Art Photography

[Boss Mare]

Please use this area for discussing art photography. The first page of comments are copied over from the old forum and may seem a little disjointed but does contain a lot of good info.

• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Boss Mare.

[Boss Mare]

Art calls:
http://www.theartlist.com/

Homepage

Additional useful Art Links:
http://art-collecting.com/
http://www.artadvice.com/blog/about/
http://www.artopportunitiesmonthly.com/
http://artdeadlineslist.com/
http://www.artshow.com/
http://www.arttimesjournal.com/
http://www.photographycompetitions.net/
https://artfairsourcebook.com/
https://sunshineartist.com/

Home

Articles:
http://www.artbusiness.com/artists.html
http://www.xanadugallery.com/ecourse/index6Mistakes.php?source=fbc0417-3
http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0710/ab0710-1.html

Articles on Limited Edition Prints:
https://www.naturescapes.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=206645&hilit=limited+edition+prints
https://www.artbusiness.com/aprtprm.html
https://fineartviews.com/blog/63108/does-limiting-print-editions-create-value
http://fineprintimaging.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Boss Mare.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Boss Mare.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Boss Mare.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Boss Mare.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Boss Mare.

[Boss Mare]

I have done a lot of art photography sales. All I can say is what used to work doesn’t work now.

First key advice: Take time to research the market and experiment all the ways you can differentiate yourself from other photographers in terms of quality and presentation. It can be a very painful process, but you will learn so much and actually get in closer touch with your own aesthetic tastes. Don’t hesitate to think outside of the box or try something new. When something works, you will know it pretty quickly within 1-3 showings. Being able to create a unique look with a cohesive look really can change how the art-buying public views you. And make sure what you offer is produced with attention to quality.

Next piece of advice: Find out why people are buying your work. This will do more to help you understand your customer than you can imagine. Usually, your buyers will quickly break your stereotypes of them. Don’t grill them because that is a turn-off for a buyer. Make pleasant conversation and slip those questions in there to learn more about them.

If you choose the gallery route, make sure you find a gallery who is excited about your work and the story behind it and the process. Many traditional galleries still don’t accept photography because they still don’t see it as art. Other types of galleries will accept photography, but the standards of what they accept is often very low. Often, these galleries won’t take time to get to know your work or try to sell it.

Limited edition vs. open edition? This is something I am about to experiment with now that I have found my recipe for selling my limited editions. I will be rolling out my open editions at the end of the month at two showings. My goal here is to attract buyers who may not be able to get the limited edition prints, but could become serial collectors.

As for signing print? I hand sign the limited editions and number them. Do not write the date next to your signature. That can kill a sale with any date that no longer seems fresh. It can be a new print, but people will “perceive” it as an old print. For open editions, I will be doing a digital signature which I will create using my wacom and will create a signature brush to make it quick and easy. I am leaning towards doing initial for those.

I have been negligent with my online marketing of my products. That will be one of the next things I will conquer soon.

[Boss Mare]

IMO the best thing you can do to get started in showing art is to enter juried art shows. I have posted a bunch of resources at the top of this thread that have all the info you need. There are an amazing amount of calls for entries out there, and they are easy to enter. I would recommend doing this at the local level so you can hand deliver your work (shipping art is not for the faint of heart and gets darn expensive fast) and make local connections. The very first juried art show I made it into I won Best of Show and was invited to come have a solo show. Also, there are lots of local businesses that are always looking to hang art: cafes, libraries, offices.

[Boss Mare]

Carien’s point of entering juried shows is a good one for couple reasons.

1. It gives you opportunity to experiment and try new things.
2. Gives you time to develop a co-hesive style you feel comfortable with.

Local juried shows are a great place to start. That is a great way to meet people, make connections and learn your market. If you can find a local artist group in your area that is supportive, that is a great place to learn about local and state opportunities… including galleries. If you are new to showing, it can be helpful to get with a local group to take part in their group shows to learn the ropes.

The high-end gallery shows that I found were worth being in have been short-term events. These are not opportunities to be discounted at all. You can find out so much information about the gallery and overall trends for your area of what’s working and not working. Most importantly, you can find out exactly who values what you are offering. This saves me a lot of time on research and… uh… spinning-my-wheels. One, most traditional galleries I am aware of in my area just don’t accept photography. The vanity galleries attract cheap photography and their threshold of quality is low. In turn, they bring in the wrong audience.

Personally, I have gotten my best opportunities and learning experiences from networking with other creatives in my area. Just networking in general is great anyway (letting people know what you do with no agenda) to have opportunity come knocking at your door. When I tried to reboot my business 3 years ago, I did minimal networking. (I started it based on doctor’s advice, but I had to soon give up the effort because my health went down south again very quickly.) I literally got so much work that I had to turn much of it away, but I got well paid by the jobs I did take. (Actually, I had no intention of going into sports photography and the doors swung wide open to shoot some pro level games.) I absolutely loved it and I didn’t expect to. I know the market has changed a lot just in the past 3 years, but I am holding on to my experience about the power of networking to move forward again in the next few months. And I am excited about that.

OK… Shooting the games wasn’t for art galleries, but marketing and networking can and does open doors to other things!

I know some of you want to stay really focused on where you want your business to go. And I am the first one to say if you really hate doing a particular job, don’t do it. (I believe in focusing on positive momentum.) But I did an experiment for 1 year to shoot things I would never typically shoot just because they were out of my comfort zone. It was through that experience I got into photographing horses and was told to contact a local equine artist group filled with amazing artists and photographers who has been a tremendous asset in encouragement and knowledge since… especially through the challenges I have had. As a result of that experiment, I have chosen to stay open to whatever opportunity that comes along that I haven’t shot before. I am always up front if it’s a new challenge for me, but I am always up for challenges.

OK… back to galleries… As you get more experience under your belt, get your look and presentation to a cohesive place, and have some good series lined up to go, that is a good time to start approaching galleries. And by that point, you should know who the best galleries are to approach for your work and how they like to have work submitted.

[Boss Mare]

I belong to a local cooperative art gallery where we pay annual membership dues and per-show fees in addition to giving a percentage to the gallery (of sales). While I haven’t made a LOT of money (eyes rolling) I’ve met some great contacts and friends. I had to make myself get out of my shell to meet new people and just GET OUT THERE! It’s still NOT my comfort zone to be out smoozing, but it seems to go with this territory.
I’ve exhibited at many cafes and local government buildings (Santa Cruz is big on that) and have gotten my work out into the community that way. This is all NOT a money maker, but it has given me lots of good experience. I’ve gotten my skin toughened a bit and I’m learning to trust my vision, no matter what. I’ve also learned what my most popular images are, so I know what to print more of.
I’ve been in several juried shows at local galleries, and plan on getting into more. All of this day-to-day, one step at a time WORK is unexciting but gives me practice in staying my course. Periodically I wonder what the @%$&*? I’m doing!!! But, I keep coming back to my photography. Several of my friends call me “driven”, as if it’s a bad word…but, well, maybe I AM…and that’s OK!! It’s my passion…(they’d rather watch TV, how exciting is THAT!!)
I’ve sold a little through Etsy but mostly I sell to people I meet in-person. Some of our local art festivals have been good…BUT, they are a LOT of work.
Seems like everything I do is marketing…hoping I can make even a modest profit someday!!
At my last show reception (First Friday Art Walk) almost half of my sales were from t-shirts! Since most of my buyers are women…and they buy clothing…maybe
I should put fine art on t-shirts (stylish ones) and sell them wholesale…?

[Boss Mare]

I do two or three local (juried) art shows each year. I thought it would help having diverse prints to cater to people’s variety of interests. But I found that people liked continuity in seeing horses, sunflowers, barns and rural landscapes, so I try to have mainly those types of images. I’ve had people return and buy again, which is a great feeling. I have a booth at a local maple syrup festival in Feb. and while it’s not profitable in product sales during that weekend, it has led me to get clients for photographing their horses, barns and just recently a wedding booking.

I’ve also learned some art shows that turn out to be more “craft” shows and are not a good fit.

I was excited last year when I got in to an art boutique in a recently renovated area of downtown Louisville. All local artists with lots of handmade items – jewelry, paintings, screen prints, etc. Thought it would be a great opportunity – which it was to learn, but not for sales. The owner took the boutique in a totally different direction, and most of the fine art people, me included, have left in less than a year. So now I would like to find/get in a gallery setting that has been established. Love what I’m reading in the thread here for this…

[Boss Mare]

Fine Art Galleries_
The gallery scene has changed dramatically the past 10 years. The galleries are challenged by the economy and artists selling direct with on line sales. This is what I’ve learned the hard way with galleries and after running my own little gallery for 3 years)
Before you sign a contract with a gallery (and never deliver work without a contract, either use your own contract or carefully read the gallery contract) be sure to contact other artists the gallery represents and ask how the gallery is to do business with. How long do they take to pay when a work is sold, ask each artist how well their work sells and what advice they’d have for you. There might be one or two that are cranky, but most artists will bend over back wards to help you. How long has the gallery been in business, usually the first sign they are going bankrupt is not paying the artists for the work that is sold.
Ask the gallery where and how do they store work they are not displaying. Who does the framing and how are the frames factored into the commission. Are they OK with you having your own web site and selling directly, some will feel you are competing against them, and other are happy you are promoting yourself. Always always keep the prices you sell your work for the same as the gallery sells your work for.
Looking for a gallery – check out the galleries you plan to apply to as carefully as possible. Does your work fit in and would it likely sell to their clientele? Are your prices withing the highest and lowest prices in the gallery? Study the gallery’s web site many post how they prefer you to apply, if not email and ask how to apply. Put on your thick skin, top galleries get 200 or more applications a month and often don’t look at half of them. When you get rejections remember Gone With the Wind was turned down by 41 publishers and Harry Potter was turned down as well. I’ve been told that most galleries take on artists that were recommended to them by one of their artists so find ways to interact with their artists. Face Book, workshops, associations etc.

[Boss Mare]

I totally agree with avoiding “craft” sales, another one I now avoid are “home shows” The marketing seems to lead the audience to come for “deals” and I would get “Oh look art work, then before they would even approach my boot I’d hear “do you know where the bathroom sinks are?”

I’ve just started doing Comic Cons and Literary Festivals (just local ones so far) with my mystical art. In the past I’ve found I need to do a show 3 years in a row to decide is it works for me. And this is my first year with these events, so the jury is still out.
Something I keep trying to figure out in the marketing side of Fine Art:

The figure I keep seeing is that 3% of the population buy Fine Art (photos, sculptures and/or paintings). Galleries used to be the gate keepers to this little market, but now everyday another artist/photographer/sculpture is marketing to this same group. I keep wondering how I can market to the next group of approx 30% of the population who would appreciate and can afford my work, but just don’t realize it.

On the one side I’m going in the Comic Cons etc. with my low priced fantasy prints, to connect with a group that don’t normally go to art galleries.
On the other end I’m having invitation only events in my studio/gallery, how to hang paintings, how to arrange colours, framing, pot luck suppers, anything that I can think of that might appeal to someone with blank walls, who would enjoy fine art work and who can afford it, but who has no experience buying it.

[Boss Mare]

We all want to sell our “Art” and it is a tough sell – so I have been trying to look at it from a different angle rather than my own perspective.

if People are not buying equine art there must be a reason
1. they dont want it
2. it is priced wrong ( either too expensive or too cheap?)
3. the size and format is not want they want in their homes
4. They would rather have pictures of their own horses on the walls – rather than “Art”
5. it is too hard to order – maybe too many chioces

I am not saying I know the answer – but I think we must look for the real reason before we can come up with a solution

[Boss Mare]

I’d like to share my journey into Art Photography. I’m not sure if my story will provide much help because I certainly don’t have all the answers in how to be a success in fine art photography, but this is what I did, and do today.

My background is fine art. I have a BA and a BS degree in fine art. Photography came later but I’ve found after struggling for years with various art mediums that photography is the perfect way for me to express my creative side. So this is where I’ll stay.

When I began fine art photography I thought that if only I could get into a gallery I would have “made it”! So I worked hard at finding a gallery to accept my work and I thought I’d be on the path to fame and fortune. I would only have to sit back and create while the gallery did all the selling for me. Well, needless to say, I was wrong. Not only did the galleries NOT make me rich and famous, I became quickly disappointed with the gallery approach. So much of my work seemed to be collecting dust while I only sold a few pieces here and there. How could this happen!! These are my babies!!! I wanted my work back home with me! So I retrieved every piece and started to rethink my strategy. Now I’m more realistic about my expectations with galleries. I still would love to find just the right gallery to sell my work for me. But I just haven’t seriously put the effort into looking for that gallery yet. Not sure who to approach as the right people in the right gallery in the right location is critical for successful sales. imho

However, in the meantime, I have been getting called from online fine art galleries and this has been working out pretty well for me. Again, not getting rich off of sales here but every now and then I get a check in the mail for sales. The only thing that I don’t like about online galleries is that there is no chance to “connect” with the buyers. If you really want to do high end art sales I think that YOU need to be part of the process. That’s where a brick and mortar gallery has a big advantage. Many times buyers (when they are about to write a substantial check for a piece of artwork) want to get to know the artist. Even if you can’t meet a buyer in person, the gallery folks can be that liaison between you and the buyer (because the gallery folks know you VERY well, right?) and help with that personal touch. Now IF you are already very famous, people will come into your gallery just to buy YOUR work specifically. But I only know a handful of people who are in that position. This is a position we all would aspire to be in. But it takes years and years to get to that point and a really specific STYLE of your own to be that successful. Again, imho.

I do three shows a year in high end western museums in Arizona. I know the people who run the museums which helps a lot. I also live in Arizona so it makes it easy for me to attend the artist receptions, which makes it more personal. These venues are not strictly photo related as they offer selections from other well known western artisans and have solid reputations throughout the US. Arizona is a big tourist destination and we get buyers from all over the world here. Many come from the East in the wintertime. So here is where I’m concentrating my gallery efforts at the moment. I like to SEE where my work is hanging and KNOW the people who are assigned to marketing my work at these shows. (and btw, these shows run for 4-5 months so the exposure time is really sweet)

If you do a Google search on me you’ll find the various online venues that sell my work. I don’t sell through Fine Art America.

I have had interior designers approach me and have sold artwork through them. One is from Atlanta, one is from Texas and one from the NYC area. If they have clients looking for EQUINE art they will contact me. I’ve made some big sales directly through them. For instance, last year I provided two digital files for a design firm who was looking for artwork for a new hotel being built in San Antonio, TX. They purchased and printed 775 images from my two photos for the rooms in this new hotel. When I asked the design firms how they found me they said through “internet searches”. One said that they appreciated my WEBSITE. They claimed that my site is easy to navigate and that it showcased my artwork clearly and elegantly. So there you have it. My advice would be to make sure that your website (which is your first impression to many online searchers) is TOP NOTCH and has a Gallery Feel to it.

I get a lot of people emailing me for pricing and sizes of my work. For a while I had a “Store” on my website where people could choose a size, see the price, click a button and then order and pay through PayPal. But I only got a few sales through this method and I felt that somehow this “cheapened” my approach to fine art sales. So I took down the store and am back to answering individual emails and phone calls. Not sure which approach is best. If anyone else has any thoughts or ideas or feelings on having your own online store I’d love to hear from you. (actually, having thought about this a bit more, I think that since I didn’t sell much through my store anyway, so no love lost there, it’s better to have people email or call with enquiries. At least this gives you the opportunity to “connect” in a more personal way with a would-be buyer and gives you the added advantage of being able to market more personally)

OK, that’s about all I can think of at the moment. I’ll keep posting as we Brainstorm!!! Thanks for all the great conversation 😎

[Boss Mare]

I vend at the outdoor summer art shows and usually go to a dozen or more every year, including the #1 and #3 ranked, and ranking is subjective. The best listings for them are:

http://art-linx.com/Art-Linx/Home.html
https://www.zapplication.org/
http://www.artfairsourcebook.com/

The Zapplication site is by far the most useful. Free. The Art Fair Source Book is the most comprehensive by far. Paid service.

I refuse to go the gallery route because you will starve to death waiting and you are at someone else’s whim. Traditional galleries are a very worn out path for anyone, including traditional 2D artists, and they generally do NOT consider photography “real art”. Go ahead and try to buck that very prevalent notion amongst the established “art professionals”. Uphill both ways, as the saying goes, and I’m talking even small town galleries.

The “art shows” are still clearly a crap shoot, but you will actually earn at least a little there (depending on many factors) and you will still be independent. No, you can’t make a living just doing shows as in the past, but it is and has been the bulk of my own living that is supplemented with other photo income threads. Photography is all I do for a full time living.

Bear in mind that the people going through “art shows” are simply the general public, so get the idea of “collector” out of your thinking. Market accordingly. Price accordingly. Give them what they want. Talk to EVERYONE. Be able to take credit cards and don’t do it without that ability.

Start small and local. Prepare to make investment in your display if you want to go this route, and I would suggest borrowing a tent and display panels at first. You can acquire used tents and display panels which has a very quick turnover on message boards, etc. There’s your clue: many people want to try it, do so, and get right back out. It’s a helluva lot of work and a long learning curve, and forget about a steady living. Not for the faint of heart or if you’re up in years.

Fine Art America? A joke. I know that firsthand. Go ahead and list there if you’ve got time to kill, and don’t expect a lot back. FAA benefits from a great line of sales CRAP and thrives on the hopes of creatives.

[Boss Mare]

To find out what galleries are accepting work: google “call for art [city or state]” and get on arts organizations’ email lists.

As for not being a people person, I’m so with ya. I hate crowds and crowd mentality whether it’s in a store, in a plane, at a concert or just milling around. I want to disappear. And, I always thought of myself as an introvert who would NEVER feel energized by being around a lot of people…until I made myself jump off that fear cliff to sign up for a local art fair. I think I mostly wanted to have a good reason to scratch art fairs off my list!

But I was STUNNED at how I felt before, during and after! In setting up, the other artists there were nice, interesting people and a lot of fun. A lot of their work was inspiring. The best part about the show itself was how absolutely validating it was about my work. People “got” it! And it’s a GREAT TIME to talk to people who love your work!

My most surprising feeling? I was sad when it was time to pack everything up! SAD! My husband couldn’t believe it either. I wanted another whole day of it (It was just a one-day fair). So for all of you who don’t think of yourself as a general public kind of person, please know that simply showing your work creates a brilliant “general public” filter! Only the people who you’ll love talking to stop by! 😆

[Boss Mare]

I have my first real two shows in awhile coming up in the next 2-3 weeks. I am excited but scared to death at the same time. I just have lost confidence due to a lot of the physical challenges I have had. I have sold a ton at shows, but I had a hard time making connections because I simply didn’t realize how sick I was. And the market just has changed.

But at the same time, I have a confidence I didn’t have before… I think it’s because I am finally getting treatment for the right thing now and I am actually connecting with people on a level I never had before because I am feeling strength and I and thinking more quickly and clearly. I think it will be good, but it really does feel like I am doing this for the first time in so many ways.

I am trying some new things and continuing what was working at the end of last year with my sales. I think I am also in a much better place not to take things personally, but to analyze what works, what can be improved and what can be tossed out. Ultimately, it is about figuring out where me and my potential buyers connect and provide that to them in a form that benefits us both. It is a journey, but it’s one I feel good about entering.

One thing I am also excited about is that there are so many more resources available for us to use present ourselves in a cohesive and professional fashion.

Oh, I almost forgot! One complaint I hear about FAA and other online galleries is that you can’t capture customer info.

I have seen people do different things to counteract that issue:
1. Offer a certificate of authenticity for the purchased piece through an email request so that the certificate can be mailed.
2. Offer additional history of the purchased piece through a email request.
3. Offer incentives in the FAA Blog to visit your site and sign up for your email eletter.

[Boss Mare]

I ran across this article by Alan Briot today and wanted to share:

How Fine Art Photographs are Sold
by
Alain Briot
The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.
David Ogilvy
1 – Introduction
My essay this month focuses on my just-released book: How Photographs are sold: Stories and Examples of How Fine Art Photographers Sell their Work.

This is my fourth book on photography and my second on marketing photographs. My two marketing books are very different. My first marketing book, titled Marketing Fine Art Photography, focuses on what to do to sell your photographs. This second marketing book focuses on how photographs are sold. While my first book is a comprehensive marketing manual, this second book is a collection of stories about what happens when selling fine art photographs.

The book consists of stories told by myself and by seven guest photographers. The stories I tell come from my experience selling my photographs for twenty years (I started selling my work in 1994 while working on my PhD). The stories told by the seven guest photographers cover a wide array of personal situations, from full time professionals to photographers for whom photography is a passion rather than a primary source of income. These include photographers from all over the world (the United States, Australia, France, etc.) and from all walks of life. They also cover a variety of selling venues. Some photographers sell their work at shows, some over the web, some do landscapes, some do portraits, others sell stock photographs, and so on.

The overriding idea is to offer a wide scope of experiences to show how fine art photographs are sold. The purpose of this essay is to offer an introduction to the book, feature one of the stories from the book, and provide you with an opportunity to be acquainted with the book contents so you can decide if it is for you.

Printed book Link
eBook link

2 – The stories
The goal of these stories is to show you how fine art photographs are sold and what happens when they sell. The goal is also to demonstrate some of the most important aspects of marketing and salesmanship. To this end, each story exemplifies a specific aspect of the buying and selling process.

The story I am featuring in this essay focuses on a real-life experience that Natalie (my wife) and I had while selling my fine art photographs. This story is featured in the book.

Story #1
Telling Stories to Sell Your Work
After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.
Philip Pullman
Telling stories about your work carries a lot of weight in the eyes of your customers and collectors. The story of how you created a particular piece can be anything from the final push a customer needs to make a purchase to an enlightening moment that reveals something about the piece that can be life changing to a customer. Stories sell the art by making the photograph come alive and by giving the customer a narrative he or she can share with family and friends.

A couple once asked me if I remembered the exact date when I took a specific photograph. It was a photograph of the Grand Canyon at sunrise created from Hopi Point, one of the overlooks on the West Rim Drive of the Grand Canyon. I did not know why they wanted this information, but I proceeded to give them the information they asked for. Fortunately, Natalie was with me and she remembered the exact month, day, and year when I captured the specific photograph they were interested in.

Seeing that they were fascinated with the image, I did not stop there. I continued by explaining how I woke up early that morning and hiked to the overlook in the dark, carrying my camera gear and hoping that the sunrise would reward my efforts. The hike is uphill and even though the rim road goes right next to the overlook, the road is closed to private cars; back when I created the image there was no shuttle bus until 9 a.m., much too late to capture sunrise. I explained how I set up in the dark and how I used a panoramic camera, a Fuji 6×17 with a 90mm lens in this instance, because I wanted to capture the entire panoramic view from east to west.

I explained how the print was created to express how I felt that morning, and that the colors on the horizon show the transition from day to night—day on the right side, which faces east, and night on the left side of the image, which faces west. I explained how the clouds on that particular morning formed a V shape right in the center of the image, offering an ideal composition for a panorama, and how the colors in the clouds complement the colors in the landscape itself, the colors of the canyon buttes and formations, and the color of the Colorado River, forming a coherent and aesthetically pleasing color palette.

They listened intensely, staying quiet the whole time, taking it in. After I was done talking they asked to be excused so they could talk to each other. When they returned they simply said, “Can we take this one with us?” I was surprised at the question because this was my largest piece, over 7 feet wide plus framing, and most people had it shipped because of the difficulty of taking it with them while travelling. I was also surprised because this was a four thousand-dollar piece and usually people either negotiated the price, or at least discussed it before making a decision. Not this time. I did not even have to close the sale, they did this on their own, having already decided they were going to purchase it.

I said sure, then asked, “Do you have a vehicle large enough to carry it?” They said that they drove a full-size pickup truck and that it should fit inside. They then looked at each other and he said, “I proposed to her at this overlook on that day. Not at sunrise, but later in the day. We’ve been looking for a photograph of this overlook ever since and you are the only one who has one, plus it is beautiful and it was taken the day I proposed. There’s no way we can pass on it.” As he said this he gave me his credit card. I mentioned the price, plus tax since it wasn’t shipped out of state, but I don’t think that it mattered at all. Clearly, the decision was not made on the basis of price.

Hoodoos
One of my best selling images

I am sharing this with you to show how important telling a story, as accurately as possible, is when selling fine art photographs, or any other type of fine art for that matter. Had I not told that story, or had I simply said, “It was taken at Hopi Point at sunrise,” I would not have made the sale. The story not only mattered to them, it was the reason they purchased the piece. I am sure they continue to enjoy it to this day. In fact, I received a letter from them a few months after later in which they told me how much the piece meant to them and they enclosed a photograph of the artwork displayed prominently in their home over the fireplace.

A story such as the one I just mentioned is really a narrative about your work. I write narratives about most of my pieces. Often, it is these narratives that make the sale because they provide the little extra push that collectors need to make a purchasing decision.

I encourage you to tell stories about what inspired you to create a specific photograph. While a collector might be originally attracted to your work for aesthetic reasons, a story can go a long ways toward transforming their initial attraction to an emotional response that leads to a buying decision. Knowing behind-the-scenes details about a piece that only the artist can share goes a long ways toward generating a feeling of ownership and of privileged relationship with a specific piece. While viewers are initially involved with the work on a visual level, after hearing the artist’s story they are engaged on a emotional and intellectual level. This raises their level of involvement from simple curiosity to serious consideration and, if you do a good job, to a desire to own the piece that has by then become part of their experience.

Be enthusiastic when telling the story of a specific photograph. Enthusiasm is contagious, so if you are enthusiastic about your work, your listeners –your clients– will in turn become enthusiastic about it. Enthusiasm ends with -iasm, which stands for I Am Sold Myself. You must be be proud of your work in order to sell it and nothing achieves this goal better than being enthusiastic about your photography.

3 – Conclusion
Selling your photographs is challenging and requires specific knowledge. This story is only one aspect of the process of selling your work. If you want to learn more about how to sell your photographs, read Marketing Fine Art Photography and How Photographs are Sold. Both are available in eBook format on my site and in printed version on Amazon and other bookstores.

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