When I say Photography Products what do you think of? It’s a safe bet that most of you jump right to digital images. Some of you might not even have a clue what a photography product is. So let’s chat about it.
Photography Products are how your professional images are delivered to you. Could be prints, albums, wall art, digital images etc. There is no rule that when you book a photographer you will be getting the digital images. Every photographer runs their business differently and it’s not a one size fits all. Skill level, styles, pricing, packages, customer service and so on will all differ from business to business. I mean, duh.
“I just want the digitals” is something professional photographers get a lot. (And some photographers include them in their packages, but again we covered that every business is different.) I get it, we live in a digital world & everyone has been conditioned to feel like digitals are the norm. I am not here to change your mind but to at least offer up a different perspective.
“I just want the hair color.” Could you imagine if you told your hair stylist this? Sure they could sell you the professional color but you won’t be able to do what they do at home. Or how about asking the chief at your favorite restaurant for “just the ingredients.” My point is that their service/job is not complete. You simply can’t be trusted to finish the job properly, or even at all. My even bigger point is you can’t do it like the professionals. You can sure try, but it won’t be nearly as good. Following?
I take pride in Blue Flame being a full service, luxury photo studio. Full service, full circle because I offer professional, luxury, hand picked photography products that are tangible, show stopping and high quality. This is the only way to know my clients are getting the best of the best; that the products will last, that the colors are true and they are getting the most out of their experience. Ya know, instead of sending them home with the hair color or ingredients. 😉
I also don’t want my client’s art to just sit on a flash drive or on their computer/phone to collect dust and be forgotten about. Cause that’s what happens with digital images. I mean how often to you print the photos from your phone from your vacation? What do you even do with the majority of the photos you take on your phone? You don’t invest in professional images just to scroll through them a few times a year on you phone.
“So all the digitals aren’t included?” Again, some photographers include them others don’t. A quick breakdown though on where this confusion comes from, keep in mind it’s not this black or white. There are some “shoot & burn” photographers who shoot & then include all/some of your images digitally. Other photographers have a session fee and then offer photography products separately. I am the later and it didn’t take me long to decide which photographer I wanted to be. I respect the power of prints and seeing your images off the screen and in your hands or on your walls is what professional photography is all about. That’s where they belong and have the biggest impact. Image if your grandparents had all their images on something digital, you would have a hell of a time viewing them now. Shit, none of my computers even have a slot for CDs these days! You hired a professional to create custom art and that art deserve to be made into something you can hold, see and touch daily. I promise that while you think seeing your images on a screen is amazing, that seeing your images turned into professional photography products is breathtaking.
“Why so expensive? Can’t you just give me the digitals?” No matter the photographer and how they run their business, digitals are a premium photography product. Having a digital image allows you to print them endlessly and however you wish. 𝘍𝘖𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙. Premium product = premium price. However, the percentage of people that actually take advantage of the coveted digital image is low. And the few who actually do, are not printing from a professional lab so the quality is sub par. You should not be investing in professional, custom art to get it printed at Walgreens. That’s like having a beautiful hair color done and then washing your hair with Pantene or covering your steak in ketchup. (Clearly hair and food are my best references.)
However, with all that said, I still offer digitals. I cannot deny that we live in a digital world where we want everything like, yesterday. I can lead a horse to water as they say, but digitals are not where it’s at. I believe + love the magic I create with my clients so much that I want to honor that by making sure it’s represented how it should be. I at least want to provide my clients with the option to see this experience with me all the way through to something they can experience everyday.
“When you print a photograph, it becomes physical. A print is the embodiment of the digital file. As a print, it becomes part of our daily physical existence. As a constant part of our life the print comes to play a role in our life, perhaps effecting us in ways we didn’t expect.” – Mat Coker from his incredible article The Real Reason You Need to Print Your Photos
