It's a constant debate in the photographer's world -- should I offer my images on disc? There are some professionals that will send you off with a bill and a CD of images, leaving you to do the work of obtaining prints and dispersing them to family and friends. When I tell prospective brides that I do not offer a disc of images, many presume it's so that I will force their friends and family into buying prints at a higher price. It isn't about the money, it's about preserving the integrity of the work, and making sure that the photographs you share with your family reflect your good taste.In the day and age of the Internet, it's hard to know how those images will be used and when they will show up. However, many print shops, including Wal-Mart and Costco, have taken strides to protect the copyrights of the photographer's work. However, it's about more than just copyright protection, it's about brand-name protection.
Imagine for a moment, if you will: you go to the grocery store and buy a bag of Cheetos, impatiently waiting to dive in to their cheesy, crunchy goodness. You tear open the bag, and what's inside are a few handfuls of some twisted corn something-or-others, but they are most certainly not Cheetos. Disappointed? Yes. Now what if that was your experience every time you bought a bag of Cheetos for a month, would you keep buying Cheetos? Probably not.
The same is true with photographers and the brands that we create -- our names. We work hard to uphold a certain style and image with our work, knowing that when people see the art that we've created, they will associate it with us, the brand.
What happens when we send our work out into the world, uncontrolled, is that we are now diminishing the brand that we have worked so hard to create. The image that is printed from the disc at a retail print shop is of lower quality than the print we would provide from a professional lab. Give that copy to Aunt Mary, who scans it into her computer and e-mails it to your cousin that couldn't make it to the wedding, who brings it to work and shares it with all of her friends and the high-quality photographer has a very low quality print. Regardless of how amazing the image is, her friends are all wondering why you didn't hire a professional photographer.
A better alternative is to find a photographer that offers an online gallery of your images. This allows the guests to peruse the images from the comfort of home, purchase quality prints, and saves you the headache of figuring out which photos on the list Cousin Susie really wanted.
