Q: Showing customer pics online.

[darkchild]

Ok so i was wondering, how would you upload photos to a website to show people? Is there a host that allows you to disable right clicking or viewing html? or would the best way be to just add watermarks on it?

 

[IgsEMT]

I believe SmugMog and/or zenfolio disables right click. Seemyprints DEFINITELY disables it. + Watermark. if you know how to remove the watermark, you should know how/where to place it so it can a difficult task to remove.

 

[Big Mike]

Photocart

 

[Studio7Four]

Think about how fine a line you want to walk in displaying versus protecting your images. There are many ways to get around the right-click/save-as method, but really many of these are still vulnerable to just doing a print-screen and pasting that copy somewhere. You can be sure that nobody will want to steal your images by splashing a large watermark across it, but does that detract so much from the viewing experience that it defeats the purpose of putting it online? That's a personal decision (and may change from image to image), just spelling out the considerations...

 

[KmH]

There is no sure way to protect online photos from theft.

If you put photos online, assume they will be copied without your consent or knowledge.

 

[Overread]

There is no sure way to protect online photos from theft.

If you put photos online, assume they will be copied without your consent or knowledge.

+1

The best methods you can use is to limit what possible uses people can make of the photos - whilst also factoring in the reason for posting them online.

If you are posting shots from a paid shoot for a client to select prints from then small images with a watermark will work well - you can probably go down to 500pixels on the longest side or maybe even 300 for this kind of review since it will mostly be selection of the poses from the shoot. (assuming of course that you've already done your part to remove the technically poor quality shots from the selection).

If you are trying to promote your company/photography with shots then you will tend to go large - up to 1000pixels on the longest side since your aim is to impress and advertise. On this kind of shot your watermark also needs to be different - since you want to show the shot off a small signature watermark is really all you want to put on so that its there to show your name/website and copyright, but so that it still leaves the rest of the shot easy to view.

 

[KmH]

Showing customer pics online.

I should add, this is a great way to leave serious money sitting on the table.

 

[darkchild]

Showing customer pics online.

I should add, this is a great way to leave serious money sitting on the table.

what do you mean?

 

[Derrel]

Showing customer pics online.

I should add, this is a great way to leave serious money sitting on the table.

what do you mean?

In the early 1990's, I used to shoot at a family photography studio that employed two, full-time proof consultants. We projected the proofs using an opaque projector, and sold MANY larger images, like 11x14, 16x20, 20x24,and even larger canvas prints...big, huge, expensive canvas prints. We typically sold $17,000 to $24,000 of my portraiture, per week.

"You cannot sell what you do not show". If you want to sell big, expensive prints, you need to SHOW customers what a big, expensive canvas print actually LOOKS like. You need to hand them one, in a frame, and let them heft it, hold it, and admire it.

When you show proofs by appointment, it allows the actual, financial decision-makers to come together in to one room, and to SEE their session for the very first time, so excitement is high. Grandma's checkbook is often very,very fat. Grandpa's credit card often has a high limit on it. A woman with kids AND HER MOTHER can translate to HUGE SALES. I will re-state that: a mother and a GRANDMOTHER, together, in a proof viewing room means there is the buying power and the family ties of two families, combined.

If you want to put images on-line...be prepared for lame,lame sales.

Ever been to a car lot? Ever bought a car on-line?

 

[darkchild]

i bought my car on ebay hahaha.

- so basically, it's a lot better to show them in person than online? I don't have a projector so that's scratched out right now, so what would be an alternative way? i think it would be kind of pointless to order the prints and then have them not buy them, cuz that would be a waste of time and money.

 

[Overread]

Put a part of your current profits aside for investment in a projection setup for the future. For the now I would try to adopt having them come to your studio and show them the finished works on the largest computer screen you have in a well lit room - at least then you get to not only pitch the final sale to them, but also you ensure that the idea of them coming to you (or your going to them) as the final part of the sales is part of your operation - rather than trying to shift from online to in-person when/if you get the projector

 

[Derrel]

i bought my car on ebay hahaha.

- so basically, it's a lot better to show them in person than online? I don't have a projector so that's scratched out right now, so what would be an alternative way? i think it would be kind of pointless to order the prints and then have them not buy them, cuz that would be a waste of time and money.

Yes. Showing images in-person is "Selling". Putting images on-line is "hoping".

Selling images in-person is "good business". Putting images on-line is "bad business".

You do not need to make prints from every session, but you do need samples of your work in wall-hangable format. Framed. Unless you are charging $500 to $750 per session, showing proofs on-line and "hoping for sales" is a money-losing proposition. You can proof on a 30-inch Cinema Display or even a big HD television, but you need to bring the decision-makers to the images. I do not want to belabor the point, but this industry has been around for a long,long time. If you have ever worked in the retail photography business, like I have you would KNOW that selling images by delivering images to the whoever has a web browser and a password means LOST sales, or even NO sales!

Enthusiasm for the product wanes, then dies, very fast, once the customer has proofs in her hand, or images on-line.

Why buy the milk if you already have the cow?

 

[Jeatley]

This is a great thread to read! Very useful in my mind!! Thanks

 

[darkchild]

i bought my car on ebay hahaha.

- so basically, it's a lot better to show them in person than online? I don't have a projector so that's scratched out right now, so what would be an alternative way? i think it would be kind of pointless to order the prints and then have them not buy them, cuz that would be a waste of time and money.

Yes. Showing images in-person is "Selling". Putting images on-line is "hoping".

Selling images in-person is "good business". Putting images on-line is "bad business".

You do not need to make prints from every session, but you do need samples of your work in wall-hangable format. Framed. Unless you are charging $500 to $750 per session, showing proofs on-line and "hoping for sales" is a money-losing proposition. You can proof on a 30-inch Cinema Display or even a big HD television, but you need to bring the decision-makers to the images. I do not want to belabor the point, but this industry has been around for a long,long time. If you have ever worked in the retail photography business, like I have you would KNOW that selling images by delivering images to the whoever has a web browser and a password means LOST sales, or even NO sales!

Enthusiasm for the product wanes, then dies, very fast, once the customer has proofs in her hand, or images on-line.

Why buy the milk if you already have the cow?

you have a big point. all i have for now is my laptop, until i can afford an easier way.

 

[Jesllo]

Just your laptop will work fine. I am using "just" my laptop and sample prints. I'll make up one print from the session, a big one, that I love. If mom loves it and buys it GREAT! If not, GREAT! I get to put it in my portfolio and show it to the next mom and say, look how great this would look on your wall with your pictures in it.

My sales have gone from either no orders to under $50 to averaging $350, which I know is still way low, but my customer base is still not my target market. I'm NOT going back to just showing my pics on Zenfolio.