CDs.

Ok, here comes a rant.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

I offer the option to purchase CDs of images to my clients.  I do so because we are in a digital age and digital copies are what people want.  We are all over Facebook and want to post images.  We have computers and want beautiful images placed on our desktop or screen savers.  But recently my clients have been ordering CDs to print out prints to replace the professional prints I offer.  a LOT.  This worries me. Here is why: (update: as of September 2011 I will be requiring a minimum $100 purchase of prints and/or products before the CD is available to purchase)

Aside from the hard work I put into your specific session, I spend a LOT of time educating myself and perfecting the art of my representation of childrens photography.  I spend hours and hours before, during and after a shoot perfecting the quality of my images.  I went to school and received a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in photography.  I purchase quality equipment.  I research professional printing labs, trying out different ones to make sure my work is represented correctly with quality products that I approve of.  I calibrate my computer to their printers.  I test out customer service.  As an artist, my work does not stop at the click of the shutter.  That is only part of it.  Each creation starts with education, continues with the selection of my equipment and ends with the final prints that ultimately represent my work. This is just a quick incomplete list to give you an idea.  I eat, sleep and breathe children's photography (yes, I admit it!!) So now fast forward to your session: The night before, I charge all my batteries, format my cards, clean my lenses,  check, double and triple check all my bag contents, etc etc. (The week before I have my eye on the weather, checking it at least once a day if it looks bad). During my time with you and your family, I take lots of images of your child(ren), sometimes spending three or four hours with your family, spending time to create quality images.  Since I work on location, I have to work with lighting on the spot, deciding moment by moment where I would like the child and myself to be in relation to the sun all while making sure the child is enjoying him/herself and that I am not making them too aware of the photoshoot.  I have 'perfected' the way I personally do my photography (but of course always tweaking, learning more and constantly improving!).  I currently limit myself to one session per day to make sure I am not rushed during your session, giving your family the focus of my day.  I go home mentally and physically exhausted.  When I get home, I go straight to my computer and download all the images.  Then download again on a second location.  When finished downloading, I sit down and BEGIN the editing process.  I still have hours ahead of me.  I go through the images, looking at the compositions I love, deleting the ones that did not come out, and choosing those that will possibly make it into the final cut.  Later, when it is time to get back to your images, I see my selection with fresh eyes and edit my selection even further, creating the selection of images that I will later present to you.  From there, I spend hours tweaking color, light, create effects, etc.  I look at each image and have an idea of how I want it to look and create a beautiful final image.  Fast forward to you seeing your images in your online gallery.  You love them so much, you may cry!  You marvel at the images of your beautiful child! Now here comes the part that worries me: You order a CD.  A CD contains the correct quality of digital files.  You take the CD to your local print lab to get some prints.  You are so excited.  But what happened? They look completely different from what you expected.  The cropping is all wrong, the color is completely off.  It looks muddy and yucky, and it is too dark or too bright.  Why does it look purple? Why does it look green? Why does my child look sickly? What happened to the brightness of her eyes? Why does this black and white look so dull? Here is why (and I am speaking in general): The printing lab takes your CD and prints prints prints.  They do not work at a professional lab working directly with me, the photographer, so the cropping is not what I envisioned and their printers are not calibrated with the my computer screen.  But because you spent money on the CD and you did not purchase any professional prints, you don't want it to go to waste.  You display these images in frames, placing them in your livingroom, diningroom etc. Your family and friends see these prints displayed in your home and all my hard work is erased in an instant.  They see these and ask who did them.  You tell them.  Now these prints displayed in your home represent Mary White Photography. Yuck. 

See what I mean? If you are going to hire a professional photographer you owe it to yourself to order quality products to display on your wall!  Celebrate your family! Help me out by representing my work in the quality that I worked so hard for and meant for you to have and cherish.

I am not saying "don't ever buy CDs!!!" CDs are meant to be sold as a keepsake, not as a means to replace the quality prints I offer.  Go ahead and print from the CD, but print them for your album to keep as a memory, not to display in your home! Printing your images from a CD purchased from me will result in very low quality prints because I am not there to control the quality, and ultimately these prints represent me as a photographer when presented to family and friends.  I spend hours and hours perfecting each final image I create for you (not to mention all the hard work that goes into my work in general) - the composition, color, brightness, contrast (to name a few) are all part of what makes an image, and when the local printer makes a bad print of this piece of art I created, it erases everything I worked so hard for.

Rant over.  ;)