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There was quite a reaction to my post about shooting less photos, which obviously resonated with people. Check it out - there are some interesting comments from people, including from those who say they shoot a lot.
I know there are some amazing photographers out there who shoot big numbers, so quantity is not necessarily at the expense of quality. However I still think it comes at a price, for both the studio and the client.
I've never forgotten the first time a client asked me to design a sample album online. I was given passwords to three large online galleries and asked to choose 100 images. After an hour or so of opening, expanding and closing endless similar images I wanted to run screaming from my computer, and I'd hardly started.
Do we want our clients to feel like this?
Yes, computers and the internet are faster now, but I think the ability to turn off a customer increases exponentially the more images you ask them to look at.
Let’s all walk in our clients' shoes.
Best, Heather
Michele
on
June 30, 2012, 1:19 am
said:
Yes - but if you charge the client on an hourly basis for designing the albums:
1. the cost goes up for the studio engaging QBY to do the work.
2. it's not the most efficient use of anyone's time at QBY to be doing culling work that should have already been carried out by the studio.
If QBY is charging a flat rate for this work, and the designer then has to spend hours sifting through countless images which look the same, compared to the time which is taken to design an album when there are fewer image choices, then it has to be better for the QBY designers and, ultimately and most importantly, all the QBY clients - because the work will be completed faster with less bottlenecks and exceptions in the production workflow.
Now, think of the client that has to wade through all those images to find the ones that they want to include in the album. "Oh, I like the one of me in #506, but my husband looks better in #403 and the bridesmaids look better in #404, 410 and 415..."
Ultimately, what Heather is saying here, is: make the process easier for everyone - studios, production houses and especially the clients. Give people too much choice and too much work when it comes to selecting their images, and the joy can quickly turn to confusion and complexity - and will often reduce the total $$ of the sale if it's all too hard.
Jackie
on
June 30, 2012, 1:49 am
said:
I agree. It's all about getting the balance right. I recently got it very wrong, boring my clients to death with 600+ images from their wedding. I was so pleased with my photos that I did not cull hard enough. I created a lovely slideshow of my raves which they loved, then proceeded to show them the rest of the images. Duh! An initially exciting and positive experience turned steadily into a tortuous situation where we were all too polite to say we've seen enough! Never again!
Too much choice is so overwhelming that the really awesome images are lost and glossed over instead of pored over.
I've learned that, as the professional, it's my job not just to take amazing photos but also to present them in the best way possible to create a beautiful story of the clients day. That's what clients are paying a premium for!
In terms of album design, the photographer was there and therefore is ina better position than a Qby designer to pick out the most important images of the day and to cull the lesser pics.
Pete
on
June 30, 2012, 12:13 pm
said:
They do employ us as the experts
