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

DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Question about wedding photographers
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 13 of 13, (reverse)
AuthorThread
 07/12/2007 12:23:20 PM · #1
My sister recently got married. In some of the shots that friends took (I wasn't there, since I'm in Japan) there was a 'pro' photographer. I told my sister "Make sure to get all the photos in RAW format. Ask her to burn them to DVD's." Now, this is assuming she shot in RAW, so my first question is: Do most wedding photographers shoot in RAW? Apparently over 3000 shots were taken according to my new brother-in-law. I'm guessing jpeg...but I don't know. Anyways, my second question would be "Should they be charged for the DVD's of the photos the photographer doesn't plan on editing etc? And if so, what's a usual price?
 07/12/2007 12:28:10 PM · #2
you'll have to pay for any original files from a photographer unless they say it's included. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars. As for raw/jpeg it completely depends on the photographer's preferences.
 07/12/2007 12:29:54 PM · #3
Hmmm.... proverbial can of worms you got there. I would never give my RAW images to a client.

Here... allow me.



OK... now continue...

Message edited by author 2007-07-12 12:31:29.
 07/12/2007 12:32:01 PM · #4
yep, I would not give my raw files to a client even if they were paying for a dvd with the full resolution images. They would get my converted jpegs.
 07/12/2007 12:33:10 PM · #5
Of course they will be charged, because once those images leave the photographers hands, so does any residual money they will make off of reorders, so they will charge for the discs what they would reasonably expect to make off of reorders.
 07/12/2007 12:33:43 PM · #6
OK, why would you not give your RAW files?
 07/12/2007 12:36:38 PM · #7
Originally posted by heavyj:
OK, why would you not give your RAW files?

first off your average client won't have a clue what to do with them. Prints might come out terribly or not at all if they don't know what they're doing. Secondly most photographers won't ever give anyone else their raw files. Personally I just don't like the idea, and i'm not comfortable with them getting those files.
 07/12/2007 12:40:16 PM · #8
Because if someone badly processes the RAW files and then says it's MY work.. I look bad. Not good. Nope, no RAW files leave my hands.
 07/12/2007 12:44:43 PM · #9
What kyebosh and fotomann_forever said.

It's loosely akin to an author giving you his rough draft, unpublished work in addition to the book.

The RAW files would not look sharp. They may or may not be white balanced properly. The contrast would be flat. The shots would not neccessarily be cropped or rotated right.

You get the idea.
 07/12/2007 12:46:31 PM · #10
Originally posted by kyebosh:
Originally posted by heavyj:
OK, why would you not give your RAW files?

first off your average client won't have a clue what to do with them. Prints might come out terribly or not at all if they don't know what they're doing. Secondly most photographers won't ever give anyone else their raw files. Personally I just don't like the idea, and i'm not comfortable with them getting those files.


Agreed, I know that 95% of the people I shot weddings for in the past 12 months want a CD/DVD to just stick in their PC, view the images and maybe send a few off to the printers. If you gave them a disk full of .CR2 images (canon RAW format), they wouldnt have a clue where to start.

Also, it would take approx 4 DVDs to give them all the images that an assistant and I usually fire off. 12.8mp sensors create BIG files.
 07/12/2007 12:52:05 PM · #11
Originally posted by heavyj:
OK, why would you not give your RAW files?


First, most clients have no idea what RAW files are.

Second, RAW files aren't a finished product. If a couple hires me to do their wedding, it's because they look at my work and like how I do that work. The work I'm showing them is my finished product, not an unprocessed RAW file that may look like crap until it gets worked over in PS.

Third, clients that do know what a RAW file is, won't PP it the same way I would and may totally muck it up. If they then go make a bunch of crappy looking prints or even prints that are very different from what I would deliver, then show that to a couple who for some reason likes it Then the second couple gets my name, comes to me and wants me to do image just like the first couple, that causes problems for me.

There are "shoot and burn" wedding photographers out there, if that's what you want, you need to find one beforehand and not expect a full-service photographer to change the way they do business.
 07/12/2007 12:52:27 PM · #12
The reason I asked my sis to get them is because if there were shots that the photographer didn't choose to be part of the album and wanted them cleaned up and well edited, I could do it for her.
 07/12/2007 01:00:18 PM · #13
I figure if they were anything worth seeing, the photog would have included them in the album. 3000 shots, yes, but figure a lot of them are probably taking 10 shots of the same damn thing.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 08/05/2025 02:11:15 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: 08/05/2025 02:11:15 PM EDT.