Question for the photographers

[czali Profile Private message]

I have a questions for all the photographers out there. I am going to be doing a wedding slideshow for someone and of course before starting asked the photographer for permission. She stated that she gives permission with credit given to her and as long as I do not advertise with them. Easily done. Though, she stated that the photos are shot in RAW and resized (which I figured). She would like to charge me client $50 to takes these images and resize and burn to a DVD. I would like to know how much work is actually involved in this process? The client is ok with it but I wanted to get some expert opinions. I do not know know much about this?

Colleen

[MG - Admin]

With a couple of clicks I can batch resize a complete folder with a thousand RAW images in about 5 minutes time. Burning to a DVD is another couple of minutes. If the photographer knows what she's doing, and I assume she does, she's making an easy $50.

Mike

[nwenban Profile Private message]

Hi Colleen,

You will need the software to process the RAW file, most graphic apps have these built in. There are also freebies out there. You can set up to batch processing for all the images if you wish.

When a digicam takes an image, it applies some processing to the image in the camera (white balance, aperture, etc). A raw file is the negative of a digital image. It allows you to change the WB & 2? aperture stops.

BTW - being able to adjust the WB certainly helps when one takes a pic of a beach & the WB is set to tungsten, blue sand is certainly different!!

Neville

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I'm finding this a bit odd. The photographer never converted the images from RAW to begin with? This doesn't make sense at all unless she never printed the photos nor sold any finished ones to the client. That said, it's altogether possible she charges $50 an hour or any part thereof. A lot of car mechanics charge $75 an hour or any part thereof, so her $50 sounds logical.

Barbara

[czali Profile Private message]

Thanks for the information guys. I thought the same thing Barbara. She had to convert them to print them, right? She stated in her message that she is going to have to pay someone to do it b/c she is so busy. My husband, who knows a little more then I do about these things, thought the same as Mike. Thanks for all your insight. Sorry about all the typos before. I think I need spell check!

Colleen

[alcain Profile Private messageWebsite]

From a wedding photographer...

Colleen, The photos can (and probably were printed from the raw state). This photographer cares about quality in the first place because she is using the RAW format. Now, she has probably done a lot of PP on these images and spent a lot of time with them. I think $50 is cheap for a DVD with all of her hard work on it. Now if someone else converts the RAW files to Jpg's, unless they used the same editing software she originally used to make adjustments to them, either the adjustments will not be in the jpg's or the images may even convert poorly. The photographer has spent a lot of time prepairing for the wedding, shooting the event, and all of the work that goes afterwards. I think she is due the $50 fee just because it is the right thing to do. You charge a fee on your web site for your services, and you expect folks to pay that amount - not to look for a cheaper (or free) version of what service you provide.

Sorry if I sounded a little blunt on this one, but it really is the right thing to do.

Blessings, ~al

(still friends?)

[alcain Profile Private messageWebsite]

If the photographer knows what she's doing, and I assume she does, she's making an easy $50.

Sorry Mike, I dis-agree. That $50 was earned with a lot of experience, expensive equipment, time in preparation and after the event. As a wedding photographer, I know that there are so many hidden expenses, and things that take a lot of time that were never charged for. She could have said, "No" as many do, or even charged up to $300 for the DVD.

Blessings, ~al

[MG - Admin]

If the photographer knows what she's doing, and I assume she does, she's making an easy $50.

Sorry Mike, I dis-agree. That $50 was earned with a lot of experience, expensive equipment, time in preparation and after the event. As a wedding photographer, I know that there are so many hidden expenses, and things that take a lot of time that were never charged for. She could have said, "No" as many do, or even charged up to $300 for the DVD.

Blessings, ~al

Al:

I based my comment on the fact that the photographer had already been paid for those services with the original order from the wedding party. To then take those same photos that have already been processed, printed and paid for, and run a batch resize and burn them onto DVD for an additional $50 seems like icing on the cake. If, on the other hand, she was only paid for her time to take the photos and nothing else, the $50 fee seems too little. Hope that makes sense.

Mike

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I based my comment on the fact that the photographer had already been paid for those services with the original order from the wedding party.

Mike, I think your reasoning is slightly faulty. If you look at the other arts--writing, maybe, or music--and you say the same thing, then you're in essence saying that a writer or musician shouldn't earn royalties because they've completed the work and shouldn't get paid much, if anything at all, for that work again.

Barbara

[MG - Admin]

I based my comment on the fact that the photographer had already been paid for those services with the original order from the wedding party.

Mike, I think your reasoning is slightly faulty. If you look at the other arts--writing, maybe, or music--and you say the same thing, then you're in essence saying that a writer or musician shouldn't earn royalties because they've completed the work and shouldn't get paid much, if anything at all, for that work again.

Barbara

Barbara:

I guess I'm looking at in the sense that the original time and effort has already been paid for. I recently paid a printer for window stickers so I can advertise my real estate services on my vehicle. I paid the printer for his design setup time, materials and labor. I then decided after the fact that I wanted an additional sticker for the side windows. He didn't charge me for the prep work again. He simply charged me for the materials and a small bit of time to do the re-print. I wouldn't expect anything more from the photographer in this instance. Resizing images and placing them on a DVD is basically the same process that my printer went through, only probably quicker. They're not having to do all the work again. It's already been done and paid for.

We can agree to disagree. If they had to go reshoot the wedding and process all the photos over again I could see a hefty charge. $50 seems a bit much for 10 minutes worth of work. Maybe $25 or thereabouts is more appropriate. Just my opinion.

Mike

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Okay, I'll agree to disagree, but be it known that I'm doing it in the name of every artist in the world.

Barbara

[czali Profile Private message]

Boy you go away for the day and look what happens. I did not mean to start something. I spoke with the customer and she has no problem with the fee. We could have just used her own images that she has (not the photographers) but she thinks that she could have this CD for the future. To answer some of your questions, this is not someone that just paid for the photographers time and that was it. I am sure she had a very big pay day already. I was just suprised b/c I have not had another photographer say this before. Most brides are getting cd/dvds after the event with all the images. It is a part of their package (after they get all the initial images and orders).

I did not mean to say that she should not be paid since I would want to charge a fee for service. I just did not know what was involved in the process. I am often one that has a initial fee but allows a lot and I mean a lot of wiggle room after the sale. Just as Mike said. I got paid already and I am not looking for another pay day.

Thanks again for all your time guys.

Colleen

[rkligman Profile Private messageWebsite]

With a couple of clicks I can batch resize a complete folder with a thousand RAW images in about 5 minutes time. Burning to a DVD is another couple of minutes. If the photographer knows what she's doing, and I assume she does, she's making an easy $50.

Mike

Wow, what program are you using and what camera? I use Nikon Capture NX for my Nikon RAW and it is SLOW going. Maybe 200 photos or so an hour? Maybe more, maybe less but absolutely nowhere near 5 minutes for a 1,000 images. That being said, even if you were using something I could use with my Nikon files, I wouldn't change. Nothing brings out the picture quite like the Nikon software.

And when you say batch resize, you're talking about creating resized JPGs? Producer reads RAW files...oh, except the new Nikon ones (D80). It trashes them pretty good. I guess if you were just resizing the RAW file and other software could use it then it might make sense. Nikon RAW files though are different beasts. The only thing that can read modified RAW files is Nikon Capture so I always have to convert it to something else for the end output.

[rkligman Profile Private messageWebsite]

I have a questions for all the photographers out there. I am going to be doing a wedding slideshow for someone and of course before starting asked the photographer for permission. She stated that she gives permission with credit given to her and as long as I do not advertise with them. Easily done. Though, she stated that the photos are shot in RAW and resized (which I figured). She would like to charge me client $50 to takes these images and resize and burn to a DVD. I would like to know how much work is actually involved in this process? The client is ok with it but I wanted to get some expert opinions. I do not know know much about this?

Colleen

You haven't stated if you are getting back JPGs or RAW files. Like I just told Mike, if they are Nikon RAW files, the files untounched are useless to you. You'll have to convert them to another format to use them in Producer.

[czali Profile Private message]

Rick,

I believe it will be in jpeg format. I guess when I get them we will see.

Colleen