Trouble with bride

Anyone know what to do?

I have a bride that keeps hounding me for her image files. I gave her the 800 by 600 ones, but she keeps asking me for the full size ones. I have told her that I will print them for her whenever she needs a picture. Prices are reasanable, like $75 for an 8 by 10.

How can I get this bride off of my back? Every day there are more calls on my answering machine.

I hate to give over the files, because then they never have to come back.

Any ideas?

--
A true pro is something to aspire to!

Offer them to her at around the cost of a single 8X10 per file if she wants them in the original high rez. files.

That way you cover the cost of her asking for a single print of each image you hand over.

If you shot say 50 shots at $75 per file thats a nice earner for the time taken to burn to CD and will probably net you more than if she ordered individual prints over a period of time.

Either that.. or she will pack up at the price and order prints
--
http://www.jholko.com - JHolko Photography
Making Memories from Pixels ™

Did you establish what you were going to give to her up front, when you signed the contract with her? Doesn't sound like it. Did you say something that made her think you would give the full sized images, or did she assume you would? You are going to have to give her an answer, one way or another.
--
JohnE
Equipment list in profile

'My children say that I am the family paparazzi .'

Maybe a few more clicks on the drag, the hook is set and the line is stripping.

The assumption that the photographer will make fill rez images avalable (even for free) is becoming more commonplace. You must address this proactively.

Your contract needs to be very specific regarding the circumstances under which you will provide full rez images. If you DON'T provide full rez images, your contract should state that as well. IOW, don't ignore the issue.

azguy said:

Did you establish what you were going to give to her up front, when
you signed the contract with her? Doesn't sound like it. Did you
say something that made her think you would give the full sized
images, or did she assume you would? You are going to have to give
her an answer, one way or another.
--
JohnE
Equipment list in profile

'My children say that I am the family paparazzi .'

Click to expand...

--
dpreview & pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/digirob

no thread

fatbastid said:

Anyone know what to do?

I have a bride that keeps hounding me for her image files. I gave
her the 800 by 600 ones, but she keeps asking me for the full size
ones. I have told her that I will print them for her whenever she
needs a picture. Prices are reasanable, like $75 for an 8 by 10.

Click to expand...

I assume you have already been paid for the Wed?

fatbastid said:

How can I get this bride off of my back? Every day there are more
calls on my answering machine.

Click to expand...

I would try to come to some agreement, as the longer this saga goes on the worse it will get for YOU.

fatbastid said:

I hate to give over the files, because then they never have to come
back.

Click to expand...

She will never come back at all if it continues like this, neither will her friends, She's probably telling everyone how uncooperative you are.

You say you want her off your back and then show concern about customer coming back!!

fatbastid said:

Any ideas?

--
A true pro is something to aspire to!

Click to expand...

Hi there,

Sorry you are having trouble with your bride. I have a policy where the couple may obtain the image files free of charge after they have placed their print/album/enlargement order of at least $1000.

This way I make the print revenue, can deliver high quality reproductions of my work, and they get their precious files. We all win.
--
Louise Vessey,
PEI, Canada http://www.lightandvision.com

I thought you were going to stop posting on here. Thats what you said last week because the real professionals on here are too mean to you. Now you are back with another one of your pathetic, stupid questions, where you are trying to screw another one of your customers. ATTENTION EVERYONE. This guy is a sham. Don't buy into his BS. Go back and read some of his previous posts. He is a poor business person who is not honest with his clients. He wants to screw everyone he deals with, then come on this forum and cry about it. I hope the bride keeps harrassing you. You deserve it. I'm sure you mislead her, or more likely out and out lied to her. Do everyone a favor and stay off this forum like to you said you were going to.

pptphoto said:

I thought you were going to stop posting on here. Thats what you
said last week because the real professionals on here are too mean
to you. Now you are back with another one of your pathetic, stupid
questions, where you are trying to screw another one of your
customers. ATTENTION EVERYONE. This guy is a sham. Don't buy into
his BS. Go back and read some of his previous posts. He is a poor
business person who is not honest with his clients. He wants to
screw everyone he deals with, then come on this forum and cry about
it. I hope the bride keeps harrassing you. You deserve it. I'm
sure you mislead her, or more likely out and out lied to her. Do
everyone a favor and stay off this forum like to you said you were
going to.

Click to expand...

Don't be ridiculous. If you read his posts you would know that he's just a troll, nothing more, and you are taking the bait, hook, line, and sinker.

Bill McLeod said:

pptphoto said:

I thought you were going to stop posting on here. Thats what you
said last week because the real professionals on here are too mean
to you. Now you are back with another one of your pathetic, stupid
questions, where you are trying to screw another one of your
customers. ATTENTION EVERYONE. This guy is a sham. Don't buy into
his BS. Go back and read some of his previous posts. He is a poor
business person who is not honest with his clients. He wants to
screw everyone he deals with, then come on this forum and cry about
it. I hope the bride keeps harrassing you. You deserve it. I'm
sure you mislead her, or more likely out and out lied to her. Do
everyone a favor and stay off this forum like to you said you were
going to.

Click to expand...

Don't be ridiculous. If you read his posts you would know that
he's just a troll, nothing more, and you are taking the bait, hook,
line, and sinker.

Click to expand...

Profile says he has shot 5 weddings. Not very experienced if this is true.
--
JohnE
Equipment list in profile

'My children say that I am the family paparazzi .'

I have caterpillars on my brassicas. Its not painful, but should I call a doctor?

My dog has no nose. How does he smell ? awful !

Did you hear about the nun in a whorehouse .....

DANG, and we believed you when you said you wouldn't be back. Probably similar to your bride believing you...

What was that one timeless recent post? Oh, yes, something about shoot it cheap and then gouge 'em for all you can later. You're just getting a small taste of what your posts and attitude would indicate you deserve.
--
jrbehm
http://web.mac.com/jrbehm/iWeb/Site/Truchas,%20NM.html

Crimony! I fell right into this. I wasn't paying attention to who the OP was before replying. Sheesh, what a wastoid.

--
dpreview & pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/digirob

Yes, it is getting worse

I had agreed to do a wedding for her friend, now the friend says she might cancel if I do not hand over the images. This is blackmail!!

Not only that, the friend says that my prices are too high for prints. 75 dollars for an 8 by 10 is a pretty good price.

carl english said:

fatbastid said:

Anyone know what to do?

I have a bride that keeps hounding me for her image files. I gave
her the 800 by 600 ones, but she keeps asking me for the full size
ones. I have told her that I will print them for her whenever she
needs a picture. Prices are reasanable, like $75 for an 8 by 10.

Click to expand...

I assume you have already been paid for the Wed?

carl english said:

How can I get this bride off of my back? Every day there are more
calls on my answering machine.

Click to expand...

I would try to come to some agreement, as the longer this saga goes
on the worse it will get for YOU.

carl english said:

I hate to give over the files, because then they never have to come
back.

Click to expand...

She will never come back at all if it continues like this, neither
will her friends, She's probably telling everyone how uncooperative
you are.
You say you want her off your back and then show concern about
customer coming back!!

carl english said:

Any ideas?

--
A true pro is something to aspire to!

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
A true pro is something to aspire to!

difficult situation and I'll try to help in any way I can. But after that please read the second part of this post.

You don't want to "create" a problem with her because you need her good feedback for others. From the way you talk she's really pressuring you and I can tell that she has a strong character. Again we don't want to "upset" her.

Talk nicely about the cost of the high resolution files and just give'em to her. Try to make as much money you can. This time, and this time only you should accomodate her and fix this situation.

You can try to talk about the policy of the studio, the fact that usually every (film) photographer will give the negatives after all the prints are ordered and usually (again) after a year or so.
Or

you can state that your policy is to keep the originals because you shoot raw or something and they can't be used with a "ordinary" computer.. You need to send the files to some LAB to have'em converted.. stuff like that

Now the second part:

Since the beginning (and who knows me in this forum will probably remember my position about it) I always kept the files and only gave out the album and folded prints: Never the files, never a CD or DVD, never medium resulution proofs in teh form of a file..anything!

You gave her the 800x600? Good, now look what happened.

This is serious, we must consider to go back to the "album" only offer. It always has been like that! Album only, folded prints and no files whatsoever. The fact that we shoot digital must be irrelevant, we don't provide anything else but albums and reprints under our specs, printed by our lab. End of the story, and end of the options.

I'm strict, determined and direct: we will all lose otherwise. The fact that many only give DVD's to let the bride decide where to print and make their own albums is going to create a serious disturbance in this business.

Files are out of the question: prints only.

I have no idea about the norm in your locale, but here in Asia, for a long long time ( back with film ) many Wedding photographer had lond abandon the print based only business model. Not that I mean you should not be doing that. But read this. The public concept of how their own image ( no matter how you see it as your copyrighted ) are being involved. From the customer point of view, they have pay for a service and thus should get the product. Sort of like go ordering a custom made pieces of suite.

Offering up print in the first place as binded contract term and the digital file in permenant archival form to the client ( and back then the film negs ) is in the long term probably where business will go. People are well ware of how the image are now being stored ( as in the files ) and they equally know that they can reproduce to their own heart's content if they have the file. Extra print beyond the contract and 1st batch thus become a sort of liability in the whole process.

If you have no commitment in your contract to provide the files. then by all mean I urge yopu to consider offering her the images on a certain amount ( wher you need to decide for yourself ) and I must say this kind of argument will surface far more often. Nowadays the customers know between different matters and many would not even consider if you are not going to give them the files ( or neg ). Nobody like to have their moment of life hijacked by somebody else for the record.

--

• Franka -

If she knew the prices before hand, then hold your ground, if you give into the friend then you will have two problems instead of one...

Handing over the files is like a photographer giving up the negatives. It rarely happens unless prenegotiated. If there is a magic number of what you expect to make off of each wedding, then perpose to her this charge and leave it at that.

good luck

--
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. --- einstein

let me understand better your last comment

Franka T.L. said:

their moment of life hijacked by somebody else for the record

Click to expand...

as far as I know I am the owner of the pictures I take. I sell my experience and time but I still own whatever I shoot. Copyright once again is not the opposite of Copyleft: in this case "right" means "right" and not a direction

On the other hand I understand that everybody can get a camera and start shooting, then give the files and everything, but we're talking about professional wedding photography here... kinda different

Remember, this is the guy who said he'd never post again. He's totally trolling. Read his message thoroughly before wasting your time replying.

--
Michael Thomas Mitchell
http://michaelphoto.net