

You should also have a good license agreement that spells everything out.

In my agreement contract, I include that they have to send me a sample of their final product (brochure, poster, etc.) If it is for a web site, they must supply me a URL. If the site is private, they must either provide access for me or screenshot it and send it to me.

Here's a funny story...I had licensed an image to Volkswagon Canada for them to make some posters out of my image (something like 400 in English and 100 in French), to be displayed across Canada at VW dealership showrooms. Since my license agreement states that they must send me a sample, well...they did. One day after I got home from the office, a rather large box was at my front door. It was about five feet long and narrow. After opening it, the posters were something like 8 ft by 5 ft. They were much larger than I thought.


Did you get French or English?
 10/28/2009 10:53:20 AM · #12
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Originally posted by AperturePriority:
I often charge for one-time use or for short-term use. I never sell the image, I license it.

You should also have a good license agreement that spells everything out.

In my agreement contract, I include that they have to send me a sample of their final product (brochure, poster, etc.) If it is for a web site, they must supply me a URL. If the site is private, they must either provide access for me or screenshot it and send it to me.

Here's a funny story...I had licensed an image to Volkswagon Canada for them to make some posters out of my image (something like 400 in English and 100 in French), to be displayed across Canada at VW dealership showrooms. Since my license agreement states that they must send me a sample, well...they did. One day after I got home from the office, a rather large box was at my front door. It was about five feet long and narrow. After opening it, the posters were something like 8 ft by 5 ft. They were much larger than I thought.


Did you get French or English?


Luckily, English. :-D
 11/05/2009 06:42:09 AM · #13
i used to be of the mind to NEVER let anyone have a digital file...

then i had a father begging me for a file. and i had seen some decent research about purchasing trends showing that 90% of purchases were for 4x6s and 5x7s and that there was an ever increasing demand for digital downloads.

so i asked the guy what he wanted it for and he said he wanted it for a screen saver and for wallpaper.

granted, there are a number of people out there with the smarts and technical savvy to upsize a medium to low-res image into something that can be printed large, but, for roughly the cost of an 8x10 print, i don't mind licensing low-res digital files and making a few extra dollars that i otherwise would have lost...

fwiw, i've licensed a bunch of images for use as facebook and myspace profiles; roughly $5-6 for a 150x230px image.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 06/07/2025 05:13:15 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 06/07/2025 05:13:15 PM EDT.