Processing time?

[CobyPhoto]

"senior season" depends upon the area that you live. In my area, it goes from September to about June. (I am still shooting sessions for seniors that are 'late' - for whatever reason.) We are lucky that the weather and "green" stay longer than up in the cold areas. This spreads the work out.

I already have started booking 2008 Seniors, and I spend a hefty chunk on marketing every year.

CJ

[Outlaw]

We do one-week turnarounds generally, faster if possible, for the same reason Nathan mentioned: the number one complaint I hear from customers about past photography experiences is the time required to get proofs and/or prints back (crappy quality is a very close second). That is the single biggest reason we landed the local youth sports T&I shoots, the other companies doing them were taking 3 months to a year to get photos processed and sent out.

Two weeks is probably more realistic in a higher-volume environment.

As always, very expedient turnaround should only be done if that's what you want to market as one of your selling points. If it isn't, then you're not necessarily getting any customer benefit (beyond possible word of mouth) extra by doing it -much- faster than everyone else. Give yourself some room to breathe.

[hitec4you]

Originally Posted by shutterflypro

When I process images I process to completion about 1500 images 1.5 to 2 hours.

I don't deliver them that quickly though.

I want to know your process. Or at least your knowledge of Photo shop or whatever you use.

[shutterflypro]

Originally Posted by amy.blackburn

ugggghhhh... how??

i hate you.

I have a workflow that I go over in my workshops that is real easy to follow. It is kinda complicated to do effectively via this media.

Now I don't want to sound like an infomercial either, but one of the major things that allow me to go through my workflow are my presets. you can find these on this thread...
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=50711

If you have any specific questions please let me know and I will try to answer them.

Raymond

[amy.blackburn]

Originally Posted by shutterflypro

I have a workflow that I go over in my workshops that is real easy to follow. It is kinda complicated to do effectively via this media.

Now I don't want to sound like an infomercial either, but one of the major things that allow me to go through my workflow are my presets. you can find these on this thread...
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=50711

If you have any specific questions please let me know and I will try to answer them.

Raymond

Cool. Thank you so much for the help... I am sleepy tonight, but, I'm gonna browse tomorrow.

[Slight Clutter]

Okay, great...I was going to post about this...but happily found this thread.

When ya'll say you give proofs, how much processing is done (nothing specific) to the proofs? I don't give proofs, and just supply the final images...completely processed. While I certainly use actions to make my life easier, I also treat each photo individually -- dodging here, burning there, curving selectively. For a wedding in which I give the client...let's say...400 finished images...that will take me easily a month to do...not to mention the portrait work that comes in during the meantime. Am I thinking about this totally wrong?

[Slight Clutter]

Oops...almost forgot...

For those of you providing proofs at lets say...2, 3, 4 weeks...how long then does it take for you to get them their prints/digital negatives once they've made their decisions?

Thanks! :)

[JohnT]

Proofs within a week. Prints usually within two to three weeks of order date depending on the number.

[Slight Clutter]

John, are those proofs for weddings or portraits? And can you give a ballpark range of how many that would include? Thanks. :)

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by Slight Clutter

John, are those proofs for weddings or portraits? And can you give a ballpark range of how many that would include? Thanks. :)

Proofs are for portraits and events. I have a streamlined process whereby I use Lightroom to process the proofs, create the gallery, and upload to my server. Number of images can range between 30 for portraits and 100 for small events.

[Slight Clutter]

Thank you so much, John. That is really helpful. As someone who shot my first wedding in October and first portrait session in February, I'm still finding that I offer way too much. It's difficult because I haven't figured out how to balance the "Oh, that photo has Aunt Mae in it looking all sweet and happy...they'd probably want to have that photo" with the internal "But if they'd want that photo...and that photo...and that photo...and that...and if I want to give each photo the same care that I give my art photography (which is why people have been hiring me in the first place), then...let's see...500 x 15 minutes per....ARGH!"

One day I'll figure it all out...lol.

Until then...thank you so much for your input. :)

[JohnT]

You're welcome, Katya. I will admit, though, that I learned this by trial and error. The only modifications I make to proofs are WB and exposure adjustments as needed, and I let the client know what their options are for the finals. I save the time-consuming processing for the final images/prints.

I'm always open to learning an even more efficient method of providing proofs so I'm watching this thread closely as well.

[Michael Lyons]

we do online proofs in about 2 week for portraits, etc. And a bit longer for weddings.

[Aric C. Hoek]

Originally Posted by shutterflypro

When I process images I process to completion about 1500 images 1.5 to 2 hours.

I don't deliver them that quickly though.

Same here. However, we have our clients images online while they are still on their honeymoon. A great selling point.