Images for review for clients...quantities.

[Pallycow]

I am still struggling with a good number, ideally, of images to offer to clients for review to select the photos they want for their package. I don't want to overwhelm them with options as I feel it can ruin the experience, but I still find myself taking way too many pictures.

I did a shoot yesterday for a young family, man...woman...two young girls. I did couple shots (man and woman), Single shots (man and woman), kids (the two girls being cute girls), and family portraits.

After going through my initial cull, I find I still have about 60 I like.

I upload them to the proofing site so they can pick their package photos, then I print and deliver.

For those who have been doing this a long time, what in your experience serves the client best in amount to upload to the proofing site for them to make their selection?

I have done a few shoots, but normally give out all the pics or they order a few prints off a few I show them, but this was my first actual "in studio" shoot of a family.

Thanks for your help.

Package they paid for include 2 8x10, 4 5x7, 6 4x6, and 16 wallets. If that helps. Ideally, I'd like to offer a few to choose from with hopes of ordering extras outside of the paid package.

 

[MLeeK]

60 isn't TOOO awful bad. Especially when you have basically 6 different scenes in there.
I get rid of any that are duplicates of the same with a different expression or similar and only show the absolute best of the best. If your best of best is 60, it's 60. If they've paid already for their package it's not going to hurt you in that they will be overwhelmed and just not order. Hopefully they'll love them all and order more.

 

[Pallycow]

Yeah, I have culled away such things as similar poses with different faces, etc. It breaks down as follows..

Couple - 22
Family - 14
Kids - 27 (includes kids and mommy...request for grandma)
Singles - 6

So I feel I have plenty for them to chose from in each category. Just don't want to have too much so that they get glossy eyed and frustrated. lol.

I'm struggling with the pp on the Family category, like an idiot I left the light on that I used to light up the backgrop (which was a constant light...yellow) on, and am having to pull out yellow on them. Which really only sucks because the girls are blonde. lol. I don't like to sell ****, I almost want to call 'em back for a reshoot. lolol. I'll manage though.

 

[MLeeK]

Yeah, I have culled away such things as similar poses with different faces, etc. It breaks down as follows..

Couple - 22
Family - 14
Kids - 27 (includes kids and mommy...request for grandma)
Singles - 6

So I feel I have plenty for them to chose from in each category. Just don't want to have too much so that they get glossy eyed and frustrated. lol.

I'm struggling with the pp on the Family category, like an idiot I left the light on that I used to light up the backgrop (which was a constant light...yellow) on, and am having to pull out yellow on them. Which really only sucks because the girls are blonde. lol. I don't like to sell ****, I almost want to call 'em back for a reshoot. lolol. I'll manage though.

The 22 is A LOT from a family session to have of the couple.
Did you shoot in jpeg and are now finding they are very warm/yellow?
Can you post one, maybe we can help you to fix without having to "pull out the yellow."

 

[Pallycow]

Yeah 22 is a lot, but they are also secretly engaged...just have not told family yet...so we were highlighting the two of them as well, pretty sure they'll be ordering extras of those. There are some fun/play shots in there as well as they are in a band and goofing off as "rockers" a bit, so it added up quickly.

I think the family folder is the one that I need to cull down a bit more . I think I just don't really like any of them that well so I'm struggling picking the better ones.

I shoot jpg and raw. All things being equal...seeing as the lighting and camera settings were the same for those shots, I was hoping to process the raws in LR and just batch the "fix" from the first one and apply to all. no such luck. I may just pick a few I like and do em up in PS.

They asked me not to post until they receive and mail to family as it is a surprise. I have permission to use them in my portfolio, both online and in print, but I have to wait. If you want to take a look, I can PM you a raw to look at if you like.

 

[Pallycow]

also, the 22 in the "couple" folder is not the final one, just is for now, I have computer eyes. lol. I was thinking of picking a dozen from there. Kinda what led me to here to ask...just was not sure what a "good" number was.

 

[janineh]

I never edit more than 25 - 30 images. I go into the shooting aiming for 25 nice shots.

If you got 60 really great shots awesome! If not find the best of the best.

 

[KmH]

The more photographers treat the photographs they make for customers like a commodity, the less value those photographs have to the customer.

I rarely provided more than 25 images from a 1 hour family session for my clients to look at during the proofing session.

If you use a proofing web site instead of proofing in person, you are leaving money on the table. You cannot sell effectively if you aren't with the customer during proofing.
Most retail photographers who switch from online proofing to in-person proofing see an immediate increase in their average sale dollar amount.
With online proofing, many customers figure they have all the time in the world to make their choices. With in-person proofing they know the time is now, and you get the selling benefit of seeing which photographs evoke the most customer emotion.

I wanted customers to buy prints from me, not from Walmart, not from Mpix, not from Walgreens, not prints they made on their home printer.
To me, it was well worth it to pay up to $50 for 25 proofing prints so I could consistently generate average print/framing sales of over $1000 for each customer.
I used a portfolio to show the proof prints.
I had samples of different framed print, gallery wrap, standout, sizes they could touch, and look at. Samples let you show them how little a framed 8x10 looks hanging on the wall over a couch compared to a 24x30, or how different print sizes can be grouped.

In short, marketing your products (samples) and then selling them is a very important part of having a retail photography business.