Probably my biggest sticker shock is the pricing I have for my digitals. Some seem to get it, and some are like, SAY WHAT!?!?! Well, we as photographers get it, but you probably h a hard time wrapping your heads around. iI A I am paying $100 for one photo?! It doesn't cost anything to dropbox a digital image to me!? You feel because it's not an actual print that, it should not cost that much, right?! Well, you are not alone in feeling this way. I am sure m of my clients have thought this to themselves. Well, I am here to explain w priced higher and why we photographers who care about what you end up cherishing cringe when you want them.
Why do we cringe when selling digitals?
First off, let me tell you this: we get it. You want the digitals to feel safe and secure; you want the digitals to have them or because you plan to make fun calendars, C cards, and maybe even an album for half the cost then what we charge you. You're probably nodding your head. It's okay, no judging, but how many of you still have those digitals in your desk drawer from 2 years ago of the kids? Who has been happy with those albums you took WAY t long to design? Did you not almost throw your computer t the window trying to download that annoying software t make that album?! Oh, and forget trying to put those photos in an order that they all flow nicely together- that alone is enough to drive you insane! You think, "Self; I am not cut out for this. I do not have the eye for this." 2 hours later "...Maybe I should've left this up to my photographer." Then you receive 50 emails a week because you had to make an account with them to create your album or calendar. When you finally have your products, they look okay but not professional. The colors are off, and oops, you cropped off your f! Then you realize it wasn't that cheap considering the time you put into it and the actual cost, those annoying emails, and at the end of the day, it does not look professional!
So let me tell you why we photographers cringe when asked do w sell digitalis. Why even go to a professional to take your professional photos? W a professional edit your images to perfection and then have them printed at a unprofessional lab? Yes, I have heard it all, "Well, I had mine printed at "X," and they were okay. Okay." No, no, no, said any photographer ever! Okay is not acceptable, So let's! Let me ask you, are you going to print that same photo? So you're sending them out to family, maybe inside a card, and you want to print 25 photos. What good is it if the colors are off and now that photo you're sending to your loved ones looks okay and sometimes awful? It is t getting people to realize that quality is far more c t quantity. I can tell you that I quickly printed up some photos at a local pharmacy for convenience (for my d school project that she s me about the day before it was due), and OH MY WORD! TERRIBLE! I left in tears, not because of her photos t into that looked as if a cell phone captured it, but because of the countless digitals, I have sold to my clients! I felt guilty for even allowing this to happen! I put my heart and soul into e session, and to see how it could be possible to turn out put a big knot in my stomach.
It is h to know that after we have put so much effort into making your portraits out of this world, they can potentially be ruined.
So why are digitals so expensive?
Digitals are priced to encourage clients to buy professional prints through me instead. So much time and effort h to cnts with my lab to ensure that the product's colors, contrast, brightness, and longevity are spot on and t. When you take a CD to any other lab, none of that will be accurate, a I cannot guarantee that photo will be in great shape to pass on to your children. Can you get that guarantee at your online store or local photo lab?
When a digital file is sold, we all lose. You lose quality, and we lose the opportunity to hand over y professional products. Once digitals are purchased, we realize you will likely not be b anything else from us. I promise you that I care what your photos look like once they are finally printed, other photographers feel this way about digitals. We do not simply slap on a high sticker price because, in all reality, they aren't that expensive. The problem is you don't realize what you are getting, and most importantly, the poor quality you will g print them.
So next time you contact a photographer, please keep these things in mind!
1. The possibility of your cd sitting us photographers is very sad.
2. We all lose when you purchase digitals. You lose quality. L the joy of handing over quality professional products.
3. It is not just ONE digital file you a purchasing. T t of meticulous editing and retouching each image!
4. Because you're buying the whole cow.
5. Because we care about handing over products, i is backed by an archival value of 100 years from our vendors. This means that in 100 years, the colors and quality will still impress you and warm your heart like t did the first time you hung it on your wall!
What will you pass down to generations?