Question about selling Portraits

[Song4themoon]

Those of you that take Portraits and offer the clients to buy whatever size they like... how do you handle the cropping?

If I take my pictures, the camera takes it to suit a 4x6 crop... now if I need to order a 8x10 the picture will look a whole lot different due to cropping. How do you handle this? How do you ensure the client gets what he wants, no matter what size or sizes he decides to buy?

[Unkl Buck]

I crop it to what I think looks best. Not one has questioned it.

[bobbyz]

I think it is better if you either stick with 2:3 rtio and offer 4x6, 8x12 and so on or don't offer 4x6. Just go with something like 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 etc.

If you have frame filling shot and show that to your client and they like it but now say want 16x20, of course lot is going to be cropped out.

I am running into same problem when trying to sell my prints online through smugmug/zenfolio. So far I have decided to stick close to 0.8 ratio so I can offer 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 etc. and proofs in 4x5 so client gets what they see.

[Mr. Pickles]

Use Olympus

It is 4:3 .......

[Unkl Buck]

I sold the same amount of 8x10's as 5x7's. People order what size they want/need. Most of the time, they are replacing a photo in a frame they already have.

[sonshine_rae]

I'll tell you what I'm trying to do is crop in camera to allow for 8x10 crops.

I had this type of question sometime back (think it may have been on a different forum), and I was sent a very cool link explaining aspect ratio crops which is what your talking about here.

Anyway here's the link showing different aspect ratio crops: Aspect Ratio

So in other words I've decided to try and 'break' myself of the 'fill the frame' habit, and instead leave room for cropping on my images.

There are a couple of options that I know of, if you already have images that were in-camera cropped to the 'wrong' ratio for what people want printed. The easiest solution is going to be just to add a 'frame or border' around the image and then crop.. that will give it more space around it (but you will have a smaller final print). Or you can offer to upgrade their print size at no additional cost to them. And lastly you can either not offer it for sale (bummer), or when you show them the proofs list specifically what print sizes the image can be printed at (aka great for 4x6 or 12x18 not suitable for 8x10's etc).

I did recently have a client complain about a 8x10 cropped print. We ended up giving her a free-reprint with a border around the image. The only reason I had cropped so closely on that particular image was because it was a 'snapshot' of her daughter playing during a studio session and not originally intended to be a portrait (but she loved it so much that she wanted a large print).

Anywho.. a long winded reply.. hope it made sense
Take care,
~Rae~

[drkranger]

Originally Posted by Unkl Buck

I crop it to what I think looks best. Not one has questioned it.

Same here. I mostly do action/sports stuff, but I crop to whatever I think looks best and it hasn't been a problem.

[Unkl Buck]

Originally Posted by sonshine_rae

I did recently have a client complain about a 8x10 cropped print. We ended up giving her a free-reprint with a border around the image. The only reason I had cropped so closely on that particular image was because it was a 'snapshot' of her daughter playing during a studio session and not originally intended to be a portrait (but she loved it so much that she wanted a large print).

~Rae~

That's when you tell them it's only available in one (crop) size. Anything else wouldn't look right. OR you don't show them that image at all.

[Jacque]

Song,
Firstly, I crop in camera to 8x10 ratios (forget what aspect that is.. sigh) so no surprises when comes cropping time.

For the odd things like 5x7, wallets:
-sometimes the best composition of the image requires to just crop and lose a portion of the image... and you tell the client that.

Other times or if you want to provide the full image to the client:
-sometimes you can add canvas the image and clone in the missing areas
-other times add a border of sorts to the image to 'fill in' the blank areas after a crop from 8x10 ratios
-now and then you can 'streatch' a portion of an image to resize it, thus filling in the 'blank' areas after a crop.

People order what size they want/need.

THIS is 100% true! So so soooo true.


Hope this helps,
Jacque

[Song4themoon]

Thanks everyone. I just did a portrait session during a military company party and thought of it too late that those people will probably want an 8x10

I think for this shoot I will offer 8x12's and they can cut them down themselves if they want to. In the future I need to pay attention to this.
It really doesnt make sense that the standard (frame) sizes all have a different ratio

[Mike_e]

HI, the thing to remember is to get enough room around your subjects to crop away.

The first and strongest urge it to get in tight for the best possible shot/pixel density and that will work for the cameras native resolution but what if you need an 11x14 full length out of it?

If there is a chance that you will need a different sized crop, always leave some wiggle room.

[Unkl Buck]

Originally Posted by Song4themoon

It really doesnt make sense that the standard (frame) sizes all have a different ratio

You're not the frame company. It makes sense to them.

[edleg]

About the only time I get in trouble for cropping is when I have done a tightly cropped vertical shot. For this reason I am more and more shooting at highest resolution and shooting horizontal -- that leaves all kinds of room for cropping horizontal or vertical and most any aspect ratio.

Sometimes if an image will only be good at full frame (4x6 or 8x12, etc.), I will print a cropped image -- say 8x10 and also include a full frame shot at 8x12 and let the customer have both for same price... and let them decide. This mostly happens on pics of very large wedding or family groups.

[heartseye]

Where is it written that portraits....or any other image, only come in predefined shapes?

I sell portraits by defining only the long side So, a 20" portrait could be anything from a 20x20, on down to anything x 20.
Art should not be constrained to standard sizing, rather it should be defined by the concept.....design and excecution.....cheers...Bob

[kelley_french]

That is such a cute photo!

Originally Posted by heartseye

Where is it written that portraits....or any other image, only come in predefined shapes?

I sell portraits by defining only the long side So, a 20" portrait could be anything from a 20x20, on down to anything x 20.
Art should not be constrained to standard sizing, rather it should be defined by the concept.....design and excecution.....cheers...Bob

[heartseye]

Thank you Kelley......it grows on one.....

[waple]

Originally Posted by Jacque

Firstly, I crop in camera to 8x10 ratios (forget what aspect that is.. sigh) so no surprises when comes cropping time.

By this, do you mean that you simply imagine what an 8x10 will look like and you leave the extra room so you can crop later, or is there some way to actually crop in a camera?