Advice on selling please!

[pdcpic]

Hi,

I recently took some photos of a friends dog and her son would like them as a birthday present (he seen them online)
How much could I charge , plus do I sell them with or without watermark at the bottom?

here is one of the photos 

[jeremy rundle]

Never even consider watermarking a SALE

 

By all means put a name/address sticker on the back but watermark !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Also if I were taking photos of a "friends" dog I would give them away, but that is me

 

It's not bad but I would not charge, part of the foot is chopped off, and personally I would do it is portrait format

Edited May 20, 2014 by jeremy rundle

[pdcpic]

I do kind of feel guilty charging, but if I start to give free, people do take advantage. I noticed that mainly when I did drawings.

This photo was the choice of the costumer, he buys it for his mum as a birthday present, I presume he would like the digital format.

[Guest]

I agree that I wouldn't watermark a sale image and as for price I wouldn't charge a lot as you did the shoot for free for the experience or for what ever reason you didnt charge. So I would make a token charge for the time it takes to crop & print etc and any cost of printing if you want to get it printed. We have done a few like this and given the dog owners a copy for free we have also charged a few pounds to cover the costs of printing and delivering But I wouldnt charge normal rates as you did the shoot for free and this sale is just a bonus

[jeremy rundle]

"I do kind of feel guilty charging, but if I start to give free, people do take advantage. I noticed that mainly when I did drawings."

 

 

 

It depends on what you want from your photography.

 

I give a lot away, in fact so far I have made a loss in my business, but the contacts I have made are priceless.

 

Giving images away has got me into areas of photography, events and behind the scenes I would never have got to before, I have built a reputation as a good, honest photographer to be trusted, and now people are asking me to undertake contract work for them.

 

It has cost me, I guess, somewhere in the region of £3-500, which I have considered not only an investment in the business but part of my marketing strategy, if giving away a couple of snaps gets me a good reputation, additions to my portfolio, then so be it.

Edited May 20, 2014 by jeremy rundle

[pdcpic]

I think my investment would be mainly in doing the free shoots and the referral to the website I give them. this is where they see the photos and say they love or hate them.
And I hope word would go around like that.

The flatcoated retriever walkies for example was also a great opportunity to do photos and they all end up on facebook, watermarked but they do get around as the walks are very much promoted so are the photos.

Here one of the FC walks(I did mention this in another post)

 

I must say the feedback I got on the walkies photos are brilliant

[Leon]

I have "sold" a few friends portraits of pets, I have charged enough for printing plus cost of fuel and a few cans of beer, suited all parties.