So Nice to Have the Must Have Image Collection
In a previous post about the very important Design Order & Preferences Form, including a selection of Must Have images was mentioned as one of three very beneficial elements to a successful album experience. The Design Form, reference to favorite design themes, and the Must Have image collection will streamline your sales process. Perhaps more importantly, it will help you meet your clients expectations and could save you time, money, and headaches. Not only that, but your turnaround times can be shorter, a great benefit for those who collect album payments upon delivery.
So what do we mean by a Must Have image collection? It is simply a collection of images chosen by you or your client that must appear in the album. Let’s take a look at three possibilities.
If your client will choose the images, we recommend limiting their selection, especially if your albums are meant to be representative of your artistry. All too often, clients select images with little attention to the artistic or storytelling aspect of the whole body of work. Of course, there are exceptions (like our featured design below), and since it is their album you want them to be happy with the end product. But limiting their selection to a number of favorites, including the important group shots, will give you more freedom to include the images that emphasize your style and artistic interpretation of the event.
If you, the photographer, chooses all the images, the design will certainly showcase your preferences, but depending on the amount of control you give to the client, this can become very challenging in the revision stage. Unless you’ve effectively managed the process, this method produces the most difficulties. Choosing images alone, then presenting the client with their design and (this is important) allowing them total control over revisions, has great potential for significant changes. This usually results in delays, multiple revisions, and maybe even additional fees depending on the impact to the initial layout. It may also, as stated above, affect invoicing and collection of balances as you wait for that final approval or album delivery.
Ideally, you will choose the images in consultation with your client, and together arrive at a collection that you both admire. We believe this is the best method. It’s easy enough to include such a consultation in your workflow, which can even be conducted online or in a phone conversation. However, this also requires a well-managed customer experience from the very first pre-contract consultation to presentation of the final design. Not that this is difficult. It is part of a nicely planned sales strategy sensitive to the needs and desires of your customer, as well as your own need to preserve artistic credibility and marketing benefits. We’ll examine this very important aspect in a future post. For now, consider working closely with your customer in choosing images that best tell the story and represent your stylistic viewpoint, yet includes the shots that are important to them.
What about those of you using a pre-design method? We’ll cover this in a separate post also, and highlight strategies for an efficient pre-design workflow.
Our featured design includes images all chosen by the photographer’s client. California photographer, Christina Hernandez, had great confidence in her client, and the image selections are fantastic. We created a design that flows well, retains it’s journalistic qualities, and includes all the images the customer desired in a one-of-a-kind presentation.
Click the thumbnail to view the design.
