Price for digital files from a photographer?

[sidmand]

(Rightly so) I can't seem to find this anywhere on the Web and I'm just wondering about a ballpark figure that would be reasonable for the photographer (and for me!).

I had pictures taken as part of a Portrait Party and didn't even think to ask to see the pricing sheet ahead of time. I wouldn't have done it if I'd seen how much things cost. She doesn't have an option on there for digital images or a CD (which I expected) although I'm almost positive she must have taken her shots with a digital camera so she must have them.

About how much would that be? I've only ever had access to my photos online or in an entire proof book before. I've never done this before (on one day she had about eight people come and pay a $50 sitting fee and then we go tonight to watch a DVD of everyone's photos and choose what we'd like). She's also going to have prices for holidays cards but I'm wondering how she's going to get them done in time at this point (and the prices are going to be much higher than I can do!). I NEVER pay full price and although I want to support a local business as much as possible, I also want to get a fair price.

Argh. I know the pictures must have been wonderful but one of the packages I was looking at only supplies three poses (she must have taken dozens) which would be a family shot and one each of the kids. I'd love to have (at least) one of both of them together, which I know she also took. There is an unlimited pose package and I might just suck it up and do that if I have no choice. Darn it. I wasn't thinking.

[Momit]

I've seen anywhere from $50 to $300 or more, depending on the photog and if it includes all photos from the shoot or just a couple, and of they do any editing. Often you get a discount if you purchase it with a package of prints. Last time we went to Sears they had a special for $30 but theirs is normally $250.

ETA when we paid a high end photog for DS's newborn and 1 year pics the packages were crazy expensive but the pics were stunning. Her CD was normally $400 I think(for all images from the shoot). And she didn't sell it without a print package.

[mytwosons]

When we last had prof. family shots taken two summers ago, the woman we used was priced on the low side for prints and sitting fee. She threw in the digital images if you bought $250 or more of prints. HTH!

[MommyofAmaya]

Our photographer charges $50 per digital image for extras.

[sidmand]

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't sure if I was just totally offbase in my thinking (I'm used to school portrait prices! Haven't had a "real" picture done in years).

Prices are $99 for three poses and include 1 8 x 10, 2 5 x 7s, and 8 wallets

There is an unlimited pose package for $249 that includes 1 11 x 14, 2 8 x 10s, 4 5 x 7s, and 16 wallets and 6 free proofs (not sure what that last one means).

I don't really need (or want) all the physical pictures but it would be nice to have the images just in case I want or need them. And I have to look at the DVD myself tonight and decide. Aack!

I did e-mail her and ask if there is any way to get digital copies.
I don't care it the photos are untouched. But I'd like to have them (and they're not doing her any good, right?).

She's also got prices for Canvas Gallery Wraps but I would never do those through anyone but Groupon at this point.

She's going to have prices for Christmas cards tonight too but I'm guessing it's going to be way more than I would normally pay and she's going to run out of time to do all of these cards!

It's very hard when you're usually all about bargain shopping.

[m448]

You wouldn't think it but there's quite a bit of heated debate re: a few of your questions between photogs.

The images taken by the photog belong to her even though they are of your family. They represent her work and are her calling card wherever they go. Knowing that you'll understand that most photographers will not release every shot they took because most aren't that great. Also they will typically only release images that are retouched because again they don't want some hack job image hanging on your walls for your friends to identify as the photog's work.

Finally, some photographers will release digital images for a pretty penny and some won't. I had some family pics taken in the spring and since I'm an amateur photographer myself I knew a good place to print them and well enough to know that no matter how much photoshop I know I would let the pro take care of the retouching for me. You wouldn't believe how many people grab a digital image and then think, "hey my uncle joe knows that photoshop stuff" and uncle joe does a freaky number on a perfectly good shot by adding a head, doing some awful selective color or a guassian blurr so far gone that it would make Joan Rivers look 18 (and not in a good way). Then everyone who sees the pic is told it's by photographer so and so. Eeek.

[AngB]

We used a friend's sister recently for DS's 6 month pictures, she does photography on the side but is really, really talented and hoping to make it her fulltime job someday. Anyway, she charged us a flat $75 for everything- over an hour of her time, editing, hosting the pics on her site, and a disc of all the pictures (or 180 of them) that she took. She raised her rate slightly to 90, but needless to say we will be using her again, our pictures were fantastic.

[amldaley]

It totally depends on the photographer. Also: how many files, are they edited or not and how extensive is the print release?

DD's Godmother is a professional photographer and her rate is $700 for somewhere between 30-50 edited images and full print release.

[sidmand]

You wouldn't think it but there's quite a bit of heated debate re: a few of your questions between photogs.

The images taken by the photog belong to her even though they are of your family. They represent her work and are her calling card wherever they go. Knowing that you'll understand that most photographers will not release every shot they took because most aren't that great. Also they will typically only release images that are retouched because again they don't want some hack job image hanging on your walls for your friends to identify as the photog's work.

Finally, some photographers will release digital images for a pretty penny and some won't. I had some family pics taken in the spring and since I'm an amateur photographer myself I knew a good place to print them and well enough to know that no matter how much photoshop I know I would let the pro take care of the retouching for me. You wouldn't believe how many people grab a digital image and then think, "hey my uncle joe knows that photoshop stuff" and uncle joe does a freaky number on a perfectly good shot by adding a head, doing some awful selective color or a guassian blurr so far gone that it would make Joan Rivers look 18 (and not in a good way). Then everyone who sees the pic is told it's by photographer so and so. Eeek.

I actually did take that into consideration and didn't want to insult any photographers on here (or the one that took they pictures) either. And wanted to be sure I was looking for something fair and taking all her time and work into consideration. I understand there was a lot of work involved and they're "her" shots even though they're of my family.

I can actually scan and edit the photos myself (I do it for a living!) but realize that's not the case with everyone and it's not fair to the photographer either.

But she just got back to me and told me I could buy each digital image for $50 with a $300 package. But she said there are only 10-15 images total (this was a 1/2 hour abbreviated session). I didn't realize there were so many differences between this "Portrait Party" and a typical session or I probably wouldn't have done it in the first place. It was my fault for not asking the right questions upfront. I think she's also saying that I could just order $300 of digital images (so, six images) without any package. I may just end up doing that. Or I may just cut my losses on the sitting fee ($50) and not order anything although I'm pretty sure she got some beautiful shots. And we don't have a single picture with all four of us (the impetus for doing this in the first place!).

[LMPC]

It totally depends on the photographer. Also: how many files, are they edited or not and how extensive is the print release?

DD's Godmother is a professional photographer and her rate is $700 for somewhere between 30-50 edited images and full print release.

This about the ballpark of what we spend to get the rights to all the images when we do pictures.