I get asked by clients on a regular basis why I offer prints when I give out the CD of images...well, there is a reason behind my 'madness' - so to speak...
Let me just say - for the record - I do not regret giving out the CD of images with my sessions. It is a willing choice I have made as I value owning all the images of my own family...even if I have no intention of printing them all - just to have them for memories sake.
Please know that when I post information, it is just for informing - I have no intention of making people feel pressured or bad about ordering prints elsewhere - I just want to present you with an idea you might not have ever considered.
I do not resent clients who choose to print elsewhere - Quite frankly I would rather you print them at a local copy shop than to have no prints at all.
...BUT - I do delight in ordering prints for clients - as I know they will get lasting and perfect prints for their home/office. And that makes me happy - that they will see in their home what I had created for them.
Before I became a 'professional photographer' I didn't think there was much difference in prints that were professional vs from a copy shop - and quite frankly I didn't really care. They were just photos after all.
Now that I have seen the difference...I guess I am humbled by my own naivety. There are 2 major differences in your local copy shop and going through a professional company (not considering the difference in the quality of paper).
* COLOR - non-professional companies do not spend the time collaborating their machines - so you get color variations. You could take your CD to the same printing place over multiple weeks and get different results in the colors depending on if the machine was serviced, when they changed the inks, and who was manning the machines on a particular day. I have had clients print BW images from costco where the images came out green. That is not an image issue, but a machine issue. The colors are often different from the ones created - the colors are less vibrant - or have added color tones such as added reds/yellows which affects skin tones. A professional company like Millers has their photographers collaborate their computers to match their machines, so when the image is created, they know the print will be the same. This takes time, but is worth it.
* IMAGE QUALITY - the quality of the print itself is less from a non-professional place. You don't notice this as much with a small print such as a 4x6 or 8x 10 - but on a large print such as 10x15 or 20x30 which look great on your walls, close up there is a lack of details and added 'noise' (pixellation) which simply shouldn't be there.
I used to think that professional prints were just a way for photographers to make money - and though in some ways that is true, there is actually more to do with it than I had ever considered.
I found this article which shows prints from various places to illustrate what I am talking about. It makes for an interesting read - and if not, it is interesting to see the pictures. Click here
Just food for thought - if you are going to bother spending the time to get someone to capture your memories and edit them, then you might want to at least consider getting 1 or 2 printed professionally for your home...in the color/clarity it was designed for.
Just food for thought........
..................What do you think??
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2 comments:
Sarah, I appreciate the sentiments in the article you link to as well as your own. What's more, I love your post because you consider the other's opinion and perspective (and even agree to a certain extent), but you don't have that "scolding" tone -- the one that kind of makes us normal patrons feel like we must not care about our pictures if we'd demean them by ordering retail. You present the argument, state your opinion, but don't begrudge your clientele for making that decision themselves. I think your approach is more influential in actually helping the quality argument. I for one am so grateful you provide image CDs not because I'm decided from the get-go that I'm ordering retail, but because it gives me a choice. Yet again, you remind me why I will remain a loyal customer of your services. Your integrity and talent are both proven with every day.
Taking the time to inform your clients is a wonderful quality. This information is just what I was looking for. Thank you for taking the time to educate us, so that we will get the best experience with your services. Blessings, Sarah!
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