digital downloads and digital download packages:
		the hubbub is real.

PhotoReflect photographers may have noticed something magical recently. One month after the launch of these new features (in May 2010) and all previously held records for photographer sales of the digital download PhotoReflect product option have been broken.

The reason for this is pretty simple: The latest updates to the Digital Download process has been lauded as the best in the industry because, now, when a photo customer wants to purchase a “package” of digital prints, a new selection window opens for them to pick and choose their favorites and ultimately pay you, the photographer, top-dollar for your hard work.

the news is so exciting, we wanted to see it in action
so we asked three different photographers; a wedding photographer, an event destination company in Mexico, and a freelance photographer, about the advantages, flexibility and profitability of PhotoReflect's Digital Downloads and here is what they have to say:

"biggest wedding winner ever"
According to Austin Imagery (of Austin, Texas), when a bride and groom purchase wedding packages from the award-winning wedding and event photographers, there is not the most pressing need for them to re-order prints that have not yet been delivered in album form. Plus, the bride and groom know how to get a hold of them. Where PhotoReflect really impresses is how they can publish the post-processed images online and let wedding guests know where they can find and order the pictures. The bride and groom are on their honeymoon and don’t need to be bothered because the pictures are online and available for download. According to Yvonne Johnson of Austin Imagery, Digital Delivery Packages are her biggest sellers.

"If you would have told me a year ago that my online wedding portrait sales would do this kind of business, I would not have believed you. But there is not a wedding I shoot where a set of digital download photos of 5 or 10 images [sold as packages for more than $200 each] has not been bought, at least once."

Yvonne is also quick to mention with excitment: "For engagement sessions, digital downloads and digital download packages are as popular as prints! They allow couples to use photos for their Save-the-Dates and post on their wedding planning blogs to get their wedding guests excited about the wedding."

¡ fiesta delfin !
“I laughed so hard when I saw pictures taken of me and my new hubby kissing a dolphin in Cabo San Lucas were online through PhotoReflect! It was like work followed me on my honeymoon,” explains PhotoReflect’s marketing manager, Kerry (pictured right). When we asked the manager of the photography department for Cabo Adventures and Cabo Dolphin Experience about digital downloads we have come to learn they, currently, only sell digital downloads because of the simplicity of creating a niche re-order service for their customers whom typically reside out of their country. It makes so much sense; it’s just brilliant: no customs forms; no shipping delays or painfully tasking change orders; and, no language barrier. Their customers just need to find and buy their favorite digital pictures online and do what they will with it. “The reports are my favorite feature of PhotoReflect,” our friend at Cabo Adventures explains, because it helps manage this very specific task of the super simple business model.

old Dog. new tricks.
Dog the Bounty Hunter is a popular television show on A&E that follows the “greatest bounty hunter in the world,” Duane “the Dog” Chapman as he bring criminals to justice. Duane and his wife, Beth, just wrapped up their tour promoting the book Where Mercy is Shown, Mercy is Given and they took tons of pictures along the way. The Dog the Bounty Hunter Fan Club website has turned to PhotoReflect to publish these photos and sell digital downloads exclusively. The most remarkable thing about it is while these pictures are for sale for quite a modest price (no more than $4 for a high-resolution image) a chunk of the proceeds are to be directly donated to the Make A Wish Foundation, per Duane and Beth’s request!

When we asked the fan club’s site administrator about this wonderful service and using PhotoReflect, he replied, humbly, “The book tour was a great chance for fans to meet their favorite bounty-hunting family. To be able to extend that experience to a collection of pictures that when purchased helps put a smile on the face of children that could use one is just another way for the Chapman family to live by their mission of living by the ‘F’s: Faith, Family, Friends and Fans.’”

the best news… These are just three fans of the digital download feature that is entirely new, improved, and getting a lot of great reviews. No where else but PhotoReflect, is this type of photography product so elaborate, flexible and easy to implement. Just set your price and sell. Whenever your online customers purchase a single download or a whole package, you approve the order, and your customers get an email with a link to download their purchase. It is the most simple and profitable opportunity for photographers to create no-hassle revenue… no wonder it’s so popular! how digital downloads work Digital Downloads are created by photographers interested in selling high, medium and/or low-resolution photos online simply by selecting the product option and pricing the photos based on the resolution. As with everything available on PhotoReflect, photographers have full control over what they want to offer on their online storefront and its price. Current PhotoReflect photographers can find digital downloads in the “products” page of their online manager. New PhotoReflect users are asked if they want to sell Digital Downloads during the sign up process. At any time, a new or current user can opt-in or out of selling digital downloads by simply checking a box in the online manager. When a photographer’s online customer purchases a digital download, the PhotoReflect photographer gets an email. That email is to let the photographer know, make any changes to the photo they think is important, and then “approve” the order. Once an order for a digital download is approved by the photographer, PhotoReflect sends the online customer an email with a link to the photo they purchased. The photographer is paid for this sale just as they are paid for any other transaction on their storefront, but in this case, there is no fulfillment or shipment to consider! how digital download packages work New in May 2010 is the ability to sell digital download “packages” completely through the online product manager. Packaging more than one digital download, whether they are high, medium or low resolution, allows photographers to create an incentive for their online customers to purchase more than one photo in a convenient way and often at a discount. The process to create digital download packages is similar to electing to sell and price any product, print, or gift item on PhotoReflect. In the product tab of the online manager, the photographer can choose exactly what digital products they would like to sell and for how much. The new interface now allows the photographer to offer more than one at a time and price that as a unique product for sale on their PhotoReflect internet storefront. When an online customer elects to buy a digital download package, they are directed to a new selection screen where they can pick exactly what pictures they would like to put in their “package.” They can choose between photos they “starred” or all of the photos in the album published by the photographer. When the photographer’s online customer is satisfied with their choices, they pay for their purchase and the photographer is notified of the purchase, as always with any purchase. When the purchase is approved by the photographer, the online customer gets an email with a link to a webpage where all of the digital photos they ordered are available for download… the photographer doesn’t need to do anything else! The images on the right show step-by-step instructions on this new feature.