In the past few weeks I’ve attended a couple photographer get together’s and the topic has been pricing and in person sales. While I don’t offer an in person sale consultation currently, (*2013 update, I am now offering post session consultations) my goal is to work towards that one day. Right now my pricing is structured so clients know the total cost upfront before booking me and they know what it includes. I offer several different packages, but one cost is associated with each individual package.
Many photographers offer a sitting fee and then products can be purchased after the session, including wall art, prints, and the always coveted images on CD. I do like this approach from a sales perspective, however, I don’t consider myself a sales person. I know I would have a long ways to go to be comfortable with sales, but like I mentioned, it’s something I’m working towards.
I’m a visual person and I think a lot of people are, especially when it comes to ordering prints for their homes. Some of the things I’ve learned through these various photographer get together’s is to educate your client. The question I get asked most often is ‘What should I wear?’ My answer has slowly changed as I’ve become more informed. I always like bright, bold colors, but that’s half the battle. A third of that would be adding accessories, belts, hats, jackets, jewelry, to the outfit; it can really add personality and make your photos interesting.
The other part of that answer is think about what you would like to do with these photos. Are they going to sit on the CD you so desparately wanted for years, gathering dust until you print some off? Are you actually going to print some off, only to have them stashed in a box or drawer until you have time to sort through them?
Wouldn’t you rather walk away from your session with the hard work done for you? Through ordering large prints to hang in your home, the hard work is done, all you have to do is hang it up.
When deciding what type of clothing to wear to a session, put a little thought into what you actually want to do with those photos. If your goal is to display them in your home, think about which room you’d like to have a nice large print of your family. What are the colors in that room? What are the asthetics of the room? Do you have tall ceilings in that room? Once you know the answers to those questions, your photographer has a better idea on the kind of location to shoot your session and the kind of look you are going for.
Going this route will almost guarantee you a specialized piece of artwork to hang in your living room, bedroom or dining room that will have the look and feel of being customized directly for you. . . because it was. Your family and friends will be envious of the way your print totally looks like it was made for that room. . . because it was.
How many of us actually print out 4×6 or 5×7 prints from a photo session? I know I don’t. I have a few small picture frames scattered around my home with candids of my husband, family and friends, but the pictures I actually hang on the wall are all larger than 5×7. This is one of the reasons I offer an 11×14 mounted print with all of my sessions, because I want my clients to appreciate their images in a large format. I’m actually thinking of increasing this size with my packages.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a visual person, so when I came across this picture from Ariana Falerini, I knew I had to use it to help educate my clients and myself. Here I was thinking how large of a print an 11×14 is, when in actuality, it’s not that big at all! I hope this gives you a better idea of why I’m encouraging you to order prints larger than 4×6, 5×7, and 8×10. Not to increase sales on my end, but so you can truly appreciate your photos on a large scale and how beautiful a large piece of custom artwork can truly be in your home.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave me a comment or two below!
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