For weddings, do you let clients pick their own pictures?

[gsgary]

I shoot the event and then edit. I shoot about 2500 or so with 600 or so making the final cut. About 20-30% depending.

I upload to Walgreens as 4x6 size and they can do what ever they want with them. I make it clear that if they want other than 4x6 I will recrop the original and upload to another album on Walgreens.

The price for the shoot gets that product. No fuss no muss. They can scrap book their own album or what ever they want. Like plaster the fridge with magnetic 4x6 photo frames. Order CD,s Whatever. I don't care. I am done and moving on.

I have a sign up sheet for any at the event that wants to give me an email address. They will get a link to the photos and they likewise can do whatever they want.

I don't water mark anything. I really find watermarks to be pompous annoying bragging stamps. (I understand if some make money off the prints that they don't want them hijacked) For me better to get the money up front and I'll give you several hundred photos to do with as you please.

The email sign up is great advertising as well. Dozens and dozens of people may view the results at peoples work, homes etc.

2500 :shock::shock: thats ridiculious do you spray and pray

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

You can't go wrong putting your absolute best into every shoot and every interaction with your clients, whether they are paying you a great deal of money or if you were working for free. I'd personally use this as an opportunity to practice my buisiness skills, customer relations, and service.

Best of luck!

:thumbup:

Underpromise, overdeliver.
It's one of my business rules. :mrgreen:
But of course, that's built into the price.
Do I have jobs I take a hit on to make the customer happy? Yup.
In the end, am I satisfied that I have a happy customer? You betcha.

 

[gsgary]

You can't go wrong putting your absolute best into every shoot and every interaction with your clients, whether they are paying you a great deal of money or if you were working for free. I'd personally use this as an opportunity to practice my buisiness skills, customer relations, and service.

Best of luck!

:thumbup:

Underpromise, overdeliver.
It's one of my business rules. :mrgreen:
But of course, that's built into the price.
Do I have jobs I take a hit on to make the customer happy? Yup.
In the end, am I satisfied that I have a happy customer? You betcha.

I bet you don't give them platinum when they ask for silver

 

[Overread]

I just ask because, only to know why you'd think to let them chose the photos vs most wedding photographers choosing the photos themselves? Again, I am not trying to be a prick, ahole or anything, I just wanted to know beccause you seem to be the only one telling me to let them chose their own photos. That's all

A few others have given the same suggestion

I the real world its a case of both - the photographer shoots the wedding; often before hand the bride and groom will sit down with them and go through key shots for the day that they would like as well as suggesting any key guests they would like photos of.

Then once the wedding is shot you (the photographer) go through and select out all the shots that are up to your standard from the wedding - often lightroom or other batch processes are done to produce good files for a thumbnail view for the clients to select from (since there can be quite a few and its not economical to process all). Of course the key agreed shots would be processed and also you might throw a few example processed shots into the mix to show them the final result.

So from this selection that You make the bride and groom can then select the shots from that lineup that they would like for the CD/Print whatever you agree on. You can then work on those shots and price for prints/CD/etc on them.

Like Mike I would also agree that I would deviate from this pattern if there are key guests that they want a photo of, but which didn't meet your standards - in this case its often a case of a shot is better than no shot and you can show these shots in a different set to the regular high quality showing.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I bet you don't give them platinum when they ask for silver

Now you are being silly.
But, it's all in qualifying the customer ahead of time, and determining what the want, and what they expect. You wouldn't believe how many people call white gold, silver.