Showing photos to clients and postage.

[pawparazzi]

Hi there, I am quite new to photography and this site. I woulod like to know please how photographers show clients there photographes to purchase? Do they show them up on a big TV screen, on the internet? or on small proofs? Then once they order and you print out what they ordered do you then send them the photos, or courier or they collect? If you have to post them, what is the safest way so they dont get damaged?
Thankyou.
Bec

[kiwi]

Depends on the clients really and what sort of photography you are doing, more details please

[pawparazzi]

I will be doing Fairy style photography. I will do it both from home and events ie: Book a hall for example, have mums bring children and have photos, photos then edited onto fantasy background. From home will do newborns, and kids.

[Longshots]

Scuse me for asking, but wouldnt this topic be better off in Business ?

[kiwi]

Probably

I'd process photos and then print a proof sheet or take a laptop to mums house or even iPad to do sell job for prints

If you do decide to enable Internet ordering you need to be mindful of security etc

Re postage, seriously, the post office are there to help you but there are special harder envelopes that I use and I also put into the envelope cardboard to it's hard to fold and also mark envelopes "photos do not fold"

If you are setting up location shoots be mindful of your states working with children guidelines and your requirements regarding public liability insurance

[Wayne]

Unless the client is a technophobe, or of the older generation who don't use technology, I upload very large (as in size no pixel density) to my website and they can order from there, or choose and order via email. If they don't have or want to view pics on the web, I will mail, drop over or make available for collection a contact sheet, and then they simply order and I get it printed for them in Bris with the pics coming to me before I hand them over to client.

For what you are doing, a website would be great as long as you don't have too many clients who can't/won't use a website. Being in the QLD outback, I will regularly come across people who don't even own a PC, and these are not always the much older generation, many younger hillbillies out here wouldn't know how to turn one on.

[Raven]

I offer online viewing first and if that's not an option then I have done in home. I take a laptop and let them watch a slideshow. I used to post a disk of small watermarked images before I got my blog, but now I make a password protected blog post for them to see there.

For postage I use the stiff cardboard mailers that you can get from officeworks or bigW.

[ricktas]

First off, you have been a member for over 2 years, so that really isn't new to the site, or to photography. People can become advanced photographers in that time!

So I hope you stick around and become active, cause rather than turning up when you have a question, but interacting in general, will see you learn a lot more

[Gypsy]

At the moment I upload smallish watermarked images into a password protected gallery on my blog. Clients email (or call, but so far I've only recieved emails) the print number and size and I post them to the client.

I order my photos through a lab in Melbourne so they are delivered to me in nice stiff cardboard and then in a flat box. I pretty much re-use that same cardboard once I have checked the prints and trimmed them (they have my business details at the bottom which needs to be trimmed off), and then I pop that into a toughbag. Oh... and the prints are in a plastic sleeve before they are pit between the cardboard too.
I'm happy to deliver in person for locals, or they can collect.

I am setting up Photocart over te next month though so that will make ordering even easier for my clients.

If I come across someone who does not have access to view my website (doubt that!!) but if I do, I'm happy to do a slideshow of the images on my computer, or I can post a watermakred set to them on disk.

[Dan Cripps]

Hi there, I am quite new to photography and this site. I woulod like to know please how photographers show clients there photographes to purchase? Do they show them up on a big TV screen, on the internet? or on small proofs?

Photographers use all three methods you have mentioned, and probably more. Each have varying levels of success in terms of sales generation. It really depends how much money you want to earn for your work versus the amount of time and effort you're prepared to invest.

Then once they order and you print out what they ordered do you then send them the photos, or courier or they collect? If you have to post them, what is the safest way so they dont get damaged?
Thankyou.
Bec

Again, there is no right or wrong answer. Depends on your particular business model.

[pawparazzi]

Thankyou very much for your help. I appreciate it greatly.

[jasevk]

I use a program called proselect. It will run a slideshow, let you build layouts, books etc, crop, order, invoice etc etc... check it out online, there are videos to watch. I think it's brilliant for what I do...

[Lilyrose]

I use online viewing on my website, I like for clients to be able to take time in choosing their photos, I don't really like the "hard sell" that I have been subjected to in the past. I find that if clients are happy with their choices they are more likely to come back. Whereas if they are forced into choosing photographs they are less likely to return.

At the moment I am posing images to clients, however I would rather clients pick them up so I can ensure that they are happy with the finished product.

[MBsa]

This info has been helpful for me as well. Looking into starting business (very small scale) so interesting to see what other people use.

[campo]

I do a lot of work for a company and whilst the owner uses iPads and big fancy LCD screens/hifi slideshows etc, I simply show clients a display folio of thumbnails (contact sheets are A4, approx 24 images per sheet). The owner once asked me, "what do you do? clients always book when I send them to you" and when I showed him my low-tech solution he was very surprised.

I figure, if clients have looked at your website and are happy with what they see and then request to see you, the meeting is more about you as a person, your attitude, your personality, how you present yourself etc etc then what they see on a 120cm plasma screen.

[ricstew]

How does this sound as a plan.....three friends all with about the same age kids ( too many for my little lounge ) One mum with a nice big TV, all meet at her place, mums dads kids granny's and aunty's at this stage. A bottle of wine a few nibblies, plenty of people to watch each others kiddies.
Run a few slideshows on the telly.........and so on.....have some examples of various size prints etc a couple of canvas's or storyboards.....sorta party plan
cheers
Jan