Consider/Re-Consider Your Product Delivery

If only being a photographer was as easy as people tend to think it is; we are glorified button-pushers or something of the like so it comes as no surprise that clients would rather receive their images on a disc thinking that this is the cheaper route, especially because it should be "inexpensive" for us photographers to put it all together, plus, "anyone can do it".  It's unfair for people to use that expression though because most of them will probably pay for dining, cleaning, and entertainment services that can also be done by "anyone".  The real deal though is getting what you pay for.   

No matter what kind of photographer you are you have probably had to consider the type of media to deliver to your client.  

I have read that the DVD-R is the better choice for delivering large files and large quantities of images especially because it has less compatibility complaints.  Many of us provide this product exclusively as an option to our clients because it's generally fast, easy, and they want to be able upload them to a device for social media and send them via email.  High-resolution digital files are not the answer for this situation/solution.  Also, with the rise in popularity in devices such as iPads, a disc is not the best option for delivering files; this is where USB flash drives are becoming a more popular method--it is also my preferred method.  Nonetheless, who's to say where technology will take us in 10 years, 50 years, even 100 years?  Discs and USB's will inevitably become obsolete as well as misplaced, broken, and damaged over time but a high quality print will last indefinitely.  

There is a stunning difference between what we see on a computer screen and what we see in a high quality professional print.  With the right steps and consideration taken during output and how it will be rendered, a photograph can impress your clients beyond technical proficiency.  They can actually hold and closely inspect the photo and have it in their immediate physical possession.  Oftentimes, those who only want a disc will have good intentions of printing off the photos at the lab of their choice but more than likely the images will end up on social media and sitting in a forgotten computer folder. 

 

This is why it is important to consider, or, re-consider your product delivery.  A disc, in my opinion, should be a separate product for low-resolution files that clients can use for sharing on the Web, high-resolution images on a disc or USB can be purchased a la carte, and print packages should be your biggest service product.  I would even suggest helping them choose the best printing options, help them put together and design an album or photo book, and even go so far as to help them get it framed as part of your service package price because, as a professional, you should still make the effort to ensure the quality of your work.

Recently I had an experience where someone wanted to hire me to take a few photographs and go get them printed off at Wal-mart for them since they wanted these in a rush.  I flat out told them that I would love to be their photographer but I will not voluntarily print any photos from anywhere that is not one of my trusted professional printing labs.  If they wanted a disc to take and print off themselves I would have been happy to do that.  Needless to say they went with a "cheaper" photographer and although this situation upset me a little, I can look back and be proud that I am not a "cheap" photographer.  I want my work to be cherish, relished, and displayed with pride, don't you?  There is a difference between a good photo and a great photo, strive to always be great.

So, does any of this change the way you will delivery your product?  What is your current method or what do you anticipate doing?  Do you need advice?  Leave me some feedback in the comments and thanks for reading today!  You can read the whole article here.

Works Cited

"Compact disc in a computer CD-ROM disc drive." Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 25 Aug 2014. <http://quest.eb.com/#/search/132_1311364/1/132_1311364/cite>

"Couple signing mortgage paperwork." Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 25 Aug 2014. <http://quest.eb.com/#/search/154_2880728/1/154_2880728/cite>

Fitzpatrick, Alethea Cheng. "Please Don’t Just Give Your Clients The CD or DVD!" tiffinbox. Tiffinbox, 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. <http://tiffinbox.org/please-dont-just-give-your-clients-the-cd-or-dvd/ >

"Girl taking picture of three girls." Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 25 Aug 2014. <http://quest.eb.com/#/search/154_2883658/1/154_2883658/cite>

The Pricing Puzzle

It is pretty much inevitable that as a professional photographer, you'll have to figure out how much to charge per job or per hour. The pricing puzzle has a different solution for everyone; it may be tempting to look up photographers in your genre and compare packages and session fees, but don't get caught in that trap! What you need to charge depends on so many factors, and you don't want to end up selling yourself short or charging more than your level of experience is worth. Get all the pieces of the puzzle together, though, and you will end up on the road to success.

There are two major factors that go into running any business: cost of doing business (COB), and cost of living (COL). You'll be learning a great deal about these things in your business classes - pay attention and keep all of your work because you will really benefit from revisiting the worksheets on at least an annual basis to see whether, and how much, you need to raise your prices. If you haven't had a business class yet, it's not too early to start tracking where your money goes so you'll have a really good idea of what you take in and spend on a monthly basis. You will be super prepared for class, to boot!

Cost of Living
While there are charts and calculators available to determine COL based on where you live, it will be much more useful to you to input every single regular payment you have to make into a custom chart. Things like utility payments, average grocery costs, mortgage/rent, and other items that are not business-related will go into this chart. You will also want to include entertainment expenses to ensure you have enough money to enjoy your free time with the prices you set.

Cost of Doing Business
The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has great resources on its pricing guides page to help you better understand what you need to consider when setting your pricing. The cost of doing business calculator by National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is a great place to start, but I'd suggest creating an Excel document in which you expand on the items included in the calculator. For example, if you have one payment for web hosting and one for your domain name, itemize these instead of simply including "web hosting/portal service" so you can see exactly where your money goes each month or year. Similarly, itemizing each professional subscription or membership will help you keep track of how many organizations you have joined and determine whether you want to renew each one annually. Don't forget to include licensing costs in this section (for example, my studio is an LLC so I had to account for setup and annual fees - business incorporation is something you should talk about with your accountant or bankers, and is a blog post for another day!).

Once you have all of your costs (including the salary you want to pay yourself, if self-employed), it's time to determine the final pricing. You don't want to just cover your basic costs, you want to make a profit! Think about what makes sense for your business: will you have tiered packages from which clients can choose? Will you offer products like albums, prints, and custom flash drives for image files? Try to envision your ideal client and how he or she will be using your images. Because my focus is weddings and portraits, my pricing includes various packages with some special à la carte products (like this super fun wooden box with mounted prints I just added to my offerings, tested with some of my Tanzania photographs!).

Once you've set your prices, be confident! If you have confidence that you are worth what you charge, so will your clients.

Have any pricing advice or concerns? Leave a comment and I'll share my opinion or point you to some helpful resources!

Works Cited:

"Cost of Doing Business Calculator." National Press Photographers Association. National Press Photographers Association, 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

"Pricing Guides." American Society of Media Photographers. American Society of Media Photographers, Inc., 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

-Friday Ambassador