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View Full Version : So, what do you do with your prints?


wiesmier
15th September 2009, 08:45 PM
I find that I have loads of prints knocking about the place. A lot get given away, some get sold and most get in the way around the house/darkish room until I get sick of the sight of them when I have noticed all the flaws and then they go in the Aga.
I do keep some of them 'properly' with an eye to putting a little group of snaps together for a show. But then get distracted and go off in another direction of snappery and the prints pile up.
What do you do?

CarlRadford
15th September 2009, 08:47 PM
Much the same as you but I don't tend to sell any and it is harder to burn the glass and tin :)

StanW
15th September 2009, 08:56 PM
I'm glad to see I'm not along in having this problem.

Dave miller
16th September 2009, 06:04 AM
The better one’s get framed and hung at home; until better one’s come along. They are then retired to Nomad storage boxes to await a periodic cull.

Andrew Bartram
16th September 2009, 07:09 AM
Much the same for me...

I suppose this prompts a wider question "why do we photograph".

Personally, I will always get a kick out of using older cameras, developing a film and snatching precious moments in the darkroom. Producing a unique image that pleases me first of all. It's great if my family likes the resulting prints enough to hang on the wall - and the generally do - or I get the odd favourable comment from FADU members.

I love to photograph the everyday, the overlooked and try (emphasis on that word!) to end up with a print that makes the ordinary into the beautiful, through composition, lighting and print quality. To see what something looks like when it's photographed to quote another photographer.

I could go on but I've got work to do, in between quotes, preparing method statements and planning site visits I'll day dream about photography.:)

B&W Neil
16th September 2009, 07:46 AM
I find that I have loads of prints knocking about the place. A lot get given away, some get sold and most get in the way around the house/darkish room until I get sick of the sight of them when I have noticed all the flaws and then they go in the Aga.
I do keep some of them 'properly' with an eye to putting a little group of snaps together for a show. But then get distracted and go off in another direction of snappery and the prints pile up.
What do you do?

Much the same TBH but I don't worry about this until I run out of storage space in my print boxes. when it gets to this stage I have to get trid of a few to make space for the upcomming masses :slap:

Neil.

knikki
16th September 2009, 08:17 AM
Some get put in Albums to show friends but now I have a" mobile gallery" to display my prints..

They then go on tour, the wall in the second bedroom then after a while move into the hall, then down stairs into the lounge. :D

Phil
16th September 2009, 09:07 AM
Loads of duffers in old paper boxes, the rest make it through to a ring-binder and when I've lived with those for a while, they get printed properly and popped into Silverprint print sleeves in an archival box. Only ever framed two.
This being said, I recently joined Scottish Photographers with a view towards maybe going one step beyond looking at my prints, at home :rolleyes: and am going to a portfolio session on Sunday (gulp) :eek:
Phil

David Lingham
16th September 2009, 09:10 AM
Glad I'm not alone. I have several boxes of mounted prints, and numerous old paper boxes full with unmounted prints. My problem is I struggle to throw anything away, although I have thinned out the mounted stuff a lot recently, most of it still takes up a large amount of our spare room.

Trevor Crone
16th September 2009, 10:34 AM
In the recycle bin to make ink jet papers.

wiesmier
16th September 2009, 11:08 AM
Hey I've joined Scottish Photogs too:-) I do have distant Scottish blood you know.
My nephew once rode/cycled for Wales at the Commonwealth Games and I'm sure he qualified because his father got caught in a queue on the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge for 20 mins :).
Nice to know I'm not alone in this print dilemma.
Loads of duffers in old paper boxes, the rest make it through to a ring-binder and when I've lived with those for a while, they get printed properly and popped into Silverprint print sleeves in an archival box. Only ever framed two.
This being said, I recently joined Scottish Photographers with a view towards maybe going one step beyond looking at my prints, at home :rolleyes: and am going to a portfolio session on Sunday (gulp) :eek:
Phil

les dix
16th September 2009, 11:19 AM
Actually I must confess to using RC paper a lot and do not recycle as it has a plastic coating.

I spent a few minutes thinking about what a photographer could do with prints. It depends on how you interact with other photographers or the public and what support groups you belong to;

In no particular order;

1. Print exchanges
2. Hanging on your walls at home
3. Entering competitions in a camera club (if you are in one)
4. Having an exhibition in a gallery or other space
5. Entering national/regional competitions (although many are d*****l only)
6. Showing to people in a club or group as a lecture or discussion evening
7. Entering national or international salons
8. Creating a handmade book
9. Attempting to sell them (never tried that)
10. Join a print circle such as UPP
11. Work toward a distinction such as those of the RPS or PAGB.
12. Send them to magazines and see what happens

I have run out of ideas although I am sure there are more. I have tried about half of these (1,2,3,6,11 and 12). Only 2,6 and 11 would I say have been succesful/enjoyable.

Regards

Les

Phil
16th September 2009, 11:49 AM
[QUOTE=wiesmier;16642]Hey I've joined Scottish Photogs too:-) QUOTE]

Time for a link methinks :D
http://www.scottish-photographers.com/
Works is an interesting read, and the emails arrive on time, hence my trip this weekend to Dunshelt (near Auchtermuchty :shock: if anyone is interested!)
P

Dave miller
16th September 2009, 12:18 PM
[quote=wiesmier;16642]Hey I've joined Scottish Photogs too:-) QUOTE]

Time for a link methinks :D
http://www.scottish-photographers.com/
Works is an interesting read, and the emails arrive on time, hence my trip this weekend to Dunshelt (near Auchtermuchty :shock: if anyone is interested!)
P

Good idea, why not make an entry in our Links section so that others may find it long after this post gets buried?

Phil
16th September 2009, 01:19 PM
Sorry Dave :o - that occured to me over lunchtime :slap:
Duly done.
Cheers
Phil

Dave miller
16th September 2009, 01:28 PM
Sorry Dave :o - that occured to me over lunchtime :slap:
Duly done.
Cheers
Phil

Good for you, it's an underused facility on this forum, perhaps because it's a bit cumbersome to use. We are looking for alternative software.

Richard Gould
16th September 2009, 02:01 PM
Those that are ny personal work get stored, the best mounted,put on display at home untill I start ton see the faults in them, or get tired of looking at them,at which time I re cycle them, trying to re use what I can of the mounts,and the cycle starts over again, My more commercial work, of course,gets sold,I hope, to happy customers,Richard

Akki14
17th September 2009, 06:49 AM
There's random piles of them scattered around my flat :( There's 6 polaroids framed and 4 cyanotypes framed on the walls. Before we moved, we had no picture hanging hooks and now we've filled all of them in the new flat.

mono
17th September 2009, 07:53 AM
My (personal) best are hanging on the wall til they will be replaced by better ones.
The rest are stored in archival boxes until they find an exhibition...
Some are scanned for my website,
some have been sold!

Rob Archer
17th September 2009, 09:01 PM
Much the same for me, too. I've finally started sorting prints out by time and place ( I mostly do landscape and architecture) and putting them in labelled boxes. I've now also started putting my better prints into sleeves for protection.

My biggest problem is the prints I mounted up for camera club competitions. I've got a loftfull.

I do have quite a few framed, but not enough walls to put them on!

I've sold a few (surprisingly not the ones I expect may sell!) and I've given several away as presents. If somebody else can get a bit of pleasure from my prints I'm happy!

And then there's print exchanges, which means you end up with the same number of prints anyway - just someone else's!

Rob

Roy_H
17th September 2009, 09:13 PM
With prints accumulated over 45 years, I'm fortunate in having a large loft.

They do get culled occasionally, but in general I'm leaving that job to a house clearance company a few more years down the road...

Mike O'Pray
17th September 2009, 11:02 PM
With prints accumulated over 45 years, I'm fortunate in having a large loft.

They do get culled occasionally, but in general I'm leaving that job to a house clearance company a few more years down the road...

So I await some interesting pic on e-bay from a get rich quick house clearance merchant. Hang on a minute though, I might not be around to see them myself:eek:.

Roy. Can I look at them during the tea break when we're both stoking?:D

Mike

Tom Kershaw
18th September 2009, 01:05 AM
Much the same for me, too. I've finally started sorting prints out by time and place ( I mostly do landscape and architecture) and putting them in labelled boxes. I've now also started putting my better prints into sleeves for protection.

My biggest problem is the prints I mounted up for camera club competitions. I've got a loftfull.

I do have quite a few framed, but not enough walls to put them on!

I've sold a few (surprisingly not the ones I expect may sell!) and I've given several away as presents. If somebody else can get a bit of pleasure from my prints I'm happy!

And then there's print exchanges, which means you end up with the same number of prints anyway - just someone else's!

Rob

Rob,

Could you define the differences or detect any trends comparing what you thought might sell and what did?

Tom

Bronnie
18th September 2009, 09:36 PM
Ones I like get put 'somewhere safe' so I can have the delight of finding them at random intervals when I decide to have a clearout.
Its astonishing how you remember EXACTLY when you took these photos and the fun/frustration of printing each one when you find it.

Roy_H
19th September 2009, 06:36 AM
Its astonishing how you remember EXACTLY when you took these photos and the fun/frustration of printing each one when you find it.

How very true that is Bronnie (and welcome by the way!). Looking back on old prints triggers all kinds of memories of associated events (definitely Proustian).

Except for those made in the 1960s and 70s for some reason, which seem particularly prone to memory fogging...

Maris
20th September 2009, 03:46 AM
I don't do anything with the photographs I make. They are not a means to an end but rather the end in itself.

Sometimes other people look at them, occasionally in a gallery or other exhibition space, and sometimes people buy them. But if none of these things happened I would make them just the same.

Every photograph, Kodachrome for colour, gelatin-silver for black and white is fully annotated. Each one bears a stamp, a copyright mark, a title, a date, and a signature. All the data about the photograph; camera, film, dev, paper, toning, and exposure is written on it. The historic context; who, what, where, when, and why is also written on it. Any artistic considerations, belly-aches, and rants are written there too. If I make multiple versions of a photograph I write out the story in full every time.

I hope my descendants find the material interesting enough to keep. Even if the archive falls into the hands of complete strangers I want to give them reasons to value the stuff. After all it's my only ransom against eternity.

Rob Archer
20th September 2009, 06:55 AM
Rob,

Could you define the differences or detect any trends comparing what you thought might sell and what did?

Tom

A few years ago I held a small exhibition in Kings Lynn, themed 'The Edge of the Wash'. I expected to sell some 'traditional' local landscapes, but the most popular sales by far were my detail shots of old boats, buildings etc. I suspect the passing tourist trade would probably have bought colour local pictures. I think the fact that most of my pictures were decidedly different to anything else sold locally helped.

Rob