Final Product delivery methods?

[Mike_Be]

Hello to those who happened to view my thread.. I got question? I wanna start a small photography business. Something to do on the weekends. Hopefully to grow into something more lucrative.
As of right now I cant figure out how Im going to deliver the final product. Should I get the images printed and put in an album and add the cost to the bill or throw all the photos on a memory stick and say here your responsible for getting them printed. I know it may sound silly. But I'm a noob!!. Any ideas?

 

[tirediron]

Whoa young grasshopper! Learn to walk before try to run! (I'm making an assumption here, based on your post, let me know if I'm wrong). Before you worry about delivery methods, spend some time learning about how to run a business. Even if you're only planning on being a weekend warrior (There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with that) you need to do it by the numbers, taxes, insurance, licenses, etc. Once that's in place, then you need a business plan, figure out costs, etc. As part of your business plan you need to determine who your target market is. Do you want to a portrait studio catering to single moms with low income? Do you want a wedding business where your low-end package is $7500? Somewhere in the middle (you don't actually say what kind of photography you want to do).

Once you know who your target market is, you will probably be able to determine what they're going to want as a delivery method. Again, an assumption, but if you going into the super-saturated "family location and senior" area, then most customers, especially medium and lower income will want their images delivered digitally, BUT.. you can typically make a LOT more money on print sales then you can on digital files.

So... how about whipping out that business plan now?

 

[Designer]

Anything with your name (and reputation) attached needs better control over the final product. If you allow the customers to get prints made, who's to say the prints will look as good as you anticipate? What if they get prints that are all over the chart in terms of white balance, for instance?

Also, you should attempt to protect your work with a signed contract which specifies the conditions under which prints can be made.

 

[KmH]

I wonder. How likely do you think it is your clients will know how to prepare images for printing?

Lets use just one part of putting images on a disc as an example.
Your camera likely makes images that have a 3:2 aspect ratio (4x6, 6x9, 8x12, 10x15, 20x30), but your client wants to get a 5:4 aspect ratio (4x5, 8x10, 16x20, 20x24, 24x30) print made.

The only way to get from a 3:2 aspect ratio to a closer to square 5:4 aspect ratio is by cropping some of the image away from the long side.

It's possible you have a lot to learn about preparing digital images for printing - The Digital Print: Preparing Images in Lightroom and Photoshop for Printing
I learned some new things from reading that book.

Tutorials on Color Management & Printing

From a business perspective, selling prints and other image products are how a retail photographer makes money.
Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer's Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More

My clients had to meet a minimum product purchase requirement before they qualified to buy a disc of high resolution images.
My contract also mentioned I was not responsible for the quality of any prints the client made, or had made by a print lab, from the images on the disc.

 

[hirejn]

I don't see anything here that suggests you're ready for business advice. Refining your services takes time and experience. Nobody can tell you at once how to do it. If you can't figure out how to deliver a product, that's one of the many steps you need to get down before you even seriously consider doing any kind of business. There are so many options available, you have to decide what works for you, what drives profit, what the market wants, and the kind of photographer you want to be. You haven't even described what kind of photography business you want to have. It sounds like you need to do a lot of planning first and potentially get several years of experience. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make a little money on a hobby, but a business is completely different.