Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Notices

Go Back   Film and Darkroom User > Member Organised Functions > Business Matters

  ***   Click here for the FADU 2015/2014 Yearbooks   ***

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #11  
Old 10th December 2013, 07:05 PM
Argentum's Avatar
Argentum Argentum is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sceptred Isle
Posts: 3,066
Default

OR

spend a lot of your time promoting your work and having real exhibitions. Then if your work is saleable you might make a few quid. And most of all give the buying public what they want if you want them to part with their cash.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 10th December 2013, 10:11 PM
dsallen's Avatar
dsallen dsallen is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Berlin
Posts: 521
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Argentum View Post
Exactly, even the ones claiming to be something special are no better than having your own website. And that is not much use unless you have a name to go with it.
The route to print sales is through fame and fame is gained not through making print sales. Make yourself famous and you'll sell loads.
Not exactly true - of course having a name puts you in a league where galleries want to represent you and people want to collect you. However, I sell (modest amounts of) my work and I am unknown. During my current exhibition I have sold 6 prints (framed). The majority of sales were at the preview and to people that I vaguely know. Photographers tend to forget that, amongst their circle of friends and acquaintances, there are people with both money and the desire to support you by buying images that they personaly like.

My better half (a painter) and I also do an open studio (in this case our flat) once per year where people are invited to view the work, drink seasonal glühwein, eat nibbles, socialise, view our work and (hopefully) buy some work. My better half sells much more than me at such events because people are more willing to hand out their hard earned wonga for a unique oil painting rather than a print but I always sell a few as well. Over the years, our guests have learnt what a limited edition print means and, with very little promotion from me, can see the tonal differences between digital prints and hand-made baryta prints. What I can affirm is that (whether paintings or photographs) the price that they are willing to pay has very little influence. If they want it and they have enough money they will buy it.

We have been with an internet gallery for the past three years and the owner offers a great service including the possibility to see the works for real in Berlin or digitally superimposed to scale on a wall in your home (you send him a photo of, say, your living room with dimensions and he creates a photoshop image of exactly how it would look). Nevertheless, to date, no images have been sold over the internet - only when people can see 'the real thing' in the flesh (a well made baryta print suitably processed to archival standards, window-matted and framed MUST be seen by the customer if they are every going to buy it).

Here in Germany there is also another market model by the firm called Lumas (http://www.lumas.de). What they do is scan works from known and unknown photographers and produce 'limited' editions of digital prints with every type of mounting including on aluminum and the ubiquitous diasec. However, although they have a website and their business model is very successful, most sales are made in store and the whole format reminds me (and probably the customers also) of the Athena poster sales concept in the early 1980s.

In conclusion, if you want to sell your work, and you are not famous, forget about online models of trading and start building personal contacts with people who have enough money to pay for you prints.

Quote:
spend a lot of your time promoting your work and having real exhibitions.
Exactly, if people can't see your work in flesh, how do you expect to sell it?

Bests,

David
www.dsallen.de
__________________
David,
d.s.allen, fotograf
dsallenberlin@gmail.com
http://dsallen.carpentier-galerie.de
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 10th December 2013, 10:26 PM
Argentum's Avatar
Argentum Argentum is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sceptred Isle
Posts: 3,066
Default

The web isn't everything its cracked upto be. Sure it works really well for some things but not for others.

I wrote a website for an Artist, well actually a fine art restorer but also does a lot of his own paintings. I told him beforehand he was highly unlikely to sell paintings direct from the web because people want to see them in the flesh, especially at his prices. But also told him the restoration side of his website was far more likely to generate business. And that is how its turned out. Zero online painting sales but plenty enquiries for restoration work.
He puts a lot of time and effort into exhibitions he stages himself and that's where his paintings are sold.

i.e. web sites work really well for some things and not for others.

However, a website is a very usefull tool for directing people to yourself and giving an idea of what you're about. Backup that up with real promotion, exhibitions, invitatiosn to private viewings and it can work for you. Just don't expect to sell photos online for good money. Well maybe an occasional one or two but not enough to pay the mortgage, just beer money.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 10th December 2013, 11:34 PM
big paul big paul is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: benfleet essex
Posts: 2,285
Default

I would guess that the average person is the hardest person to sell to ,I have not sold many prints , but one was of a pub this gentleman used to drink in it most nights ,he spent more on the frame than I got for the photograph ,its a memory that sits on his wall ,as the pub no longer exists ,if I was a young man I would go out and photograph pubs clubs shops ,thing that in twenty years time will be worth a memory to someone, something that has local historical value ,as well as your other photography <I wish that I had taken more ,and have not lost so many negatives ,if you could work out what people will buy you would be a genius ,but if you don't try you will never know ,so set up a website there are lots of sites on the web that you can name drop on ,I love looking at other peoples websites but they must be trad photography ,as soon as I see the word dig**** it turns me of ....good luck and all the best......



www.essexcockney.com
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11th December 2013, 01:01 AM
MarcAeonDELETED MarcAeonDELETED is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 227
Default You can't stop a Genius with nothing to loose.

Thank you Mike. Yes indeed. I think it would be fair to say that Ilford nicked my idea and half copied my text and concept. I guess that makes us even lol. But then it looks like Ilford have taken the more commercial route and made yet another "on demand" Getty Images with the colour switched off. Nothing special about that.


But fear not. The real website for real film photographers is up and live. As described and sorted out well before Ilford.

www.Traditionalphotographer.co.uk

Please put FADU in the message you send so I know your a friend of "ours" and your username on here so I can work out who is who.

Come on over you are all welcome.

Looking forward to having you aboard.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray View Post
Isn't this what Marc had in mind and posted a thread to that effect here on FADU?

Mike
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 11th December 2013, 08:32 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: West Midlands/Aegean
Posts: 1,988
Default

It appears that MarcAeon's account has been deleted, all posts have gone.

There is a need for a Traditional photography sales website/internet presence. Somewhere along the lines of the defunct Contact Printers Guild which is why I posted this thread.

Any ideas are welcome, I'd even be prepared to host and maintain a site.

Ian

Last edited by Bob; 11th December 2013 at 09:22 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 11th December 2013, 09:17 PM
Bob's Avatar
Bob Bob is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: London(ish)
Posts: 2,746
Default

Marc asked for his account to be closed & posts to be removed for external reasons. I suspect he would rather not draw attention to the fact but I'm not sure that can really be guaranteed - disappearing off the face of the Internet is not easy these days given the amount of archiving that goes on...

Cheers, Bob.

Last edited by Bob; 11th December 2013 at 09:21 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 11th December 2013, 11:40 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Daventry, Northants
Posts: 8,969
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob View Post
Marc asked for his account to be closed & posts to be removed for external reasons. I suspect he would rather not draw attention to the fact but I'm not sure that can really be guaranteed - disappearing off the face of the Internet is not easy these days given the amount of archiving that goes on...

Cheers, Bob.
Disappearing from FADU is hardly disappearing off the face of the internet. I wonder if this means that he has closed his presence in total on the internet? It appears for instance that he was a member on APUG as well just to mention one other avenue.

It has to be serious if he needs to attempt to eradicate his presence on the internet in total.

Mike
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 12th December 2013, 12:13 AM
Bob's Avatar
Bob Bob is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: London(ish)
Posts: 2,746
Default

There is more to the Internet than FADU?! I wondered what all those emails begging me to join dating and gambling sites were talking about (including the oh so enticingly named: findaslut.com - classy).

As far as I know it may just be FADU - I was engaging in a little light hyperbole there. His website is still alive last time I looked.

Last edited by Bob; 12th December 2013 at 12:16 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 12th December 2013, 01:53 PM
Argentum's Avatar
Argentum Argentum is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sceptred Isle
Posts: 3,066
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lostlabours View Post
It appears that MarcAeon's account has been deleted, all posts have gone.

There is a need for a Traditional photography sales website/internet presence. Somewhere along the lines of the defunct Contact Printers Guild which is why I posted this thread.

Any ideas are welcome, I'd even be prepared to host and maintain a site.

Ian
I think lots of people tried in the past but I never really understood why. You either have to have lots of rules about content and manage who can post in it or it becomes a free for all with content of a dubious nature. Many of them seem to end up with mostly nudes (all done in the best possible taste of course) and that puts off a lot of other people from using the site.

My personal opinion is that if you want to sell your work then your own site is the best option as a brochure for attracting people to your own exhibitions.

There are a few decent websites of "Groups" who foster the aim of high quality photography but even some of those have given way to digital. Following are two of the best IMO but they now include digital I think.

http://www.arenaphotographers.com/
http://cotswold-monochrome.co.uk/

The first organises exhibitons in various locations, the second has one major exhibit from a competition a year and that is only for a few days.

Even the FADU exhibition organised by Dave has fallen by the wayside so I think what you are suggesting is a nice idea but the reality of it tends not to be practical unless someone is prepared to put a lot of ongoing time and effort into it. It really isn't viable unless the person/s giving that time is getting some financial reward for it. And that simply won't happen unless the work is of the highest quality and is of a saleable type and the exhibitions are in the right locations with good marketing, all of which costs money.

I think you would find that the practicalities of running it become a real pain very quickly. But give it a shot if you think you can succeed where most of the others that have tried before have failed.
Reply With Quote
Reply
Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Selling Prints. OK - Lets Have Them... MarcAeonDELETED Business Matters 7 23rd October 2013 09:50 PM
Chris Woodhouse Selling Up. vanannan Auctions of Interest 3 17th August 2013 06:56 AM
Selling off kit PaulG Photography in general 12 10th February 2012 03:16 PM
Selling up George Swift Sale or Wanted 17 24th December 2010 11:48 AM
Selling England by the pound Argentum Photography in general 13 19th April 2009 09:08 AM


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:35 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.