The Great Pricing Debate

[kneeshooter]

Well, so far so good - I've been in London, been to some very dull meetings, and enjoyed virtual heckling with a colleague on the other side of the room via MSN.

Other than that I feel I'm drowning a bit in "stuff" at the moment, and rushing around to no actual progress; and the huge-stripey-cat is ignoring me and enjoying a night have not having a curfew by not coming home. Hopefully there will be more signs of life (or at least empty food bowls) later.

After having had two very different opinions on prices for photos, I've chosen a third way for esrunkatsu's Wedding Pics - now online at http://www.photoboxgallery.com/disturbing. Opinions on the photos, the pricing, and of course orders are more than welcome.

Best get on with the rest of the day now...

Comments

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Opinion on the photos: some of them contain what I would call an 'embarrassing face moment', but they nevertheless get the atmosphere across well; there is enough of a balance with utterly beautiful shots to make this not a mistake.

Opinion on the bride: that is the best suited wedding dress I've ever seen, and she looks fabulous.

[kneeshooter]

Yeah - I did suggest cutting down the set and putting less up, but in the end the decision was on the side of "more documentary coverage" then "just the pretty people".

It was a lovely dress.

[gaius-octavian.livejournal.com]

My pricing policy is: the price of a print to a friend is that they display it on their wall. The cost of a print to anyone else is, enough to cover my costs. Photobox is great, isn't it?

[kneeshooter]

I like that pricing policy!

Photobox rocks - I've just had some delivered to the US and they came through fine. However, in order to get enough storage space to put up 500MB from the Wedding I had to make a load of "single photo orders" as each one gave me an extra 50MB. What a hassle.

[gaius-octavian.livejournal.com]

I believe they do sell extra space for cash - but it's hardly worth it when you can get it for "free". My one niggle with them is that even when I send them greyscale files they come out slightly warm, but I can compensate for that when I don't want it easily enough by uploading cool colour files. Actually while I am whinging, they only use Fuji and Agfa paper; I keep badgering them for Kodak Metallic but no luck so far. Still, they're easily the best online printshop!

[dreamfire.livejournal.com]

Hypocrite!
Or did you just mean you like that policy, not that you'd use it?

I don't necessarily disagree with your pricing policy there is certainly justification for studying the market and supplying at a similar rate, particularly given you didn't make a charge for the initial shoot in the first place.

I just think that you'd only need to sell a very very small number of prints to cover your costs for attending this day - as you have no travel, accomodation or food expenses, so you only have camera maintenance and photohosting to cover. Then again I may be ignorant about the price of such things.

I appreciate that its also reasonable to mark up work to include time taken to make - but I don't think "time taken to make" is a cost until running a business rather than developing a hobby.

bored and argumentative today

[kneeshooter]

I like it - but I don't commit to use it. I'd certainly consider it. I'm at the "forming" stage of ideas in this area.

Of course there are a lot of influences on market-rate. I always end up considering that something must have a "cost" to have a "value" to the ultimate recipient.

The biggest "cost" that can be brought in this case is time, plus the cost of counselling to cover the exposure to disco music. I do think time is a relevant consideration irrespective of formality of "business", but the rate varies.

It's all food for thought anyway.

[amyleefanatic.livejournal.com]

the kneeling at the alter ones are gorgeous!!!! (well all of them are :-p)

[kathbad]

What a beautiful collection of photos, from what was obviously a very beautiful and special day.

[sparksoflight.livejournal.com]

I very much like the outdoor one of just their arms and their intertwined hands, with all the confetti blowing round them.

[kneeshooter]

That's one of my favourites. It was almost the "front album image".

[irdm.livejournal.com]

Why r one lot colour and t'other B&W - Just 'art'?

[kneeshooter]

It's partly art but mostly driven by the fact that the reception shots were in really poor light and without flash. So, high ISO was engaged, giving high-noise images that look better in black and white than colour.

[missymodee.livejournal.com]

I'm really liking 8426 ... they just look so blissfully contented and enjoying looking out at all their friends and family!

[bellagrim.livejournal.com]

As a constructive comment I feel that there are few pictures that give you the scale of the event.

What I mean is that you see a lot of close-ups on peoples faces where there are one or two faces in shot, but what they lack is the photo of the whole table at the reception, the brides side of the church, or the whole room where you can see who was there, etc.

Just a thought that you may / may not find useful.

[kneeshooter]

All appreciated! The point I agree with most (putting aside artistic decisions about style of reception shot) is about the church shots - I should have snuck around the other side of the church and taken some more photos of Mark. Perhaps I took the "Brides Day" idea to too much of an extreme.

[arachne.livejournal.com]

I've only flicked through a few of the photos - in no fit state to give a full opinion or to take them all in - but what I've seen so far is absolutely fantastic reportage-style wedding photography. Looking forward to viewing the rest and giving opinions, and will definitely be showing the flatmate - you know what an accolade that is ;)

Must apologise again for being really out of sorts and tired and crap the other night. Sometime we'll get the timing right ;)

[kneeshooter]

I appreciate the comments - and much prefer you get back fighting fit than solely indulge me :-)

Look forward to hearing more.