Selling a CD

[Ernst-Ulrich Schafer]

Question for those of you that just sell a CD from a portrait session, what is your average sale? Do you consider this as a professional product in today's market? Do clients careless as to having prints made at WalMart or receiving professional portraits from a prolab?

Thanks, Ernst

[my3peas]

I sell both prints and digital images on cd (gasp! Don't hate!). The full disc of images (25-30 images) is currently priced at $1450, however the price of my digital images is going up on July 1. Currently, a single digital image can be purchased for $100 after a $500 order. This is also going up. In my opinion, as long as I am placing a perceived value on my work and pricing not only for profit, but to not be undercutting (myself or my fellow photographer), selling digital images can be considered a professional product. Don't sell yourself short by giving everything for a low price. (this is not to say that you would be)

I prepare my clients and give them recommendations of high quality labs rather than point them to walgreens or walmart. By showing them a print done by a professional lab vs the recommended lab vs walgreens, they can see clearly the difference in product and quality. I expressly state that quality of prints is not guaranteed unless they print through me.

Do many people purchase the disc? In previous years, I've not had a lot of sales when offering digitals. However, this year, the digital sales have increased.

Hope this helps!

[Sonny]

Excellent advise, Christine.

[DoublyDan]

Very nice perspective Christie (corrected due to lack of reading skills)! Do you limit your CD's to just that amount of images?

[w9ctm]

First off, is it Christie, or Christine?
Second, I interpret what you are saying to also mean, if you sell them the image, then it is tough to sell them another print of that image, regardless, the customer should pay for your knowledge/ability/expertise as a professional photographer. Consequently, the photographer loses all control once the digital image is released. The very least you can do to help ensure educated and hopefully appreciative clients, is to introduce them to the differences in print quality as you suggest.
Personally, I think you have a winning attitude about digital image selling.

[my3peas]

Dan, I guarantee to show 25-30 images from each session that I do. I've found that anymore than that becomes difficult for the client to choose. I want them to be attached to the images but not overwhelmed by the amount given to choose from.

I have also had lower priced digital collections (collections including 7 and 12 digital images) for lower prices. I may continue to offer these, however at an adjusted price.

When deciding if I would sell digital images, I was worried that I would sell myself short or cap out at a certain price. I've found that by continuing to have a perceived value and educating the client as to what they are getting, I don't have to cap out at a certain rate. If my products become more high-end, then so does the price. They aren't paying for a disc of images, they are paying for high quality photos of their family that just happen to be on a disc format to have for safe-keeping.

[my3peas]

Originally Posted by w9ctm

First off, is it Christie, or Christine?
Second, I interpret what you are saying to also mean, if you sell them the image, then it is tough to sell them another print of that image, regardless, the customer should pay for your knowledge/ability/expertise as a professional photographer. Consequently, the photographer loses all control once the digital image is released. The very least you can do to help ensure educated and hopefully appreciative clients, is to introduce them to the differences in print quality as you suggest.
Personally, I think you have a winning attitude about digital image selling.

It's Christie. Sonny has known me for years. But I haven't been here lately, so it's possible that he thinks I'm someone else :P

Yes, unfortunately, I won't get very many print orders if they are purchasing the disc. But when looking at the past years, I've found that I wasn't getting very many additional orders to begin with. So by pricing the disc accordingly, I am happy to sell the files and relinquish the printing control. But again, my clientele and market are appreciative of the product and want it to look as good as they see it in print, but only because of my consistantly educating them on the quality.

[DoublyDan]

Originally Posted by my3peas

Dan, I guarantee to show 25-30 images from each session that I do. I've found that anymore than that becomes difficult for the client to choose. I want them to be attached to the images but not overwhelmed by the amount given to choose from.

I have also had lower priced digital collections (collections including 7 and 12 digital images) for lower prices. I may continue to offer these, however at an adjusted price.

When deciding if I would sell digital images, I was worried that I would sell myself short or cap out at a certain price. I've found that by continuing to have a perceived value and educating the client as to what they are getting, I don't have to cap out at a certain rate. If my products become more high-end, then so does the price. They aren't paying for a disc of images, they are paying for high quality photos of their family that just happen to be on a disc format to have for safe-keeping.

Very well stated CHRISTIE (sorry about that)! I am taking notes so please do not get irritated at the asking...I am no where near your quality and experience but I was wondering how they usually react to not being able to buy CD's until they have reached a certain price point? As well as the reaction to the cost of that CD ("after spending so much money on prints already") Do you find that they will buy more prints instead of "investing" in the CD?

[my3peas]

Originally Posted by DoublyDan

Very well stated CHRISTIE (sorry about that)! I am taking notes so please do not get irritated at the asking...I am no where near your quality and experience but I was wondering how they usually react to not being able to buy CD's until they have reached a certain price point? As well as the reaction to the cost of that CD ("after spending so much money on prints already") Do you find that they will buy more prints instead of "investing" in the CD?

Don't mind at all, but I have to tell you, I'm so not an expert!!

I offer different options for different clients. I offer both digtal collections and print collections. To be honest, it's a wash on what is most purchased. There are folks who want prints and those who want CDs. It's hard to tell if they'd rather invest in the CD of images than prints. My prints are competetively priced for my quality of photography (in my area) and so by keeping my prints priced high as well as my digitals, it really just comes down to what they want.

As far as reaction, i definitely get a lot of people who lose interest after reviewing my pricing menu. But, I've also found that by displaying high quality images on my website, I've begun to target a certain market. For those that can't afford my services, that's ok. I can't be the photographer for everyone, nor do I want to be!

Again, I'm not an expert and still have learning experience. It took me a long time to understand the value of my own work and the market I want to be in.

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by my3peas

It's Christie. Sonny has known me for years. But I haven't been here lately, so it's possible that he thinks I'm someone else :P

It took me forever to get her name right.

[brad]

Demand for digital is coming, whether we as photographers like it or not.

Small prints are becoming less and less desired as they are being replaced by email and Facebook. Digital frames, iPhones, iPads are leading the way for larger displays... HD TVs and Playstations (among other game consoles) are leading the way for displaying images on a bigger screen. Its quite possible in the next 10 years that digital frame technology will be good enough to replace images as big as 16x20 on the wall.

It won't happen all at once and it won't happen overnight. Even when it does happen, there will still be room for professional photographers who can create quality images.

My point is that demand for digital images is growing. Photographers that don't find a way to adapt to it are going to end up losing business to those that have figured it out.

Now, what you price it at is your business... and you price it the same way you price your traditional printed images. You figure out what your expenses are (delivery costs, equipment replacement and rental, studio space, education, insurance, professional dues, etc.). You figure out how much you need to make to make it worthwhile doing (you have to make something for your time). Add those things up... divide it by how many sessions you want to have during that time period... and that is, essentially, your price.