Do wedding guests really buy photos?

[RyanLilly]

Just a question to all the wedding photogs out there, mainly out of curiosity, but do guests actually buy photos from your websites. Every wedding I go to, the photographer always has their cards on the table with the link and password to the photo gallery. But it seems that a lot of guests are taking snapshots of their own, I can see parents and immediate family buying some, but the average guest?

 

[Rhys]

Nah. The B&G and their family buy photos. Those that bring compacts don't buy photos. Guests always say they want photos but mostly they don't bother when it comes to parting with money.

It's why my business model is to offer a CD/DVD and just to charge for the service rather than supplying prints.

 

[AprilRamone]

I do get orders here and there for a 5x7" of the table shots. I'd be curious to hear from Cindy about how she gets so many orders from the guests when she gives her clients a cd of their images. I know my wedding clients get all of the images on a dvd so they can print easily for their guests if they want to, but I tell them that they can direct their guests to my website if they don't want to hassle with all of the print requests.

 

[amandakifer]

photos of peoples kids sell and husbands and wives slow dancing together also sell well. But I have online ordering... not sure if that makes a difference.

 

[SpeedTrap]

It is mostly the family that buy prints.
I put the photos up on a online gallery for 30 days before I hand over the DVD so people that do not want to wait for the Bride and Groom to send prints, they will order prints. It works like a charm.

 

[JIP]

You get orders from guests by shooting the right photos and shooting them well. By the way rhys you need to get a lab that allows anyone to order prints instead of using your model you might get a few more sales.

 

[Rhys]

You get orders from guests by shooting the right photos and shooting them well. By the way rhys you need to get a lab that allows anyone to order prints instead of using your model you might get a few more sales.

There are pros and cons. For me the pros are that I make the DVD and that's it - I can walk away with the cash in my pocket. One day I might buy a really good printer and do everything in-house but quite honestly I'd rather just hand over a DVD and a handful of coupons from some D&P place that was kind enough to see the profit in handing me a few boxes of them.

 

[Jim H]

the photographer always has their cards on the table with the link and password to the photo gallery.

That's a passive approach.

A more direct way to go about it is stopping by each of the tables and collecting e-mail addresses; letting the guests know that they will receive a special (or some other feel-good verbiage) e-mail with a private (sense of privilege) link to the gallery once the images are ready for view (with the purchase button right next to each one). Then categorize the images (i.e.) pre-ceremony, ceremony, reception, et al ... but always lead off with: Photographer's Favorites. That category will be sure to garner more sales than the rest due to the "pro" perception that "has an eye for these things". Then continue to work the list for the web sales and of course add them to your newsletter (or whatever medium you use) to further remind those guests of your services, faux specials, etc.

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, it's usually just family that buys prints...but most people at a wedding are usually family (in my experience anyway). They may not all be buying prints...but you get more sales by giving them that option than by not.

Also, it increases your presence and puts you into their consciousness. Much of photography advertising is spread by word of mouth. So the more people you talk to and the more cards you hand out, the better your chances for further work.
Some people might find it tacky to just hand out cards or put them on tables...so if you let them know that you will have photos for sale...it's a better premise to be giving them your card...even if you know they won't be ordering any photos from you.