Well…

You can’t.

Yes yes, you can bring to bear a few dozen technical measures (watermarking, disabling right-clicks, image tiling, image masking…) and put the most threatening language on your web site, contract, and license…

But you can’t stop people from doing pretty much anything they want to do.

And when they do violate your rules, you can seek every venue from public shaming to legal letters to lawsuits to punish them for their transgression.

But…

Dang…

Call me a free-lovin’ hippie, but that’s a lot of negative vibes, maaaan.

Let’s shift the conversation from prevention and punishment to enabling and encouragement.

Here’s what’s worked for me:

1. Give people what they want.

2. Give it to them at a price they can afford.

3. Give them the knowledge and understanding they need to see the value.

Here are some examples of what this may look like as your photography business grows:

Startup: In the early days as a professional photographer, the shortest path to success is the one with massive acceleration. So shoot for free, give people digital files, encourage them to print big and hang on the wall so they get the maximum social and emotional value out of their art. Do in-person proofing and ‘sales’ even if you’re trading out the files for practice, portfolio pieces, and social capital (testimonials, introductions, etc.). This keeps proofs offline, encourages the purchase or appreciation, and gives you the opportunity to educate the client on how best to enjoy the art you’ve made together.

Intermediate: If you’re digital-centric like me, learn to make a wide variety of great images fast, and sell digital packages full of photos your clients “can’t live without.” If you want to shift to print, start the process of evolving your art, the language around your work, your target market, and your sales sessions to focus on the experience and value of big prints.

Advanced: Level up your art until the demand is high among the more discerning clientele in your market. Sell digital files at wall art prices. Or sell wall art at wall art prices. Make fewer, better photos.

Keep in mind, clients aren’t buying your photographs; they’re buying the feelings your photographs enable for them, and the experience that’s crafted to elicit and explore those feelings. The more you focus on the feelings of your work rather than the facts of it (size, discounts, paper, ink, session length, megapixels…), the faster you’ll connect with your market and see the success you’re hungry for.

Not sure how to do this? E-mail me and let me know.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com

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