Number of images?

[sarae_61764]

Not sure where to post this.......What is a good number of prints to offer a "client" after a session? I have a bad habit of taking tooo many, then end up with alot of good ones! I think I overwelm them at times but some appreciate alot. How much is too many and how much is not enough?

[swampler]

What type of session? Portrait sitting? Wedding? Sports event? Etc...

[sarae_61764]

How about all.....weddings? Portraits? Seniors? Families?, etc....

[KmH]

From portrait sessions (families, seniors) 20-25 fully edited proofs for each hour of shooting. It's written right in the contract.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by sarae_61764

How about all.....weddings? Portraits? Seniors? Families?, etc....

Weddings: 20x formals, 120x event (out of around 1,000 exposures)
Portraits: 10x
'Seniors' (high school/college): 5x
Seniors (over 50): 10x
Unless the contract says otherwise.

[Ed Shapiro]

Each photographer has his or her own method for proof presentation- mine is old school but it yields great sales so I stick with it. The old idea of keeping total control over proof presentations prevents most or all of the pitfalls that you have mentioned in your original question.

I have never put a proof presentation on line- to me that is total loss of control because that method invites procrastination on the part of the clients to place their orders in a reasonably prompt fashion and wreaks havoc with your cash flow and the size of your orders. It also invites too many non-professional comments for people who think they know all about photography and this can be a bad influence on you final order. Worst of all, you, the professional have little input into the selection of images and you are not there to explain how retouching, cropping and other such elements will improve the image in its final form. Theses bad things, at the end of the day, mean that you are not there to “sell” at the most critical time when the “merchandise is on the table” and the final order is going to be made.

You can never shoot “too much” and the volume of shots will depend on your savvy and level of experience. I advise each photographer to shoot until he or she is convinced that they have captured what they want and there is enough of a selection to edit and then present to the client. When you arrive at he right pose, lighting and expression- shoot more to insure that you have well positioned and open eyes. If the subject has a good expression, pump for a few more and edit later- but do edit to remove duplication and redundancy. If you include all the outtakes you will force the client to edit for you and waste the time and energy that should be directed toward picking out the “cream de la cream” because all the images are good. You are not asking the client “do you want any of theses images”? You ARE asking things such as “would you prefer the smiling expression or the more demure interoperation perhaps the smiling one for gifts and the more serious one for a large display portrait”? “Do you prefer the profile or the full face view”? The profile would be very effective in an oval picture frame or matte”! – “A Victorian look- where as this high key image is more modernistic when presented in a metallic frame”. This is what selling is all about- constantly suggesting and explaining how the images should be displayed and what their decorative potential is besides the sentimental value which may only require an 8x10.

We do the first choices on the table and then project the best into an empty large size frame to illustrate the final composition and impact. We can start off with a 30x40 or larger and sell down to a (small) 20X24 in necessary. It is very difficult to sell up from a 5x7 or and 8x10.

All of my clients are told to set aside a goodly stretch of time for the proof selection appointment as it takes longer to select all the great images than it took to take the pictures in the studio- one can’t pick out a good order on their lunch hour or in between the hairdresser’s appointment and the dentist’s appointment. I also advice that all person who are interested in the selection to come along especially if the are the one with the checkbook or credit card!

Believe it or not- most families have fun at the selection session- to break the ice, I start off with my #1 rule; “You can knock you own image but you can’t knock anyone else’s and the fun begins!

Many photographers may disagree but this works for me. If you throw a pack of proofs at a client or give them dozens of screen size images to see- you might just as well hand them your camera and ask them to take their own pictures.

Ed