Digital File Size/Resolution

[purpleroan]

Hey everyone! I'll keep it short and sweet...when selling a digital file to a client, how large should it be? Dimensions/resolution? Also, what do you suggest as far as pricing goes? Looking for quick answers! Thanks so much.

 

[table1349]

1. Don't sell a digital file to a client. Sell them usage rights. Let them use the full resolution.
2. Pricing: the cost of your time, and any expenses + 20% profit.

 

[KmH]

A retail client or a commercial client?
Commercial clients buy usage rights.

Retail clients need to be granted reproduction rights along with a digital file.
Many print labs won't print a digital file a customer that does not have reproduction rights to an image file they want the lab to print.

Since a retail client can make many prints from a digital file, digital files should not be inexpensive, unless you don't mind paying out of your own pocket to keep your business in business.

Before I retired my customers had to meet a minimum purchase requirement before they were allowed to buy digital files.
And they then had to buy a minimum number of digital files (25) so it worked out that the least it cost them for digital files was $1250 ($50 per digital file).

Resolution varied with how I had cropped. I always cropped for content and not to accommodate some standard size print.

 

[unpopular]

Before I retired my customers had to meet a minimum purchase requirement before they were allowed to buy digital files.
And they then had to buy a minimum number of digital files (25) so it worked out that the least it cost them for digital files was $1250 ($50 per digital file).

The reality of the matter is that the good old days of ripping off clients is over. This kind of pricing scheme is simply unrealistic.

Like it or not, today's market demands flexible licensing.

 

[purpleroan]

Hmm...ok. Thank you for the input! I'll just lay it all out. I consider myself to be a non-professional with mid-range gear. I have two paying photography jobs at my university, and I am starting to experiment with my own little side-business thing, fairly casual. I shot a horse show at my barn a couple weeks ago, and posted the link to my website with the show galleries so that people could purchase prints. One person is interested in digital files, and I'm just looking to provide a price that won't scare them away, and some solid info/suggestions as far as how that file should be sized/formatted so that they can successfully produce their own prints of varying sizes. I'm admittedly still easily confused by the printing/screen res thing, and how its all related. Just trying to wrap my head around all of it and come to some conclusions..I do appreciate the help from everyone!

 

[purpleroan]

I used a 70d and a 70-200 f2.8 if that makes any difference as far as file size goes.

 

[KmH]

ripping off clients is over.

Clueless.
No hidden prices, all very upfront, and the customer always had the option of not buying.

How do you think there can be retail photographers today that make an income of well over $50,000 a year?
If you think they are selling digital files for $10 a pop you've no clue regarding the financial realities inherent in keeping a retail photography business alive.

 

[spiralout462]

I would only sell prints in your situation. Lord knows what they could do with a full resolution file.

Quality and content depending of course.

 

[Trever1t]

I would only sell prints in your situation. Lord knows what they could do with a full resolution file.

Quality and content depending of course.

I would have to agree with that. Sell prints.

 

[tirediron]

Hey everyone! I'll keep it short and sweet...when selling a digital file to a client, how large should it be? Dimensions/resolution? Also, what do you suggest as far as pricing goes? Looking for quick answers! Thanks so much.

To paraphrase the others, only sell digital files if the client (assuming a retail client) absolutely refuses to buy anything else, in which case they need to be priced in such a way as to make it worthwhile knowing that you will get NO repeat business. While I don't have a minimum purchase requirement, I do charge $65 per file when I sell them (rarely). What I do have are a set of pairs of sample prints. One print is done by my lab, one by the local big-box photo mart... I show them what they're getting when they pay me $25 instead of ***-mart $5.00 for a print.

 

[unpopular]

I would have to agree with that. Sell prints.

You know what will happen. Senior Sally will snap a photo with her phone post it on facebook, and provided that it's not THAT blurry, there's your logo.

Or worse, they take that crude duplicate and print it off at wal-mart.

You can complain all you want about copyright violation. You can sue Senior Sally's parents, and no matter if you're within your legal rights or not, they're going to tell all their friends what a greedy, sue-happy nutjob you are. Even if you don't need to get that far, it's not going to go over well.

Yeah. It's not fair. And you can cry about it not being fair all you want.

But at the end of the day clients will go to whoever offers the best deal. Yes. Quality is important, but trust me, just because you're old and inflexible and unwilling to adapt to current market conditions does not make you a better photographer.

there are plenty of talented, young photographers out there who are willing to meet this market requirement.

Because ultimately, fairness doesn't matter.

 

[robbins.photo]

Does present a rather interesting dilemma. For the photographer the best deal of course is to sell prints. However since most people want to share photos via facebook and email, I can see where there would probably be a pretty significant market demand for digital files instead.

Maybe you could find a happy medium in there somewhere, did your client specify what his/her ultimate goal was for the digital file? Are they hoping to print it themselves, share it via social media, both, etc...

 

[unpopular]

As always clear terms that meet both party's needs are important. A license should be an agreement.

 

[tirediron]

Does present a rather interesting dilemma. For the photographer the best deal of course is to sell prints. However since most people want to share photos via facebook and email, I can see where there would probably be a pretty significant market demand for digital files instead.

Maybe you could find a happy medium in there somewhere, did your client specify what his/her ultimate goal was for the digital file? Are they hoping to print it themselves, share it via social media, both, etc...

There is, and in my experience, the best way to capitalize on it is to offer free, "social-media ready" files (72 ppi, 400 pixels on the long edge) with every print purchase. That has two benefits, the younger customers get their all important digital files for facespace, and you still get to sell prints.

 

[Vtec44]

The reality of the matter is that the good old days of ripping off clients is over.

Yikes. Why is it ripping off? It's all supply and demand. As long as both parties are aware and agree to it, I don't see anything wrong with it.

The problem I see is that us photographers lower our value because we don't think we're worth it, and when others demand what they're worth and we feel that they're wrong or ripping people off.

BTW, my pricing is kind of similar and proportion to what the clients paid.