NOTE: if you are a client, previous, current or prospective- make a cup of coffee, lock the door and kick back. Please take the time to read this.
Before I went to WPPI, I was cruising through in my business, thinking I had a pretty good thing going. And I still think I do. I have super fabulous clients. Beautiful brides and perfect families inviting me to share in their lives. They allow me to capture the monumental and the everyday stuff that makes up who they are. And I love doing it. But I am learning… there is a lot more to being a great photographer than making great images.
Since I started my photography business, I have established myself as one of the few photographers willing to sell my digital negatives. And all for a price similar to what most of you would spend on a few 8×10’s and 5×7’s from another photographer. Even though my prices have increased over the years, I still handed over my digital negatives for hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands of dollars less than most photographers would relinquish theirs. And I never really minded the criticism. I wasn’t convinced that I could “make more” by not selling the disk. And I really wanted my clients to be able to have quality images to share on their facebook and myspace pages. Even more, I wanted them to have the picture of their two year old’s crocodile tear sliding down her face, EVEN if it wasn’t the one to grace the mantle. These sentiments are the same ones causing me to feel fear and trepidation as I take my photography business down a new avenue.
“So what is this new avenue?” you ask! The longer I do this thing, the more I shoot, I realize I want more than to simply capture your memories. I do, very desperately, love to capture your memories. But I want more for your memories than sitting in a drawer collecting dust. Preserved in a disk, no less, but preserved to rot. Like a dead body. Excuse the analogy, but I think it’s a pretty accurate depiction of what happens to most of my images after I present them to my clients in their shiny logo branded DVD. Sure, many of you zip over to Wolf Camera to print off eighty-five 4×6’s. You zoom home to place them in your Target special black pleather photo album. I am sooo not knocking the black pleather photo album. I have a library of them. But I am just saying… is that really all you want from the most precious memories of your life? You may have spent a few 99 cents here and there on a few 5×7s making great gifts for the holidays. And if you really loved the images, you have an 8×10 or two sitting on the chest as guests come into the foyer. But the rest of them are on your computer or in a drawer, rotting away. And this grieves me.
Okay, “this grieves me”, may sound dramatic. But what am I, if not a drama queen? When I feel things, I feel them to the fullest extent possible. Or I do not feel them at all. And I feel grieved when I think about my images collecting dust when they could be delighting you every time you walk down the halls of your home. As I come down the stairs of my home there are 2 16×20s of Claire and Charlotte taken at the beginning of last summer. They are playing on their new playground and their expressions are priceless. About three times a week I can’t help but pause and remember. I almost want to reach in and pinch their chubby cheeks that now, aren’t quite as chubby. I smile and shake my head at Claire’s bob that thankfully has grown a few inches. In my foyer is a lonely 18×24 inch framed portrait (it needs a few companions-the wall is too big) of the girls this past Christmas. I simply cannot walk past it without looking into their faces and feeling my heart do a flip-flop at how much I love my baby girls. Who are actually not babies at all, but little girls. I say all that, not because I want you to think I am a fabulous photographer, but to hopefully, help you realize that your images can do more to enrich your life and the atmosphere of your home.
This rambling is the outpouring of discontentment I have concerning my photography business. And I must shout from the rooftops (at the risk of sounding too cliché), “ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY!” Lining my pocket with a few extra dollars does almost nothing to excite me. Simply preserving the memories like my stashed away wedding dress feels nothing short of incomplete for me. But creating ART for you… that rocks my whole entire world.
And so with fear and trepidation I say… Brandelyn Lee Photography is no longer offering the DVD of images to our portrait clients. Our wedding clients will no longer be hiring us to simply ‘shoot and burn’ their wedding day. That is not to say the DVD will not be available at all. I am hoping to find a happy median. I want to make a compromise allowing you to showcase your images through wall portraits and custom albums while not forcing you to spend your entire budget buying overpriced 4×6s. A compromise that will still enable you to share your images with your friends and family via facebook, myspace, blogs, etc.
With that unofficial announcement, I feel a burden lifted. I realize I may “lose” some clients. But I sincerely hope those of you who have expressed a love for what I have captured for you, will be willing to stick around. And in this tight economy, know that I am sincere in my desire to not simply make an extra buck. If you are interested in the new pricing of Brandelyn Lee Photography, portraits or weddings, fill out the contact form (here or on the websites). Or simply drop a line to brandy@brandelynlee.com We are working on establishing new collections that will fit all of your needs. They will range in price from $500 to $4000. We are hoping to put together some inspiration that will move you from being overwhelmed at your images to knowing exactly why you are commissioning Brandelyn Lee Photography. So… stay tuned!
Also! Note that if you are booked us for a shoot or a wedding before this announcement, the rate you locked in at, WILL BE HONORED. So, no worries! If you are in a Baby’s First Year collection, those too, will be honored.
And lastly, I’d love to hear from you. If you are a former or prospective client, let me know your thoughts. I deeply value your opinions. I want to provide you with a service you can be happy with. If you have any thoughts, ideas, tips, concerns you would like to share, please, drop me a line.
And for all you folks that could care less about all that text cluttering up your screen- here is a couple more images from Claire and Charlotte’s session a couple weeks ago
