Just wondering how portrait photographers go about selling multiple prints of the same image? We all know the cost of a print is pennies but when you take into account the amount of money spent on equipment as well as time and expertise in taking that image, and for pro's, a living, then that cost deservedly becomes many pounds. BUT what's stopping a client from buying just one image and scanning it to give to all family/friends one. I haven't done much paid work but what I have I've just sold them a cd-rom. If I went down the route of selling prints, how would I make money from selling more than one print of the same image?
Selling portrait images
- Thread starter Toffeman
- Start date
EOS_JD
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 6,729
- Name
- Jim
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Larger images are hard to scan so don't sell small images. Your average customer may have an A4 scanner so sell larger than A4.
All you can do is make sure they know that it is against copyright when you sign the contract/model release.
If you sell cheap, people won't value the work the same and to be honest I'm having the same dilema
- Messages
- 49,339
- Name
- Nod (UK)
- Edit My Images
- Yes
What's stopping people copying images? Absolutely nothing apart from honesty and that's a fairly rare commodity these days. Even prints larger than A4 can be scanned - if necessary in several sections then stitched together. You can reduce (but probably not eliminate) professional scanning of your images by affixing copyright notices to the backs of prints but unfortunately these may well be simply ignored.
Thanks for the replies. Guess then there's no way real way around it really. Selling larger than A4 would be nice in many ways such as this (even though there's ways around it as mentioned) but many people just like a few small ones to give to relatives. I'm going to have a little look around at photographers price lists. Something I've never done, to compare and offer the client better services. Thank you
HoppyUK
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 23,200
- Name
- Richard
- Edit My Images
- No
Digital needs a new business model. The old way with film of doing the shoot cheaply and making profit from print sales, worked because the photographer held the negatives and that was the only way of getting good prints.
Digital changes that so if you don't get paid a decent sum for the actual shoot, you'll struggle to make it up on print sales and most likely get ripped off .
Digital changes that so if you don't get paid a decent sum for the actual shoot, you'll struggle to make it up on print sales and most likely get ripped off .