You Don’t Mind Doing that for Free, Do You?
Freaking people and their Christmas card pictures.
Sarah takes lots and lots of friends and family’s pictures for their Christmas cards. She pretty much only does it for friends and family, because otherwise, it’s too much of a pain in the painful area. Even for friends and family, barely worth it.
Almost once a day this time of the year, someone says “I can’t spend that much money on Christmas cards. Can I just take it XYZ, because their 4×6 prints are only 1 cent?” Inevitably, later then a follow-up call of some sorts because the prints from XYZ look like crap and “what should I do now”. There’s a reason they’re only charging 1 cent, or whatever the hell. The reason is they don’t care anything about making photographs, are hoping that 1 cent prints will get you in the door to buy some of the other junk they sell, and their prints are almost certainly going to look like crap.
If it’s worth your time to ask Sarah to take your pictures, meaning she breaks out about $3,000 worth of camera equipment, finds someone to watch Jack & Adelaide, goes to your house, or even worse, the studio space she’s borrowing from a friend thereby keeping him from making money, spends 2 hours of her time dealing with the pictures, then maybe another hour or so designing your family’s Christmas Card, then have the stomach for the price of a decent print.
If she’s kind enough to give you the file, take it someplace where those 100 prints are going to cost you $20-30 instead of $10-15, preferably www.mpix.com, but a GOOD local lab would also satisfy us. We recommend 50 Minute Photo to anyone that asks. If she doesn’t give you the file, remember she’s trying to pay for the $3,000 of camera equipment, the baby-sitter, and the studio space, and then figure out if you think she’s making any money on you.
If you absolutely don’t care what the prints look like, break out your point & shoot camera and spend 1 cent each on the prints at whatever convenience store is closest to you, and save Sarah the effort and time of trying to make you look good.
And by all means, if you’re someone we happen to do business with, consider if maybe we think you’re overpriced too, but continue to use your overpriced service because we see the value in supporting local businesses and friends. Especially before you tell us how expensive those freaking prints are.
Not directed at any one person, as it’s just unbelievably too common to simply apply to only one person.
On a side note, screw ku.