What exactly is a proof anyways?

Look up the definition of the word “proof” and you’ll see it’s used in a variety of ways.  How about a mathematical proof?  Or when something is child-proof or water-proof?  What about proof in a court of law which shows that something is true?  In photography, a proof is a sample image intended to be used for the purpose of selecting a final image.

So, what do we need to know about proofs that will help us with our selection of a photographer? I think we need the answers to the following questions:

What form will the proofs take?

There are two basic forms; digital and printed.  The printed ones might be as large as a 4×6 or as small as a stamps printed on a proof sheet.  The larger ones will often have the logo printed on it or a watermark across the image.  Digital proofs are either shown only online or on a CD.  Often they will have a watermark on them as well.  I’ve also seen them given on CD’s that  after a certain amount of time they self-destruct just like in Mission Impossible.   Well, not exactly, these just stop working.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages?  Printed ones are easy to carry around with you.  You’ll want to take them to school to get everyone’s opinion.  Mom will want to take them to work.  They’re just very portable. But, if they are too small you might have difficultly really telling what they will look like when they are blown up and hanging over the fireplace.  The watermark may be distracting.

Are the digital ones any better?   Well, yes and no.  They aren’t very portable which can be frustrating.  But generally they aren’t very, very small.  Online images are easier to share with relatives far away.  One big problem with digital is that they are seen with transmitted light and prints are seen with reflective light (light that reflects off the ink).  Because of this prints will never perfectly match the brilliant colors you see on the monitor.  It’s just not physically possible.  A good photographer can make them close but never exactly the same.  Also the images will look different on different monitors.  If your photographer calibrates their monitor the images seen on their monitor will look the closest to the prints.   But they can look very different when you get home.

Do I get to keep the proofs?

You’ll also want to know if you get to keep the proofs.  Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.  Some photographers will let you buy all the whole set of proofs at a discounted rate.  Others might give them to you if your order exceeds a certain amount.  Still others will include them as part of the package.   Personally, I let you keep the proofs. The catch is that my logo is on them.  I see free advertising coming my way whenever you show them to your friends.

Getting to keep the proofs will add value to your final order. So this should be considered when comparing the “out the door” price with another photographer.  Another advantage of getting to keep the proofs is that it reduces some of the pressure to buy more photos than you planned on in your budget.

How close are the proofs to the final image?

This is a big question that you need to ask.  Some photographers don’t do any editing of their proofs.  Some do some basic corrections.  Others go all out and what you see is what you get.  The disadvantage of the first two options is that some people have difficulty imagining what the final image is going to look like.  The disadvantage of the final option is that doing final editing of ALL your proofs takes time and that can add costs to the final price.

The thing I think you need to remember is to ask them if they completely finish off the proofs or will the ones you choose be edited further.  If the answer is that they will be edited further, ask them if they can show you a sample of a proof and its final image.  That way you’ll have an idea of what to expect.