I will admit it. At the beginning of this year I decided to try to make my collections super easy and "give the people what they wanted". According to people, they said they wanted "just digitals", with a handful wanting albums and folio boxes, but to be honest, the majority went for the digital only collection. But I didn't press this further. I didn't question WHY the majority of people just wanted digital images of their saucy boudoir photos?? I just accepted it, but I realize now that as the professional, it is my job, nay! MY DUTY, to educate clients on why maybe digital images are NOT the ideal solution to receiving your amazing boudoir images. I have written about this in the past here, but I got away from it while trying to find what worked best for me and my business model. So, as we entered the halfway point of 2017, the Universe spoke to me. (roll your eyes all you want...I think it did)
I was cleaning up my studio and I accidentally knocked over a black box on my shelf. All of these 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 prints came fluttering down to the ground and after I cursed my "bull in the china shop-ness" I looked closer at the images. These were beautiful boudoir photos that I had printed out 3 years prior....these were images that told the stories of the beautiful women that graced them and as I touched them with my hand I was immediately transported back to the day that I photographed them. I stopped what I was doing and sat in the middle of this pile of prints, smiling at the images in front of me. I looked at my work and thought about how far I had come since 3 years ago. I looked at the women and wondered how they were doing in their self love journey and life. But then....I frowned.
These images were stored on a hard drive somewhere in my home. They were catalogued away, sitting on a dusty hard drive and that's when I realized....I would never purposely plug in my hard drive to see these images, because, well, I'm lazy...and that's when I realized that most people are too. In this day and age, people want instant gratification and the path of least resistance....so, while the USB of digital files may seem ultimately the most instantaneously exciting and best option, I guarantee that if I have a USB of digital files sitting on my nightstand or an album on my nightstand with the same images, I will be more likely to pick up the album because it's the path of least resistance (plus we only create luxury albums with the highest quality so they are FAB to feel and seeing yourself in print is the ultimate highlight).
I can't say my husband and I ever cozied up around the computer, listening to the whirr of the hard drive and reminisced over our digital files....but every night, before we go to bed, we see our canvasses of our engagement and wedding and we see my sexy boudoir photos on our wall....more importantly, I see my boudoir images on the wall and am reminded both consciously and subconsciously that I am a fierce babe that can take on the world (but also has a sweet and sensitive side). So, I decided to bring back EXPERIENCE to my clients....if my job is to empower you, then I have to do everything I can to ensure you walk out of my studio and can continue that "Boudoir High" that clients rave about. If you can easily grab an album, make eye contact with a saucy matted image of yourself, or revel in the gloriousness that is YOU, then you can keep that high going without the inconvenience of A)having to track down your USB, B)having to plug it in to your laptop or computer, and C)wait for them to load.
Ultimately THAT is why I reverted back to collections and a la carte products...because I want what's best for you. That being said, there are still digital only options, but I want most clients to walk away with something they can look back on when jpegs become extinct. And don't worry, for the instant gratification you can still get your digital images the day of your reveal because with every purchased image in your collection or tangible a la carte item you will also receive the digital copy...so essentially, you get the best of both worlds!
Now, everyone's biggest concern when someone changes their pricing is that their costs will be significantly higher, but to be honest, my prices are pretty much the same as they were before July 1st, but now you actually get luxury items alongside your digital images.
As a boudoir specialist, I don't take my job lightly and every woman who walks through my door deserves to have an epic, self love experience...with the longlasting images to prove it and remind her just how f*ing amazing she is. At the same point I also have to realize that she, like me, is "lazy" and will NOT plug in her USB or go to her dropbox folder to remind herself of her brilliance (because who the fuck has time to do that????) when she could very easily reach for a book of high quality images or simply smile coyly at the image of her that sits on the nightstand. INSTANT EMPOWERMENT FOR EVERYONE!!!To learn more about our products and why we have chosen the ones we have, feel free to check out the pricing page or shoot me an email!