Photo shoot vouchers for people that have (almost) everything
We live in times of general abundance.
Majority of people have everything they need to live so buying meaningful gifts for various occasions often gives us headaches. Nice smellies, socks, scarves, ties, chocolates, wine and so many more fool-proof gifts are possibly best given once. If you try to use the same gift idea every year it will surely be received with descending level of excitement on the recipient’s end.
That’s when gift cards and gift vouchers became a huge hit.
For buyers: you are spending money on a gift that is most likely going to be liked by the recipient as they will choose it themselves.
For recipients: you are choosing the gift you love. You know what you want and you can buy it without spending a penny.
For shops: some vouchers have an expiry date so by the time the recipient makes up their mind what they want it may have expired. Money in the checkout, stock not claimed. Kerching.
LOVE VOUCHERS…
There are many reasons why people love vouchers
- You can decide how much you want to spend
- You can choose a shop that the recipient loves (provided you know them well enough)
- They are easily accessible in most supermarkets, in post office and in all major shops
- They give the recipient the freedom to spend on what they love
OR HATE VOUCHERS?
- They are impersonal
- Buyer doesn’t need to take much time or make effort to choose a meaningful gift (so are often seen as a lazy, thoughtless way out of the gift buying challenge)
- They may expire a year / two years from the date of purchase so money is wasted and no gift claimed
Photo Shoot Vouchers
Going back to the theme of abundance.
We live in relatively peaceful times and we seem to have enough to survive every day (Thank God for that!).
The gifts that we receive are no longer things that we NEED; instead we seem to be getting things that we WANT or DREAM OF. Every year especially at Christmas billions of pounds are spent on items that will be loved, but probaboly half of it will be wasted, never used or dumped in a tip, eBay or the nearest charity shop.
No surprise there is an ever growing movement of people promoting recycling, reuse and repurposing things to reduce spenditure and wastage. Instead of buying new things, many suggest purchasing second hand gifts to reduce pollution. I love this idea and am trying to spend less and buy second hand whenever possible. It is not only environment (and pocket) friendly but is always great fun. Read more about the idea of repurposing and secondhand buying in this interesting article.
With abundance of things (that we buy with money earned whilst spending more and more time at work) the thing that we seem to be missing is TIME. I have heard the expression that time is the biggest commodity these days a number of times and I can’t agree more.
Photo shoot vouchers are in fact NOT just for photos
Our kids seem to have everything that we can buy with money but are missing out on happy times with us, working parents. As a family photographer I sometimes see how rare and precious these times are, when families get together, without an agenda, just to be together and have fun. I am also really thrilled to see that more and more people are taking the time to go out and have their family moments beautifully captured.
If you have family members or friends who have everything – buy a gift of memories for them.
Give them a reason to go out together to the beach, the forest, the moors or even stay at home and have a nice joyful afternoon together. The simple unstaged moments often turn out to be the best times of our lives so having them beautifully captured is a great (gift) idea.
Before you buy a photo shoot voucher
Unlike TKMaxx or Zara vouchers, photo shoot vouchers need a bit more checking before you gift them. Here are a few things you need to be sure of before you buy a photo shoot gift to someone:
- Make sure they actually are keen to have their photos taken. If they are on the fence you can try to sell the idea to them, however if they truly and utterly hate having their photos taken, setting them (and the photographer) for this is a bit mean. Don’t be mean.
- Make sure they like the photographer you wish to purchase from. Each photographer aspires to develop their unique style (shooting and editing) and it appeals to some but not to others. Check that they like the portfolio of the photographer you have chosen to them to make sure the money is well spent.
- Make sure the they can afford the top up. I personally sell gifts for monetary value, as opposed to packages. You can spend as little as you wish or buy a complete package. If you are contributing a part of a package make sure the recipient will be able to top up the difference to receive the images. Imagine the disappointment when you have been given a voucher for 5 images, you love and want them all but can’t afford. Again, it may feel really heartbreaking leaving behind the images you love because the pricing structure came as a shock.
- Check expiry date. Some photographers sell packages and these have expiry dates. I personally sell vouchers for monetary value so if for instance you spend £200 on a voucher it will never expire but if prices go up you will get less for your voucher.
- Accept and inform that they are NOT exchangeable for cash. It goes without saying but probably needs to be said – once a photo shoot is purchased, cash cannot be claimed back. In simple terms, use it or lose it. If you have received a photo shoot voucher which you are not keen on, just give it to someone else that may love it.
If you are thinking about purchasing a gift for baby shower, birthday, wedding, Christmas or any other occasion please get in touch and I will be happy to help.