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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Files instead of prints - help please
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07/21/2008 07:49:30 AM · #1
I sell a few images to guests and people that have stayed at the farm.

6"x4" for 0.50p, 7"x5" for 0.90p, 9"x6" for £1.60 up to A3 for £20.00 (double prices for $) - we aren't talking high flying wedding shots here!!

A guest is asking for files instead of prints, not really sure how to play this one....

Any words of advice?

My principles are that I shouldn't be giving something away a lot cheaper, just because it is a file instead of the print - I still have to process the images.

many thanks
Keith

Message edited by author 2008-07-21 07:49:41.
07/21/2008 07:59:43 AM · #2
A wise businessman once told me it is better to have sold and made $$$ then to have never sold at all.

Actually since you are selling the prints for not much more then cost, in your situation I would sell them. But I'd figure the price on 10 prints per file of the largest you can print from them, if they dont want to buy at that price then tell them you can sell them prints at X.XX per print.

Matt
07/21/2008 08:14:20 AM · #3
I agree with the some $$$ is better than no $$$.

These image would only be purchased by the guest, no one else would want them. PM and I'll send you a link.

Are you suggesting that if one image is printable to A3 then I should charge £200 for the file. Or are you suggesting if the user wants to print at 9"x6" I should create a file of that size at 300dpi at x10 the price.

I know it isn't a vast amount if cash. Just trying to work out something fair to me and the guest(s) (who knows nothing of work flows or royalty free images etc!). Also, I'd like to set a precedence for the future...

many thanks
Keith
07/21/2008 09:24:08 AM · #4
The answer is never NO, but HOW MUCH?

What's your average sale? Sell the files for that or a bit more - once they've got them you've no control over what they'll do with them (prints, web, christmas cards - who knows) so in that regard they have more value than just a single print.
07/21/2008 11:01:50 AM · #5
Are these images of the guests themselves, at the farm? Or are they "art" images of the farm itself, images you are proud of that represent your stock-in-trade, so to speak?

And why are you selling the printed images so cheaply? It sounds like it's practically at cost... If you want the guests to have some sort of inexpensive memento of their stay with you, then I'd go about it a little differently; I'd include a couple 4x6 images in the price of their stay, and then I'd charge a reasonable markup for additional images. But selling prints of the guests for a buck a pop strikes me as being pointless. There certainly isn't enough profit in it to cover the time you spend making the prints, and arguably not enough to pay the real costs of running the printer and producing the images. It may be that the paper and ink cost less than a dollar (though it can't be a lot less if it's a good printer and good ink) but you have to amortize the cost of the printer itself, the wear-and-tear has to be accounted for, electricity costs money, and so forth.

What's my point? At a buck a print you might as well give 'em away and reap the goodwill...

As for giving away (or selling) the files, if they are files that include the guests in the image, then they're of little or no use to you long-term, so I'd personally be welling to sell them at, say, 10 bucks per image... I don't see you getting a lot of repeat print business off these things right? But if they are "art prints" of the farm and surroundings, then do NOT let the files go.

Just my opinion...

R.
07/21/2008 11:13:04 AM · #6
When I went white water rafting last year there was a photo company that went on the trip and took photos of us going through the rapids. Instead of prints I decided to go with the CD so I could print as many as I wanted later. They charged approximately $75 US dollars for 9 jpg files. The photos were of us only. Hope this helps.
07/21/2008 11:53:05 AM · #7
Dude you got a great thing going don't be afraid to sell your stuff. I would defiantly up your prices some and you still wouldn't be gouging at all!

As for the pics on a disk I say low quality images (same as a DPC entry) and burn a copywrite in to the metadata and sign and copywrite the pics too. It’s advertising for you and your business. Price like Bear said $10 per pic and give a deal if it's all vacation type pics and they take the lot of them.
07/21/2008 11:57:19 AM · #8
Thanks of the comments, keep them coming !!

I can't see any reason why I can't pop up a link here so here goes.....

Photos in question....

Nearly all are photos of the guests. Some snapshotty, some quite nice (I think). The ordering system is a little buggy - I know, I'm working on it :)

To answer the questions.

1) Time is virtually immaterial, any profit is a good thing (at the moment).
2) Goodwill - is something I'm toying with but I want to achieve a little bit more than only that.
3) Processed through online printers the costs for ink, wear and tear aren't there.
4) Your right about a $ an image, but if they want all of them. €50 is something I'm not going to turn away.
5) No repeat business - just advertising for the site - and a couple I'm going to use for stock (that they aren't in)

Starting to edge towards giving them two choices - either a CD of all that they are in - 40 images for €50 or they can choose files individually - at double the prices (approx) of the 'prints price'. i.e. little 6x4 images for €1.50 (sorry to jump between currencies), process to 6x4 300dpi.

Update from Darkriders comments :
Trouble is the photos are a mixure...

These are not vacation images (in my mind) - Photo 1, Photo 4, Photo 7, Photo 15, Photo 32
These I'm not going to include - Photo 23, Photo 30, Photo 37, Photo 46

Any thoughts on my wacky musings.

cheers
Keith

Message edited by author 2008-07-21 12:08:22.
07/21/2008 12:11:48 PM · #9
Your target market is literally in your house. And they want souvenirs to take home people will spend the cash. Your shots are good too. Why not offer a package that’s included with their stay.

I like the idea of this weeks guest cd $50. People will want photos of the friends they just met. And it's an easy throw together for you too or a custom cd ++$.
07/21/2008 12:45:02 PM · #10
Hey, sell them the files, slap your logo on them (bottom right hand corner), POOF free advertising :) hehe
07/21/2008 12:52:38 PM · #11
Man, those are great images. You are WAY underpriced, so far underpriced it's dismaying... You can turn personalized photography of that quality into a very nice profit center.

R.
07/21/2008 12:53:32 PM · #12
I like that - shame I have a shoddy logo! Suppose the website address would do the job though.

07/21/2008 12:55:38 PM · #13
Originally posted by KHolt:

I like that - shame I have a shoddy logo! Suppose the website address would do the job though.


Or make a new logo. Easy to conceive of a simple silhouette of rider-and-alps with the business name arced over it.

R.
07/21/2008 12:59:20 PM · #14
Thanks Robert - I realise what you are saying just need to figure out a sale price which won't send people running.

People outside of photography often don't appreciate the work, learning and art that goes into it. People on these forums do. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't be the one to educate the masses. It's seems like it is a fine line.

I don't fancy stumbling the wrong side of it.

cheers
Keith

Message edited by author 2008-07-21 13:00:17.
07/21/2008 10:56:32 PM · #15
Any other opinions, otherwise I think I'll go for suggesting a CD with the guests photos on it and / or files at double the price of prints (of the size they ask for).

thanks again for all the advice.

Keith
07/21/2008 11:37:14 PM · #16
well, by giving them a cd with the files they could make as many printsa as they want, so your gunna wanna charge them something, id say if they want to deal with it this way, the files they are giving should be of lesser quality so they can only be printed in a smaller size, no greater than what they need without distortion happening, and you would have to releast the photos to them so they could print them.
07/22/2008 01:08:48 AM · #17
Originally posted by KHolt:

Thanks Robert - I realise what you are saying just need to figure out a sale price which won't send people running.

People outside of photography often don't appreciate the work, learning and art that goes into it. People on these forums do. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't be the one to educate the masses. It's seems like it is a fine line.

I don't fancy stumbling the wrong side of it.



Keep one thing in mind. Though you don't want to "stumble". it's easier to lower a price than to raise it.

If you guess a little high, or even alot high, you can always run a "special" sale till you get the price right.

If you start out low, and then try to raise prices, you can meet much more resistance.


07/22/2008 03:46:51 AM · #18
When you received the CD, were the .jpgs full size or reduced?

What reduced size would you go for - I'm thinking 1600x1200 72ppi approx....

cheers
Keith
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