Best way to organize photos for clients

[norcalniner]

Hey everyone, I am about 3 weeks away from a very busy influx of photo shoots and need a little advice. What do you find to be the best way to show your clients the preliminary images to approve? I was thinking of making password galleries on flickr but not sure if there is an easier way. Potentially just use my iPad(wifi with 6d) and let them choose the ones they like right at the shoot? Any tips are greatly appreciated.

[awinphoto]

Are these portraits or commercial work?

[norcalniner]

Sorry. portrait work

[Menace]

Once images have been processed by me, I put them on an iPad for the clients to look at and choose from. All images are numbered so all clients have to do in tell me which ones they like and how big a print/canvas they want.

Works pretty well for me

[awinphoto]

If you are doing portrait work, online galleries are notorious for producing LOW sales averages.  The best way to not only raise averages but also gauge reaction and emotion is in person consultation.  Personally, I have apple TV which communicates with my computer, and i have a large screen HDTV, so I display their pictures large on the wall... They get the feel and the look of what a large print would look on a wall.  Others suggest even going projection showing....  Projection with some sales software you could show them exactly how small an 8x10 or 11x14 would look on the wall vs a 20x24 or 30x40...  Pays for itself after a few sales, or so i'm told. 

[awinphoto]

Also, tools like animoto pro allows you to easily put together stunning slideshows of your sessions which is a great intro into the sales session, and can prove to be a great add-on sale!  Also the software I mentioned in a prior comment was proselect.  It's not cheap, but those who use it swear by it. 

[norcalniner]

Awesome. Thanks for the tips. I think that gives me a good sense of what I need, to be prepared.

[cayenne]

If you are doing portrait work, online galleries are notorious for producing LOW sales averages.  The best way to not only raise averages but also gauge reaction and emotion is in person consultation.  Personally, I have apple TV which communicates with my computer, and i have a large screen HDTV, so I display their pictures large on the wall... They get the feel and the look of what a large print would look on a wall.  Others suggest even going projection showing....  Projection with some sales software you could show them exactly how small an 8x10 or 11x14 would look on the wall vs a 20x24 or 30x40...  Pays for itself after a few sales, or so i'm told.

I've been watching a LOT of very successful portrait and wedding shooters on CreativeLive past year, and ALL of them say just what this poster said...SELL IN PERSON.
They all attested to seeing their sales and sales dollar per customer skyrocket when they insisted on in studio sales presentations vs showing stuff online

Most all of them offered as a part of a package (they all suggest package sales too...with deep discounts to packages vs higher inflated prices for just single items) or maybe throw in online postings once the physical images wall art sales have been done and paid for.

[norcalniner]

Also any good tips for online printing (canvases, postcards, etc..)? Initially I was going to just provide print ready products but have had way too many requests for printing to not offer it.

[awinphoto]

2 of the best i've seen are Bay Photo Lab (west coast) and Black River Imaging (east)...  prices are similar... worth every penny. 

[Menace]

A one to one consultation is best - either in studio or their place.

I prefer the  clients to come to me as I have plenty of various size canvas hanging on the walls for them to compare sizes / quality etc.

Last week a potentially great client couldn't come to see me so I took three canvas from the wall, an A2, A1 & A0 and took them to their place and held the A0 (120cm wide) canvas against one of the walls in the lounge - the effect was amazing. They loved it.

The point is providing exceptional service as I want my clients to keep coming back to me year after year

Good luck

[jackdorsey]

If you are doing portrait work, online galleries are notorious for producing LOW sales averages.  The best way to not only raise averages but also gauge reaction and emotion is in person consultation.  Personally, I have apple TV which communicates with my computer, and i have a large screen HDTV to organize photos, so I display their pictures large on the wall... They get the feel and the look of what a large print would look on a wall.  Others suggest even going projection showing....  Projection with some sales software you could show them exactly how small an 8x10 or 11x14 would look on the wall vs a 20x24 or 30x40...  Pays for itself after a few sales, or so i'm told.

Thank you all very much. I love the tips on this forum.

[cayenne]

Also any good tips for online printing (canvases, postcards, etc..)? Initially I was going to just provide print ready products but have had way too many requests for printing to not offer it.

You'll make more money printing yourself and selling wall art...as to just selling images digitally.

Watch the folks on CreativeLive.com....they have some really good folks on there talking how to make serious $$$ in the photography/videography business. Even if you don't shoot weddings, the wedding shooters on CL have great business ideas...and there are other specialty types there talking too (children, portrait...etc).

But again, everything they say is,,,,have them look at the images AT your studio, in person....and you might look into putting together packages to see of wall art/albums.....make those what they buy, price them so that ala-carte pricing is way more $$....

HTH,

cayenne