Choosing photos from a photographer

amother

Sun, May 28 2023, 5:59 pm

I'm a little bit confused and I wonder what all your experiences are.
I did a cherry blossom photoshoot in botanical gardens with a very sweet photographer who came highly recommended by my friend. The photoshoot was pleasant and she was very good with the kids and I was excited to see the pictures.
This morning she sent me an email with a link to my photos for me to choose. All the photos have her name stamped all over, it's really hard to see what ones my girls look good on. Also, she sent more than 200 pictures, I'm so confused. I don't know where to start.
I called to ask if mcan come over to her studio and she can help me pick my favorites, she said that would be an extra $100
I'm not experienced, the last time I did pictures was by Barry many years ago and he was so helpful. I went back to his place to place my order.
Maybe I'm not keeping up with the times? Is this standard in NY?
If yes, can anyone give me tips on how to gomabpit picking my favorites? I'm so overwhelmed.

amother

Lemonlime

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:02 pm

She sent you low resolution proofs with her logo so you don't print or show them. Once you pick your choices she will edit as needed & send you the full resolution. She doesn't want you to show a bad unedited photo.

This is standard in the Industry in the digital age. I had this by a non-jewish photographer in the midwest.

amother

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:04 pm

amother Lemonlime wrote:

She sent you low resolution proofs with her logo so you don't print or show them. Once you pick your choices she will edit as needed & send you the full resolution.

Yes, I'm aware. But it's so hard to choose like this. They're not sharp images and her logo is covering the faces in many shots. How can I make a decision? Also. When there are so many of the same pose, it's overwhelming. I would have thought she'll narrow them down for me first.

amother

Lightcyan

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:08 pm

Totally get you.

I paid once for an offer with someone for ONE picture and she sent me soo many .
It was impossible to choose.

I had to keep going through them.

I wish she would have selected the best 5 or something.

amother

Antiquewhite

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:08 pm

Because people tend to edit out the watermark, photographers have started placing it centrally. I’ve never been charged to choose in person though. It’s part of my package. I’ve also done cheaper photography with a set price for all digital images.

amother

Turquoise

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:09 pm

amother OP wrote:

I'd love to hear from the photographer imas on here. Is this what you do? Do any clients have trouble with the process or am I extra dumb 🫣

I’m a photographer. I don’t work this way anymore, but 200 is a lot. Most id send was 59-69. And I watermark mine in a way that the client can still see the photo clearly. But again this is her process and it should have been clarified before the booking was finalized.

amother

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:13 pm

amother Turquoise wrote:

Thank you. When you say you don't work this way anymore, how do the clients choose? Do they come choose it in person? Do you charge an additional fee for the choosing?

It wasn't an expensive session. I paid $325 and I get to choose 5 favorites. But it's annoying to have to pay $100 just to get help with the choosing.

mushkamothers

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:17 pm

She is probably charging for her time ie helping a selection on a mini shoot like this isn't part of the package.

What you can do is see if the gallery has a "favorites" feature where you click a heart. Go through and only heart what you like. Then go through the favorites and unheart. Don't overthink it - move quickly.

Something else I've done is take a screenshot of every image and then delete what I don't like.

amother

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:23 pm

amother Cinnamon wrote:

If you are taking a big package she should help you pick.
Most photographers delete all the bad ones to narrow down the choices.
This doesn’t make sense.

She says she's removed lots already

amother

Sun, May 28 2023, 6:24 pm

mushkamothers wrote:

This makes sense. Oh well, wish I knew beforehand. And I wish I would be able to see the kids faces a bit better. I'm nixing some just because I can't see them properly.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, May 28 2023, 9:13 pm

This is standard. The watermark is there because people screenshot and don’t purchase. I only show about 40-60 per session and people complain that they want to see 200. This is the reason I don’t show that many it’s beyond overwhelming and not a great idea. I do charge higher prices so the ordering appointment where I sit with each person and help them choose is included in the price.

amother

Turquoise

Sun, May 28 2023, 10:16 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thank you. When you say you don't work this way anymore, how do the clients choose? Do they come choose it in person? Do you charge an additional fee for the choosing?.

My clients don’t need to choose, they get an all inclusive digital package.

amother

Broom

Sun, May 28 2023, 10:27 pm

You’re not stupid. This is the old fashioned way of doing things.
Nowadays, most photographers go through all the pics, pull out the best ones (toss the ones that are out of focus, same exact pose, etc..), and edit all the pics, and deliver all the pics.
With modern day technology, it doesn’t take double the amount of time to edit double the amount of pictures because we now batch edit photos.
At first I thought you were referring to prints. That makes sense- she gave you the full gallery and her package includes x amount of printed pictures.
Photographers arent sitting down with clients after a wedding, anymore. It’s just unnecessary.
But, if this is the way she prices and does business, she should’ve told you before.
She sounds unprofessional to me.
So, yea, you’re not stupid, she has a stupid process and stupid policies that don’t really make any sense.
For the future, confirm with your photographer that you’re getting “all” (not really all, but all the good shots) the images and not just selecting x amount.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, May 28 2023, 10:29 pm

amother Broom wrote:

This is still standard unless you are a shoot and burn which most are not because it’s not sustainable long term. It’s best not to knock others just because you do it differently. And portrait photographers are still sitting with clients and choosing.

amother

Turquoise

Sun, May 28 2023, 10:37 pm

amother Amethyst wrote:

She’s kinda right though, which is why I switched to the all inclusive digital model. I was wasting a lot of time going back and forth with the client choosing and cutting, so I set a price that makes it worthwhile for me to give them all the good shots digitally. Edited, of course. It’s different from the shoot n burn model.
I spend about 10-12 hours total on each session, added that to my cost of doing business, and came up with a price that makes sense for me to work for. My clients seem happy with the arrangement.