I'd like your opinions please!!

As you may know I am doing my photography diploma at the moment, however have already been asked to do 2 shoots, one mum and baby and one toddler and pregnant mum

Now both of these are for my friends and I wouldn't dream of charging, even though they said they will pay!

Now I know loads of photographers not only charge for the session, but that you HAVE to buy prints through them, and the prices are, more often than not, horrendous! This really annoys me!

Personally as a photographer I would be happy to charge a fee for the session (which may well be slightly more than a regular photographer) but then just give them every photo on a disc to print as they please.

Bearing in mind a simple framed print can cost near £200 via the photographer - you could buy a big print and frame for loads less yourself, so shouldn't mind paying the extra for the session

What do you think?! Would you prefer to have all the photos (which from an hours shoot can be like 100 pictures) on a disc?! Or just have to pick a few and pay loads?

Opinions please!

(please bear in mind that, of course, I will be the BEST baby photographer in the world!)

i would deffinately like the disk - because mainly peoples tastes are different, the local telegraph comp round here gives you the disk and prints and i found the ones they printed off were not my favourites, but they obviously thought they were the best...

sometimes they like your baby to look as chubby as poss so print them ones off, but thats not what i like so i would choose a completely diff one.
So i think its a great idea, and im sure people would be happy to pay that little extra for the session and receive the disk
x

plus if you wanted them all you would save a fortune nipping to asda with the disk!!!
xx

i wud definitely pay the extra for the shoot and have the disc with all teh photos! thats actually a really good deal

wen i got evans done at pixifoto i wanted all the pics but to buy them all on the day (u get discount if u buy on day) i wud have been 1.5k
i narrowed it down hugely and still paid £400 for my pics,

so if someone was chargin extra for shoot but i got every pic i wud def to with them

I'd rather pay the extra for the shoot and have all the pictures on the disc. I can then print the same picture if i wanted as many times as i wanted.

where as if i wanted the same photo say 5 times it would cost me loads

Deffinately hun!! great idea IMO!

We were given a gift voucher for Hannah's christening from Paul's best friend and he has paid for a shoot for the kids which is a lovely present - the problem is having looked on their website you have to buy at least one print after the session and the cheapest is £40 for ONE unframed 6x4 print OR all photos on a disk for £250. We are simply not in a financial situation to be able to afford that right now but feel bad that we haven't 'used' the gift.

The prices some charge are unreal - ok it's an art and I admire anybody (like yourself Lisa) who can take a good photograph but it just doesn't make sense to me tbh

If somebody offered me the sort of deal you are talking about I would deffinately be up for it and would also consider buying as a present for friends as it wouldn't incur them any more costs unless they wanted.

Go for it hun

xx

i agree with the above ladies hun x

I have thought about this a lot in the past as well. If it was me then I would charge a little extra for the session and then give them a disc with all the photos on at the end.
What photographers charge just to print off pictures is day light robbery and most of us that have printed pictures off in the past know it doesn't cost that much.

I think if you were to set up your own business you will have a lot more customers
xx

For sure - CD is the way to go. Shame actual photographers don't do it - it's sheer extorsion the rates they charge for something which costs them a couple of quid!
Maybe as well as that, you could recommend to them a website / service that you have used and trust to produce good prints - which do your faberoonie photography justice

definately the way forward, i would much rather pay more for a shoot and have a disc at the end of it.

all the shoots i've done i've just given them all on a disc to let people choose, i'd much rather have that myself.

Same as everyone else! I would rather have the disc with all the pics on and then choose!

Xxx

Right well it seems that it is what people prefer!

I wont be doing many for a few months anyway til I finish my course, or at least none that I would charge for....I just said to my friends I'll do it for free so long as they let me use their pics in my portfolio and on my website when I make one!

Thank you for your opinions ladies, muchly appreciated!

I think it's an excellent idea x

Jumping in late but defo disk x

A photographer I know charges a small fee for the photoshoot but if you buy the (very very reasonably priced) photo's then you get your fee back. That way you never loose out and the person doesn't feel too hard done by if (god forbid) they don't like the photo's x

James is a photographer and for friend he charges a reasonable amount for his time and supplies a disc.. However people have to appreciate that it's his job and he is a professional. The prints are highly priced but so's the equipment he needs and time, editing etc.. He has just spent another £750 on a secondhand camera as needed to change due to shutter closures.. His lights also need upgrading at around £300-£400 a light head bulbs around £75.. All these things wear out and cost a lot of money to replace
James doesn't overcharge he covers his costs with profit to live ..