We Made It! (Almost!!)
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to some family time during the holidays and getting to relax a bit. It's been a crazy busy season for us all and we deserve a bit of a break, right? I wanted to send out some information about end-of-year vacation dates, turn-around times and a bit about what's going to be new in 2019. Keep reading below for more information.
Vacation Dates/Turn Around Times
I'll be taking a break December 18 - January 2. Please have all catalogs submitted before December 10 if you'd like them back before I take my vacation. I'll resume regular hours January 3 and turn around times should return to 5 business days for portraits and 7 business days for weddings (culling and retouching may add up to 2-3 days). Thank you all for your patience during busy season! I'm looking to add an assistant editor during busy season next year to help keep turn around times reasonable!
Are You in for 2019? Read on for important updates!
Most of us evaluate our business and make a plan for future changes and improvements at the end of each year. For my editing business, I've determined a need for better communication with my photographer clients to keep you informed through the editing process and allow you to give feedback as well. Emails can get lost, and I'll be honest, in the midst of busy season, my inbox is a mess! So, I'll be using Avaza, an online project management system in 2019 that will allow you to add each catalog to a project board, add your notes and watch it move through the process (received by me and editing scheduled with due date, editing, delivery, and invoicing). You'll be able to set a due date, leave your editing notes and requests, and get notified when it's marked complete. You can opt-in to receive email notifications but ultimately everything will be in ONE PLACE when it comes to checking in on your photos. The bonus is that your invoices will be there too - it's all connected. Sound good? Great! I'll be sending out invites in January for you setup your account (totally free for you) to access your project board and invoices. Oh, and it's super easy to use for you! I'll do a quick video to walk everyone through it. I have no doubt you'll find it easy and useful!
Updates to Services and Pricing
Please read below for pricing updates including minimum fees per catalog, and additional services such as anchor images and retouching:
Lightroom Editing Updates
Retouching (Lightroom and Photoshop) Updates
Lightroom Plus (heal/clone, brushwork) and Photoshop Retouching will be upon request by including it in catalog notes, flagging specific images, or adding them to a collection. Retouching is done in a separate pass through of the images for any requested spot correction or brush work, due to the fact that this is a different and more detailed editing process. Knowing which images you'd like to be retouched will save me time so I can easily find the images and won't spend unnecessary time sorting through images that don't need extra work. Starting in 2019, requests for additional brushwork or healing/cloning may be made by flagging images or by placing them in a collection for a reduced cost. Use whichever indication works best for your workflow and since this saves me time, you'll get a 25% off for that service level. Identification by flagging or placing in collections is not required, but if no specific images are indicated with your retouching request, then each photo will be evaluated for retouching needs and the regular fee will apply. A note about minor corrections: usually I will spot correct small distractions or use a quick brush on a small areas if it's very noticeable and quick and easy (like heal out a little bug in a few photos or brush to lighten a face when it's darker than the others) and these are generally included in the basic charges and not charged for additional work.
Here's a breakdown of the add-on levels (prices are in addition to basic Lightroom edits):
Lightroom Editing Updates
- Basic Lightroom Edits will remain at $0.35/image for weddings and $0.39 for portrait sessions.
- Pricing is based on having a minimum of 7% of the catalog pre-edited with anchor images for reference. 10% is ideal. This helps me make sure I'm matching your style and saves us both time in the end (less guessing for me and less tweaking for you). It also accounts for any color differences in our monitors. For weddings, please be sure to include anchor images for each location. Catalogs with less than 7% pre-edited anchor may be charged an additional fee for developing anchor images as these take more time than ($1 per anchor image needed)
- Minimum fee per catalog - $20 for portrait sessions and $75 for weddings (retouching, culling, or anchor image editing services are included in the total for meeting this minimum).
Retouching (Lightroom and Photoshop) Updates
Lightroom Plus (heal/clone, brushwork) and Photoshop Retouching will be upon request by including it in catalog notes, flagging specific images, or adding them to a collection. Retouching is done in a separate pass through of the images for any requested spot correction or brush work, due to the fact that this is a different and more detailed editing process. Knowing which images you'd like to be retouched will save me time so I can easily find the images and won't spend unnecessary time sorting through images that don't need extra work. Starting in 2019, requests for additional brushwork or healing/cloning may be made by flagging images or by placing them in a collection for a reduced cost. Use whichever indication works best for your workflow and since this saves me time, you'll get a 25% off for that service level. Identification by flagging or placing in collections is not required, but if no specific images are indicated with your retouching request, then each photo will be evaluated for retouching needs and the regular fee will apply. A note about minor corrections: usually I will spot correct small distractions or use a quick brush on a small areas if it's very noticeable and quick and easy (like heal out a little bug in a few photos or brush to lighten a face when it's darker than the others) and these are generally included in the basic charges and not charged for additional work.
Here's a breakdown of the add-on levels (prices are in addition to basic Lightroom edits):
- Lightroom Plus (Level One) $1.00/image: object removal and skin/hair/clothing retouching - Up to 10 Heal/Clone spots, Up to 3 Different brush adjustments
- Lightroom Plus (Level Two) $2.00/image: object removal and skin/hair/clothing retouching - 11 to 20 Heal/Clone spots, Up to 6 Different brush adjustments
- Lightroom Plus (Level Three) $2.50/image and up: anything over Level Two - Price will be customized based on specific needs and approved by you before work is done
- Photoshop Retouch (Level One): $1.50/image: object removal and skin/hair/clothing retouching - Up to 12 Heal/Clone spots, Up to 3 Different Layer Adjustments (Curves, Color, Etc.)
- Photoshop Retouch (Level Two): $2.50/image: object removal and skin/hair/clothing retouching - 13 to 24 Heal/Clone spots, Up to 6 Different Layer Adjustments (Curves, Color, Etc.)
- Photoshop Retouch (Level Three): $3.00/image and up: anything over Level Two - Price will be customized based on specific needs and approved by you before work is done
- Culling Weddings $0.08/image sent: price is based on how many images are sent in the catalog, including pre-edits, regardless of how many are to be in the final catalog. (Think about how many images will need to be viewed to get to the final set)
- Culling Portraits $0.10/image sent: price is based on how many images are sent in the catalog, including pre-edits, regardless of how many are to be in the final catalog. (Think about how many images will need to be viewed to get to the final set)
Let Me Know!
Please let me know if you're on board for 2019 and that you accept the updated pricing and procedures. If you're in for 2019, I'd love to hear if you have any big changes that may impact how I serve you (like a change in number of catalogs, type of sessions/ weddings, new version of Lightroom, or if you want to add retouching, etc.). We can set-up a phone or video call to discuss things more in the new year, if you'd like.
In your email can you also send me your mailing address? I'll be sending W-9s to anyone who may need to file a 1099 for taxes and I don't think I have everyone's mailing address - and plus it's the holidays and I really want your address :)
In your email can you also send me your mailing address? I'll be sending W-9s to anyone who may need to file a 1099 for taxes and I don't think I have everyone's mailing address - and plus it's the holidays and I really want your address :)