Selling Images.....Where To Start

[Peter Ryan]

Hi Martin,

I do sell my prints but at markets. I find most people want to talk to the photographer. I never sell prints hanging on someone else's wall. There is no connection for the buyer. The next best thing to taking the images is to know the photographer. I have sold 50 prints in the last 8 months at markets.

I sell both A3 and A4 sized framed prints plus an A3 sized panorama with a 1:2 aspct ratio. I use only two frames a black and a brown timber frame. I am not about the framing but about the print so you need to have good common frames. I will sell the prints without the frames if anyone wants to frame them themselves. I find the only time this happens is if they want to send it overseas as a present. I use only 3 mount boards - black, off white and cream. I find this combination suits nearly all images.

I went into a local frame shop and found a frame I liked. I looked at the advertising within the frame, got the name of the supplier and contacted them to see if I could by direct. They were more than happy and had no minimum order quantity,

I also put together a local calender each year. I have them professionally printed and wholesale about half to local newsagents to cover the cost of printing and sell the rest at markets as profit. There are many shots that will suit a calendar that would not be considered as an art print for a wall.

I also produce a series of gift cards by cutting A4 paper in half (now A5) and then printing on one half (6 x 4 ) folding, including an envelope and housed in a cellophane bag.

I do use my markets to promote workshops and lectures I run on photography and post production, which is a very profitable side line. I sell them based on the theme 'if you like my images why not learn to do it yourself'.

Rent at markets is very cheap and by the time you work out your costs plus profit and margin for someone else you will find you can be very profitable if you cut your production costs and go direct to the public.

If you go the market route you need to work out how you are going to display your prints.

I hope this helps.

[Dave Humphries]

Thanks to all who have replied to this thread with such useful information; especially the major contributors; Colin, Tom, Steaphany, Geoff and Peter (hope I didn't miss anyone)

I have now tagged the thread in the tag cloud under Business of Photography so it is easy to find.

Cheers,

[Steaphany]

Since I put this list together for another thread, Canvas Printing, here is a list of companies to turn to for your print production:

http://www.imagekind.com/ - Prints, Stretched Canvas, Framed Prints

http://imagewizards.net/ - Prints on Alunminum

http://www.bayphoto.com/ - Huge suite of product offerings

http://www.blackriverimaging.com/index.asp

http://www.coloradotimberline.com/ - Photos on clothing and Merchandising

http://simplycolorlab.com/index.php

http://millerslab.com/

http://whcc.com/

http://mpixpro.com/

http://acilab.com/

http://meridianpro.com/ - Panoramic prints to 10', 3m, wide.

https://www.pwdlabs.com/

[Peter Ryan]

One additional point on canvass prints for sale. I do like them but they come at a higher cost and if you misread your market you are stuck with them. With frames it is much easier to change the print. Also markets have a pricing point where that makes larger canvass prints enjoyable to look at but not what people can pay for at a market.

Buying the frames wholesale means you can also make a margin on the sale of the frame as well as the print.

Keep it simple, contemporary and cost effective so you finish up with same margin (or better) than you would hanging it in a gallery.

[Colin Southern]

One additional point on canvass prints for sale. I do like them but they come at a higher cost and if you misread your market you are stuck with them.

If you've got a good margin (100 to 200%) you should be able to "special" them off, and not loose too much (mind you, I do them all myself, so it's reasonably cost-effective) (albeit labout intensive).

[rswarrior]

I have had a couple of online websites for selling images. My recommendation is www.photostockplus.com . They have a desire to help you succeed. You don't just post and hope. They will help you set-up a marketing strategy and various other helpful insights. cost is reasonable.

[Nomadr]

there is no hard and fast rule with regards to selling framed work, some folks prefer to buy their own frame to match their decor and others want it framed to avoid the hassle,what i would suggest to dip your toe is buy a couple of frames from somewhere like Ikea or the Range, they are dirt cheap,from my own experience (done a few art markets now) i had 5 prints put into frames,well presented but havent sold any of them (probably due to the price £49),i had some A3 prints mounted with a hard board backing (cost per unit just over £5) which i sold for £19,the idea was by adding the mount and board you give it extra worth,i also got some blank cards from the Range (A5),i think they were about £2.50 for 50,i then just printed a few shots (to see which sold best) and sold them as fine art greetings cards at £3.50 each,
I think you have to price according to your market, i wouldnt price something at £19 if it was an exhibition,most of the photographers at the art market now use online printers,its just so cheap,i get perfect A3 prints that cost around £1.10 each plus vat and post, cheers martyn

[MrGladstone]

Hi Tom,

Out of interest, what equipment would be needed for someone who wanted to be able to do low volume / high labour framing? It's something I'm interested in getting into -- just wondering where one starts?

Hi Colin, apologies for the ridiculously late response, life doesnt get much busier than mine is right now.

The answer is that it depends how handy you are. Great frames can be made by skilled people with a hammerand nails, a saw and a hand glass cutter. Even mounts can be cut with improvised equipment. I however am not that handy

If I was serious about doing my own without spending thousands on equipment I would be looking at a mounted hand mitre-saw. These seem to start at about £50.00 but £150.00 wold get you a capable bit of kit. Im not sure how these cope with heavily finished mouldings but I would imagine that with practice and a sharp blade you could do most things.

I would then be looking at a corner pinner for joining the mitres. Again I would go bench mounted, the Frameco Benchmaster is allegedly a pretty good place to start, and coupled with a strap clamp you should be able to acheive pro quality joins with relative ease. Again about £150.00 should see you right here.

I would cut my glass by hand as good gear here is pretty exensive. A good hand glass cutter can be grabbed for 25 quid and should last years.

Backboards can be cut by hand with a stanley knife so no problem there.

The last thing ofcourse is a mountcutter. I have no experience with low end mount cutters so I cant really comment, but you can pick up a hand bevel cutter fo £15.00 and ive seen people do acceptable work with them. I use a Keencut Ultimat which cost me about £700.00 and I would not cange it unless it was for a serious upgrade.

My best friend in my wokshop is my metre long steel ruler!

I hope thats helpful. If you have any more questions id be happy to answer them..... albeit slowly!

[Colin Southern]

Hi Colin, apologies for the ridiculously late response, life doesnt get much busier than mine is right now.

The answer is that it depends how handy you are. Great frames can be made by skilled people with a hammerand nails, a saw and a hand glass cutter. Even mounts can be cut with improvised equipment. I however am not that handy

If I was serious about doing my own without spending thousands on equipment I would be looking at a mounted hand mitre-saw. These seem to start at about £50.00 but £150.00 wold get you a capable bit of kit. Im not sure how these cope with heavily finished mouldings but I would imagine that with practice and a sharp blade you could do most things.

I would then be looking at a corner pinner for joining the mitres. Again I would go bench mounted, the Frameco Benchmaster is allegedly a pretty good place to start, and coupled with a strap clamp you should be able to acheive pro quality joins with relative ease. Again about £150.00 should see you right here.

I would cut my glass by hand as good gear here is pretty exensive. A good hand glass cutter can be grabbed for 25 quid and should last years.

Backboards can be cut by hand with a stanley knife so no problem there.

The last thing ofcourse is a mountcutter. I have no experience with low end mount cutters so I cant really comment, but you can pick up a hand bevel cutter fo £15.00 and ive seen people do acceptable work with them. I use a Keencut Ultimat which cost me about £700.00 and I would not cange it unless it was for a serious upgrade.

My best friend in my wokshop is my metre long steel ruler!

I hope thats helpful. If you have any more questions id be happy to answer them..... albeit slowly!

Thanks Tom,

Very helpful thanks. At present I've got a De Walt drop saw - I might see how that goes cutting the frames in theory, very rough, but in practice - if some s l o w l y it MIGHT be OK. Glass I could get cut commercially (initially) anyway - so mat cutting is probably going to be the "interesting" part.

[Cowboybebop]

Here's a great place to start.http://www.canstockphoto.com

[HaseebM]

Interesting question and replies. A lot of emphasis seems to be laid on books and other websites in this business, obviously they have done some good work or marketing to warrant a mention. Anyway, my take on this depends on how much I want to make and there are a few options:-

1. Open a photography teaching class. ( studio, location, equipment, man power ).
2. Make yourself available for private functions or weddings provided of course you are well conversant for this type of photography. ( equipment, assistant )

Making prints and selling them sounds more like a miss than hit for me simply because we ain't famous enough. Position one's self in the market with the right amount of publicity then perhaps there is a chance. The above two choices may not require that much of a marketing gimmick but more on the equipment, studio, location and contacts.

[Katlouise23]

PicsaStock experience??

Hi - I'm also looking to begin selling my photos (very amateur photographer) so after reading up I have decided to give stock photography a go Have been recommended PicsaStock (I'm living in Berlin and they're based here, so it's handy!)

But has anyone had any experience with them? Think they are quite new so haven't really heard much

Thanks in advance! I'd really appreciate feedback (or if you know any other good options for selling stock photos that'd be great!)

Kathleen