2 min readfrom Photography

Is it an industry standard to have to pay XYZ amount before getting digital photos?

Our take

Navigating the world of photography can be perplexing, especially when unexpected costs arise. In this case, a $200 gift card for a family photo session includes only a single 5x7 print, while access to digital copies requires a steep $600 investment. This raises an important question: is it becoming an industry standard to pay significantly for digital images? Many have encountered varying pricing structures, but the expectation of receiving several digital photos for a modest session is not uncommon.

My husband and I won a $200 photography gift card in a local charity contest- the gift card says it’s for a session and a single 5x7 print photo. I started to set things up with the photographer, and found out that unless we invest $600 with him, he will not give any digital copies. Make no mistake here- this is a small, 45 minute family photo session, I am not *ever* thinking I’m getting 30 digital retouched photos for that! I admit I *did* assume we’d get just 3 to 5 digital copies of our favorite photos, plus the single print, from all this. I asked him if even giving him $100 for 3 digital photos worked for him, and he said no, he says he wants people to have coffee table albums and framed photos and other prints. He sent me his price list which does indeed say you have to invest $600 with him before getting access to any digital photos.

I’ve had lots of family photos done in the past, and of course our wedding photos a few years ago, and I haven’t ever come across this before, even for the “mini shoots” of couples and pets. Yes it’s a free $200 photoshoot, however, it’s a fair bit of work to coordinate to get our kid and dog ready etc for a single 5x7 print, because we certainly don’t have $400 to throw at this right now.

I suppose I understand his take on it, but it feels a bit much for him to give out photoshoot gift cards to a charity for people to win, but they only get a single 5x7 print out of it.

Is this a new industry standard that I wasn’t aware of until now?

submitted by /u/LostAsparagus5
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#health and wellness#luxury photography#fashion photography#wellness photography#digital photos#photography gift card#photographer#digital copies#digital retouched photos#5x7 print#single print#session#family photo session#industry standard#$600#family photos#invest#wedding photos#photoshoot gift cards#framed photos