How many prints per job?

[Johnboy2978]

I imagine that most folks either deliver images to their customers on DVD or actual prints. Even if the customer wants prints, you would prepare a certain amount for them to view and pick from. I was wondering just how many images that you deliver as the final product for the client to choose from though. Say for senior portraits, would you have 4, 10, 20 for them to choose from? I would imagine I'm not alone and take many more poses than they would ever want and certainly not every shot is a keeper, so how many would you typically edit and prepare for them? So could others chime in here and give some input? How about
(1) Bridal portaits
(2) Engagement portraits
(3) Senior Portraits
(4) Family or child portraits
(5) Wedding pics.

Thanks for looking and commenting.

 

[AprilRamone]

I've found that 24 seems to be the magic # for me. I always give 24 touched up proofs for all sessions except for weddings. Sometimes, a parent wants to do a session for one of their kids, but also a newborn session so I am nice and charge them 1.5 times my normal cost and give them 36 proofs instead so they have a bit more to choose from and don't have to schedule two seperate appointments. Sometimes, if I can't choose between a couple of photos, I'll give them 1-4 more than the quoted 24, but I definitely don't add in too much more than that because I want it to seem like a little bonus and not think that I've been keeping too many good ones from them. Plus, I've found that you sometimes just have to critique yourself harder and really give the better shots.
So far for a full day wedding assignment, I've touched up about 320 proofs on average for the client. I know others give WAY more than that though.

 

[SusieC]

I usually try to give around 50 for normal portrait session (1-2 people). For an actual wedding, it all depends on how long they contracted me. And, how exciting the wedding was! The most I gave was a weekend wedding in the Bahamas, about 600 pics! But, normally its about 300-450...
I actually don't give the clients proofs. I post online using Labprints.com and they view and order using that site. It's easy. It helps with your workflow...

 

[Big Mike]

There is no correct answer or way to do it...you just need to find out what works best for you and your clients.

sometimes just have to critique yourself harder and really give the better shots.

Great advice.

Personally, I usually deliver around 10-15 for a typical portrait shoot. For a wedding, I have usually been around 250 images...each one has been fully edited.

Some people deliver 800 to 1000 images or more...but I'm guessing that most of those have been batch edited. Some people give that many images and only fully edit enough images to make an album or something like that.

 

[NJMAN]

I recently did a senior portrait shoot, and made 17 color proofs, but I also did black and whites of everything too, which obviously doubled that number. I dont do black and whites of everything normally, but I remembered that the mother said she likes black and white, so I did it to help increase sales. But on the flip side, 34 proofs in front of the whole family proved to be a chaotic mess. It took them nearly 2 hours to decide what they wanted. But I was very patient and let them take their time. Normally, clients view my online proofs and order through my website, but these clients were a bit older and preferred printed proofs.

Normally, I dont show more than 10-15 proofs for senior portraits or portrait shoots in general, and some clients even want less than that, because they tell me they have a hard enough time deciding what they like. I also feel that providing the client with too much choice can make it confusing for them, and may complicate things for you as the photog.

For weddings, that is a whole different ball game. I am not very experienced with weddings yet, but the 2 weddings I did for free, I processed about 125 each for showing online in a proof gallery. I got good print sales from the last one in July. If I ever get paid to do a wedding, I will probably process somewhere around 200-250. But it will depend on what I will charge, and what the clients want, so its pretty much up in the air at this point.

 

[wildmaven]

For a 1/2 hour portrait shoot, I'm averaging 14-20. I hate, hate, hate it when I come up with 13, as some people are superstitious, so I end up either cutting it to 12 or adding one more, LOL.

Marian

 

[jemmy]

I shoot plenty of raws, upload the lot then sift through moving my favourites to a favourites folder. Then i convert these and try never to look back at the rest of the raws - I am hopeless and always find more shots that I want to work!!! So this way, my editing time is substantially less and I show the client 20 fully worked images. If I have irresistable extra shots, I will throw them in too! I decide when converting the raws which shots I will show in b&w and which in colour and clients are shown a combination of the two... Clients are aware that there is a per photo fee that applies if they wish to alter an image say from b&w to colour. I have recently started a trial showing 'proofs' as mounted 6 x 8" images in a beautiful box. If they fall in love with every image, there is the option of purchasing the entire 'proof collection' for a discounted price - and taking it home on the spot if they can pay for it outright. Will see how this system goes - I think I like it so far though!? Sorry for the babble... Im on a roll thismorning! x

Not sure If I will be continuing with weddings? - love them and hate them... love being able to capture this moment for couples but hate the lack of control!!!! - weather, lighting. My last bride refused to give me a wet-weather alt location and her beautiful dream beach wedding was rained out completely. She was determined it would clear so waited in her hotel room for 40minutes till she realised it was not clearing! and then made her way down to the ceremony in an unfinished surfclub reception set up... Poor girl I know, but poor me!! 40mins less light and a not so pretty ceremony venue to work with!!! Anyway, it cleared at the end of the ceremony so we got down to the beach and got some great shots! Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! I take loads of shots , then give them about 250 fully edited shots. Mock reception cake cutting and waltz.