Would you pay $$ for 'in-progress' photos?

Karl B. Andersen

Karl B. Andersen

Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Messages
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I think that's a legitimate question.
I am asked that ssssssssssooooooooooooooooooooo often.
Have you ever considered what that REALLY means?
There are so many steps and stages of making a knife that it would take volumes of pages to list all the steps.
Even if we simply consider the major steps, there are still many dozens of things to consider.
I have done countless WIPs on knife making. I know exactly what I'm saying.
It takes time - lots of time.
When I consider doing it any more, I cringe.
If you are a knife maker that is doing so to put food on the table, time is precious.
When stopping to take photos - knife production stops.
When choosing which photos to use - knife production is not taking place.
When sitting in front of a computer to edit and resize photos for internet/email use - that knife is just sitting there.
Eventually numerous hours of time are added to the time of making a knife.
When was the last time you went to your local good 'ol boy mechanic for a break job or some front end work or trouble shooting? They go by the book - and it can be 100 bucks an hour. Easily.
You are paying for his time.
And when people ask for pictures of their knife being made, it is putting time demands on the maker.
Would you be willing to compensate your knife maker for in-progress photos, or would you be insulted if he asked?
 
As a former buyer/collector I never asked a maker for in-progress pics.
Never thought to ask, never needed them, and had too much respect for their time to consider such a thing.
Once on an 8 month order-to-delivery build, I've had a maker say - feel free to check in on the status anytime.

Obviously you must have customers asking you for in-progress pics.
As a part time maker, I've offered in-progress pics and kept the customer updated. Because I felt obligated and I needed to be engaged with the customer.

Anyway, for your situation as a full time maker, only you know what's best for you.
My suggestion is that even if you could charge for in process pics, you can't charge enough.
It's too much of a hassle and time obstruction to actual knifemaking production.
If I were you as a full time maker, I would not offer such a service.

The only way this might be doable is if you could setup 2-3 cameras mounted in your shop, with some remote foot pedal that fired the shutter.
Then uploaded those shots to some cloud account where the customer could login or be notified when you "updated their personal account"

i'm just thinking out loud here :-)

and my answer to your direct question - no I would not pay for such photos on an order.

Do your customers really expect a full blown WIP? or do they just want a quick shot of some point in time during the progress?


regards
Harbeer
 
I don't expect or want a full WIP or even great pics, but a quick and dirty cel phone pic at the end of the day(once a week or so) goes a LONG way towards reassuring me that progress is being made. Just my thoughts on the matter.

~Chip
 
Interesting to ponder.
I don't have to make a living at it, but like to post in-progress pictures for website/marketing purposes. So I periodically take pix as a matter of course, but not constantly. *Sometimes* I'll send them to a customer, but only if I feel they've been waiting a long time.

The permanent photo setup is a neat idea, though a large expense in equipment and shop space, especially if near dusty things.
Post-processing photos to get them off the camera/phone, shrunken (at a minimum) and posted/sent is no small amount of administrative effort.

Personally, I wouldn't want to pay for the maker's extra time to do that.
 
I wouldn't be willing to pay what it would actually cost for your time to do it.

Since you asked- It would be interesting to see the raw materials that went into the knife. When I see the raw materials during a WIP and then the finished knife the work seems that much more impressive.
 
Karl, I'm like you & don't have time or desire to do a full WIP set of photos. But when ask to do for an order I will send a few photos along the way. Maybe 4 or 5 photos.
 
I would never pay money for WIP pics. In fact, I would pay money NOT to be confronted with WIP threads in this subforum. Show me knives, not parts of knives.

As a rule, I never visit WIP threads and am not about to scroll through one, no matter who the knifemaker. I have a life outside of knives.

EDIT: In contrast, if a maker has taken a few progress images of a piece I've ordered or purchased, it's a nice positive. It forms part of the piece's story/history. But a few images, unsolicited, should bear no cost.
 
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Let's face it.....individuals simply want photos for two reasons...
1. Bragging rights to show off...and second...
2. So as to increase resell value

Both reason make sense.....charge accordingly on second.
 
Would I pay for WiP pics ? ........ No

But I do appreciate some photos along the way

They don't have to get to the point of a Nick Wheeler WIP which by the way has helped more knife makers get better than anything I can almost think of

Quick story

At Blade I rarely leave the booth

Which makes me easy to find :)

Many young makers bring knives to me to look at

Almost all quote Nick for inspiration

Now everyone knows I say what I mean and we all know Nick was and is way to generous with his time to a certain fault

But his impact is undeniable and for that we all owe a huge debt to him

Thx Nick :)

So I'm not saying that a huge WIP progress is a great idea when it comes to time management ........ But many a WIP has boosted makers popularity to another level

So is it when done with reasonable time constraints really a waste of time ?

So for me some unedited quick shots to keep me posted on progress and to give input is appreciated

It doesn't take much time for some crazy cell phone texted pics
 
I've only had a few customers ask for in-progress photos, and I usually oblige with just a few pics. A couple guys have wanted lot's of detailed photos, and I told them it would cost them $. They declined.

I think sometimes they just want to be assured that some progress is being made on their order. Sometimes they just want to see a knife being made. Those guys I refer to the wip's I've done here.

I actually enjoy posting detailed wip threads, but if I'm going to take the time to do that, then I'm going to post it on a forum, so many people can enjoy it. They are time consuming, so I only do about one a year now.
 
No, I would not pay for WIP shots.

I KNOW what goes into making a knife. For the newbies(makers AND collectors) who are interested in such and willing to pay, do a live feed or similar for payment...this makes sense.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Karl, simple one word answer to your question.........NO, but

I do find the WIPs posted very interesting and informative if they are posted on an open forum where many people can enjoy and obtain information from them. I think my opinion is much like that of Joe Paranee.

I nearly always include a simple shot of the finished product when I advise the customer that it is on the way and give them a tracking number, but it just takes me a few minutes and the product is long finished by that time. It's also worth mentioning that I have an "accidental" functioning light box on my bench top which is always ready to go with no adjustment or set up and take down.

Paul
 
sheathmaker said:
Karl, simple one word answer to your question.........NO, but

I do find the WIPs posted very interesting and informative if they are posted on an open forum where many people can enjoy and obtain information from them. I think my opinion is much like that of Joe Paranee.

Paul
Click to expand...

Yes, buddy.... :)
 
INSTAGRAM

I take picts to post on instagram and if the customer follows me they get to see them. If they do not I will email them a few at a time.

$$$ for picts? No

Pict are free and so I determine when and what I post and send.
 
If you want to be paid for pictures, it sounds like you do not want to do it in the first place...so don't.

I would not pay and I be turned off if the maker offered me pictures for a price. Photography is a skill most makers do not possess, that's what Coop is for :)
 
I believe a maker occasionally taking and posting WIP photos on a forum such as this is a very good and economical way for him/her to promote their business.
I would not expect to pay or necessarily receive complete WIP photos, however several progress shots are always welcomed and I don't believe it's too much to
ask from a knifemaker.
 
HSC /// said:
If I were you as a full time maker, I would not offer such a service.
Harbeer
Click to expand...


Please understand - I have no intention of offering such a service. Quite to the contrary!!
I get asked for this so often I thought maybe if I said, "Sure - for 50 bucks an hour" it would be a deterrent and they would stop asking!
 
Yes, absolutely. If you have a customer who is willing to reimburse you for your time in putting together a photo journal for them, and it's worth your time, why not? So long as the deal is clear and everyone agrees, go ahead and offer it as a service.

I have paid for many WiPs. If you consider that time is worth money, and my posting pictures and text in this forum takes my time, then there you go. When I get photos from guys I work with and post them here, I do it with the intention of bringing attention to their work, them and myself. Dollars don't change hands, but I always strive to provide a good value for everyone through my active involvement.

Would I pay money just to keep a photo journal for myself? Probably not, but it depends I guess. Never say never. People pay for professional photos, I don't see why this would be much different.

With Wheeler's Steel, we had people who wanted to publish a book or something from that thread. One even offered money for Nick, but he just didn't want to go there. Nick is a special case- he's kind of the Mother Theresa of knife making :)

I think it's worth talking about, and a really interesting question.
 
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