Glad you found a good local lab! Most of the time Miller’s does everything I need, when and how I need it, but as soon as I need something same-day or a special order, I work with a good lab in the nearby metro.

If there’s any topic you would like to read about here on the site, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I should have another article coming out this week.

Thank you for reading!

I like to sell digital files, myself; for me they are easier, more immediate, easier to sell more of, never get returned because the lab messed them up, I don’t have to pay for shipping from the lab, and the overhead for a CD and jewel case is almost nothing. So for this reason, I charge as much for my digital files as my smallest print; I want them to buy files over prints. It works for me.

If you want a pricing structure with more opportunity for upsell or profits, try raising the price of your digital files – for example, from $10 to $20 – but also raise the price of your smallest prints to that level as well. So your 4×6, 5×7, 8×10 prints, and your hi-res digital files would all run $20. If you feel your art and market can command a higher price like this (or $40 – or $80! Why the heck not, if there are willing buyers?), give it a try.

You can also structure hi-res files to correlate with print sizes and prices; such as, you can offer a 4×6 print or a 4×6 digital file for $10 – then, a 5×7 print or file for $15 – then 8×10 print or file for $20, on up. It will take a bit more explanation and education from you to your client, but it’s a way to test the waters on improving your profits per client.

If you want to sell prints more than you want to sell digital files, such as because you want to open up the chance of multi-print purchases of the same file or because you want to push the sale of larger prints aka wall art, then just match your digital file price to the print size + price of your choice. So instead of $10 4×6 and hi-res files, go for $80 16×20s or hi-res files. Just raise the entry level for digital files. If you present it to a client as having greater value because they can make as many prints of any size as they want with a digital file, they will follow your logic.

Higher prices are always warranted as the level of your art improves and as your client experience improves, both an end product of practice and experience. Don’t be afraid to raise your prices and see if you make the same or more money with less work – that is always a noble and natural goal. But also don’t be afraid to keep your prices very attractive and affordable until you’ve built your portfolio, developed your art and business, and have a nice foundation of repeat and referral customers.

Keep in mind that as you price yourself out of one market and into another, you then have a whole new target market to build awareness and relationships with that will also be harder and more expensive to reach. Never be afraid to experiment though. Photography, like any business, can be a wonderfully dynamic and fun experience. Enjoy the excitement of trying out new pricing structures as much as trying new artistic styles. You know best when you’re ready to step your business up to the next level of art, service, and income.