The image CD is the most popular selling product of many photographers today. As an Atlanta photographer it is usually the first thing I get asked if I sell. From every newborn to senior session I’d get people who would ask the price for the image CD. Since it is so popular, you may think I am crazy for removing the image disk from my sell sheet, but checkout my Top 5 Reasons for no Longer Offering Image CDs and you may change your mind!
Senior Portrait Art
Number 1. It’s about the art.
Photography is an art and art is meant to be displayed. There is nothing more disappointing than having your work just sitting there stored on a computer or stuffed in a drawer on a CD. My clients want their homes decorated with their life displayed as art. They want something real, something they can hold and see on a daily basis to remind them of the memories they have.
Number 2. It is an incomplete service.
This reason comes straight from Sal Cincotta himself. If you are out there just prompting promoting image CDs you are selling an incomplete service. As a photographer our goal shouldn’t be just to give clients images but to decorate their homes with their images. To help find the products they need of their family and their life that they will hold on to and cherish forever, while providing a true experience.
Number 3. I like to be different.
When I first started being a photographer in Atlanta, I felt like I was stuck in an endless sea of photographers competing on the best price for image CDs. It was a losing battle. Now, I offer premium products to my clients and have something to give them of real value. I stand out from the crowd and can give my clients an experience like no other. For example, instead of just mailing an image CD, I now always hold a viewing session with clients and make slideshows for them to see of their shoot produced with music and video. I work hard to provide something no one else is offering and my clients love it!
Number 4. I realized clients don’t really know what they want.
When I sent my clients image CDs most uploaded all the images to something like Facebook, but generally the CD got put away somewhere never to be seen again. Rarely did they go and get anything printed. Why is that? Because most people don’t know what they want or what looks best. I have taken my time to learn about all the amazing products out there like acrylics and metal prints. I have samples of the products I sell so clients can see and picture how it will look in their home. I help them pick the images that will look best and help them find what they really want. I couldn’t provide all that just by sending them an image CD.
Pablo Picasso
Number 5. Picasso didn’t give all his paintings away for cheap on a CD.
Once I saw my work as art, my work as unique, I realized it’s not something to just arbitrarily give away in bulk. There was no way I could survive competing with the CD pushers. It’s an endless cycle of undercutting and no way I could make a living off that. True artist don’t just give away all their work for cheap like that. My work is important and valuable to me. I want my clients to view it the same way and that can’t happen if I undersell its worth by giving it all up so easy. It goes back to point number 1. It’s about the art!
There may be some that just try to come to me for an image CD, but that’s not my client. My client wants art on their walls and in their homes. My client wants something real not just some cheap image CD that will sit in a drawer never to be enjoyed. My client appreciates my work and art. My client wants an experience they will remember for a lifetime.
I hope You enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it. I would love to hear any thoughts you may have, so feel free to post them below!