BEST way to answer this....

[JenLavazza]

Studio7four - You are correct in everything you pointed out. It's something I'm still struggling with as a "new business"....trying to find the best method for me AND the client. I choose the 12-15 images that the client receives (although in many cases they end up with 17-19 and I usually throw in a storyboard/collage for free). I just switched to this method 2011. A majority of the time parents have no complaint at all. They receive a good amount of images with print release for only 100.00! I receive cash at the time of the session and a FAST turn around time. When I was allowing parents to choose which images to purchase they would take forever...even though I gave them a time frame in which their gallery would "expire" they waited until the last minute. Then I'd have to wait for them to pay. The process took forever. Plus, once I take the time to edit them they might as well have them....

There are some parents though, like this one, that are used to "Portrait Innovations" method....go through them all and choose which one's you want. I would do this, but some of my images I would NEVER want them to see...like where backdrops end before the frame does. EASY fix in photoshop, but to a client it would look awful. Plus, it would take MORE time. From start to finish I only make somewhere between $9-12 an hour and that doesn't include the thousands of dollars in equipment, software, classes, advertising, ect.... So to keep cost low I chose to use the method I am.

I'm due to have a baby in June and plan on taking a pretty extensive leave to redo my business....new forms, website, pricing sheets etc....so I hope to find a good happy medium before then. I've searched other photographers websites for hours looking at their pricing structure to get ideas and to see what the "norm" is and hopefully find a structure idea that works well for me.

 

[Big Mike]

hey receive a good amount of images with print release for only 100.00!

Plus, it would take MORE time. From start to finish I only make somewhere between $9-12 an hour and that doesn't include the thousands of dollars in equipment, software, classes, advertising, ect.... So to keep cost low I chose to use the method I am.

The best & most common advice to photographic entrepreneurs certainly applies here....RAISE YOUR PRICES!
Think about it this way...would you rather follow the Wal-mart model, and sell a high volume with low profit margins....or would you rather do less work for more money (higher prices)? Both models can make money, but there is only one of you and I'm sure your time is valuable to you.

 

[JenLavazza]

Yes, Big Mike, I agree. My time will only become MORE valuable when baby #3 gets here!! I'm definitely raising my prices to some degree. I personally really like how convenient it it to run my business the way I am...flat rate, x amount of images on disc.....wam, bam thank you mam! LOL I'll never make EVERY client happy and like my husband said - "If they don't like it, they can go somewhere else" It's just a matter of explaining to clients WHY I run my business the way I do that is hard.