where to get large prints?

i just had someone ask me if i sell large prints of my photos...shes looking for poster size! i have no clue where to even have something like that done! im afraid that if its blown up too big, the pixels will get out of wack and noisy looking. how does every one else get large prints of their work?

also i was trying to decide to go through adorama or mpix. i want to get like a 20x30 or larger....and how much should i charge the client?...obviously charge cost to have print made, but how much more should i charge for having taken the photo?

[OsmosisStudios]

You can easily do a 24x36" print (Standard poster size) from a 10mp camera. 8mp, in a pinch.

I have several LOCAL places that'll do it for fairly cheap. Depending on the photo, I'd charge differently. Is it something they've commissioned from a shoot, or is it a piece in your portfolio they want a poster of?

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

You can easily do a 24x36" print (Standard poster size) from a 10mp camera. 8mp, in a pinch.

I have several LOCAL places that'll do it for fairly cheap. Depending on the photo, I'd charge differently. Is it something they've commissioned from a shoot, or is it a piece in your portfolio they want a poster of?

it was a photo from my portfolio, that they want a large print made of...i did some research, @ adoroma a 24x 36 is $28+ shipping. i told her id sell it for $48 (plus the shipping cost) do you think this is fair for the both of us? beacuse this being my first sale, im not quite sure what is a good price to sell my work for...

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by ntinlizi

it was a photo from my portfolio, that they want a large print made of...i did some research, @ adoroma a 24x 36 is $28+ shipping. i told her id sell it for $48 (plus the shipping cost) do you think this is fair for the both of us? beacuse this being my first sale, im not quite sure what is a good price to sell my work for...

Here's the thing:
When I shoot for myself (as a hobby/artform/whatever) I tend to have a rather high value for my work. As such, A poster of that size is A) a limited edition or one-off and B) expensive as all hell.

I had someone ask me for a 12x18 print of a photo I had taken while on vacation. I had taken it for myself, as a hobby piece. However, I charged her $250 for it. Part of that went to covering the cost of the print (~$20) and the rest went straight into my pocket.

I value my photos as works of art, not just as photos/souvenirs/keepsakes. If you take a look at my portfolio (here), most of those images were shot with other purposes in mind. Some were on vacations, others were experiments with a new lens, and others were just spur-of-the-moment shots that caught my eye and I decided to stop and capture.

You may not value your work the same way, but that's how my system works. I dont do alot of commercial stuff because it bores the ever-loving crap out of me. Shooting for myself, however, actually makes me happy. I have a rather heavy-handed fondness for it, so I charge accordingly.

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Here's the thing:
When I shoot for myself (as a hobby/artform/whatever) I tend to have a rather high value for my work. As such, A poster of that size is A) a limited edition or one-off and B) expensive as all hell.

I had someone ask me for a 12x18 print of a photo I had taken while on vacation. I had taken it for myself, as a hobby piece. However, I charged her $250 for it. Part of that went to covering the cost of the print (~$20) and the rest went straight into my pocket.

I value my photos as works of art, not just as photos/souvenirs/keepsakes. If you take a look at my portfolio (here), most of those images were shot with other purposes in mind. Some were on vacations, others were experiments with a new lens, and others were just spur-of-the-moment shots that caught my eye and I decided to stop and capture.

You may not value your work the same way, but that's how my system works. I dont do alot of commercial stuff because it bores the ever-loving crap out of me. Shooting for myself, however, actually makes me happy. I have a rather heavy-handed fondness for it, so I charge accordingly.

wow! this was a vacation photo for myself. i would love to get $250 too, but theres no way that this person would pay that much! not to mention im thinking maybe then she'll spread my name around and bring in more interested people, and id charge more then... up til now, ive only had these pics for my own happiness, hard to put a price on that. thank you for your input, i really appreciate it.

[Ciscley]

• It costs $2 to print an 8x10 at your local drugstore. Would you sell that for only $3.43? That's the equivalent markup you gave yourself for this $28 print, and someone buying this size print certainly values it more than someone asking for a smaller size.

• Don't question a gift horse! (or whatever the correct cliche is). If someone has enough of an emotional connection to your photo to ask you (a complete stranger) to sell them a copy, say thank you and ask for $$$. Don't assume it means they're going to send all their friends to you and you'll make the same amount of money in volume. In my experience this type of non-commissioned photo sale is rarely about volume. It's about someone finding something they like and *wanting* it.

[dcclark]

Yes, charge for real value!

I offer 20x30 prints for around $150, in case anyone actually wants them (it's pretty uncommon though). It's not just about markup percentages, but rather about the total effort involved in learning and making that photo -- plus its artistic value. Don't undercut yourself!

ive already told her, $118 (28 for print, 5 for shipping, and 85 for me), cant much go back on it now, but next time ill be more prepared with prices! not too worried about it, shes an old friend. thank you all for your input, really helped, im gonna go make a price list for next time buyers now! oh, kind of off the suject, but i have my signature and copywrite saved in my picture folder (it was a scan). im not sure how to get it onto the photos!

[dcclark]

I never put a signature or copyright ON the photos -- you can write on the back, perhaps, but I usually write a title and signature on the mat or border in pencil or opaque pen.