If you were at a pizza store and you bought one slice, would you expect to get the entire pizza? If you were at a bar and you paid for one glass of wine, would you then ask for the entire bottle? If you purchased one ticket to the cineplex, do you demand to stay and watch every movie that’s playing?
Strangely enough, when some customers hire a photographer, they expect (or demand) to get every picture that was shot.
Why might a customer ask for every picture?
• Sometime in the past, another photographer once gave the customer every picture and now the customer (incorrectly) thinks that this is the normal practice.
• The customer thinks the photographer didn’t choose the best images and they’re worried that they’re missing out on something (i.e. FOMO).
• The customer feels they didn’t get their money’s worth with the delivered pictures. So they (incorrectly) think that having all the pictures will make things better.
• The customer is not happy with the delivered pictures. With some diplomatic and tactful questions, the photographer might be able to understand the underlying issue. Perhaps friends or relatives of the customer told them to get all the pictures. Maybe the customer has become self-conscious about a visible scar, mole, crooked tooth, etc. and the pictures just need a bit of retouching.
• The client’s corporate lawyer told them to get every picture shot. The only time this might be valid is when a company’s prototype, proprietary process or other “company secret” was photographed.
• The corporate client is no longer sure how they will be using the requested picture(s) so they now want to have every photo to cover every future possibility.
• The customer (incorrectly) thinks that since they hired the photographer, they automatically own all the pictures.
• The customer (incorrectly) thinks that the photographer will sell all the unselected pictures to some nefarious third party or post them on an unsavoury web site.
When a customer hires a photographer, they are paying to licence a certain number of pictures. As the number of licensed pictures goes up, so does the price. If the customer wants more, they have to pay more. This is exactly how every business in the world operates.
Why might a photographer give away every picture?
• The photographer doesn’t know how to edit or they simply don’t want to edit. If this is the case, then the customer hired the wrong photographer.
• The photographer sees no value in their work.
• The photographer doesn’t understand their business.
• The photographer didn’t tell the customer what they’re paying for.
To avoid confusion about what is being delivered, the photographer must inform the customer ahead of time. For examples:
A business portrait is $450 and that includes up to two choices. Each additional choice is $125.
Event coverage is $1400 per eight-hour day. Photographer-selected proofs will be posted online. Client may choose up to 30 pictures to be finished. Each additional photo is $40.
Photographer is committed to providing a high quality service. As such, Photographer will use his best judgement to select pictures that meet his professional and artistic standards. Client understands and agrees that only these pictures will be released.
There’s no reason for a photographer to freely give away the store. Quantity is never quality.
