Getting Down to Bra$$ Tack$

[mythlady]

I said I'll never have to . . . but that doesn't mean I won't be able to buy that big house up in the redwoods some day from my photography riches!

[PicsbyChance]

Elise,
I was sixteen when I purchased my first painting. The last photograph I purchased was a black and white image of the Grand Canyon by an artist in New Mexico, Butch Phillips. Throughout my life I have purchased images which have touched me in some way and I have always purchased directly from the artist. (Well, the exception being my Ansel Adams print).

So where am I going with this? I wouldn't worry about those individuals who look at your work, then their $3000 camera and say they can do the same. I don't plan on selling to the masses. They wouldn't be interested anyway. We are looking for those individuals who can have a relationship with our work and are willing to reliquish a bit of their hard earned cash for the pleasure. In my own case, while cash was always limited, the cost of a piece was secondary to the emotion it evoked.

The images of yours I have seen through this site are very evocative. I have no doubt you will be successful. Am I making money hand over fist? No. I have sold a few images through my site, but mostly after a client has seen them hanging somewhere else.

Have faith in your work. There seems to be a few on this site who feel your work is
definitely worthy. Don't sell your work or yourself short.

Mike

[mythlady]

Thanks, Mike! I appreciate your kind words.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Elise,

A few random thoughts ...

1. People tell me that if you start too low, it's difficult to start charging a lot more because the price people will pay is based on their perception of the value of your work - and that perception is based largely on the price. If people don't know you from a bar of soap then that's one thing, but if they know you as previously charging "X" and now you're trying to charge 4x, it can create resistance. Don't know how true it is, but that's what I'm told.

2. If you're a professional, you should probably think like a professional, and charge accordingly. Selling prints is a bit different to 1 on 1 photography, but many under-charge for the 1 on 1 stuff (eg commissioned work) where the following are some of the things that have to be factored into the price ...

- The cost of your equipment
- The cost of replacing your equipment as it wears out
- Your wages
- Holiday & sickness allowance
- Premesis
- Insurance
- Savings for retirement
- Savings

Probably most of the above doesn't apply to you yet - but I think it's easy to see how someone repying on photography to make a living could easily go broke by not charging enough.

2. I've heard the story of a plastic surgeon who had too much work ... so he doubled his prices ... and he got MORE work. So he doubled them again ... and (you guessed it) - got even more work! Here in NZ I sell my 22 x 44" canvas prints for $399 ... and artist friend of mine (free plug: http://www.bellamygallery.co.nz/) often sells (and I mean SELLS, not "has for sale at that price") similar size work for over 10 times what I charge). We're going to try selling some of mine (in a different presentation) at closer to these prices soon - so I'll let you know how we go! (keeping in mind that galleries take 45 to 55% commission around here!).

[PicsbyChance]

Colin, I can see why your friend can get the price he is asking, great imagery!

I think it may be a while before I can consider a similar pricing scheme. However, you do bring up some good points and I would be interested to know how your experiment goes.

Mike

[Colin Southern]

Colin, I can see why your friend can get the price he is asking, great imagery!

Even worse, "he" is a "she"!

I would be interested to know how your experiment goes.

Me too!

[PicsbyChance]

Even worse, "he" is a "she"!

Ahhh....one would think, being a photographer, I would be better with the details. Either way, her work is wonderful.

[Jo Brown]

Interesting thread Elise - thanks!

We (my darling spouse and I) have had a website since 2007 and have never sold an image that way. The website keeps evolving and we keep it as current as time allows. We sell images pretty much only when we have exhibitions. Like you Elise, we live in a rural area and access to our market is a challenge. So we do exhibitions - expensive to mount - but we do sell. We have to travel to the nearest city of any size (and it's pretty small) - about 40 miles. Ah well....I'm not complaining, just saying.

Another way we help support our photography habit is to print images for other photographers. Not a ton of business but it keeps us in ink and paper!

Even with the challenges I can't see us throwing in the towel. We love photography too much and have great fun doing it.

[Donald]

... artist friend of mine (free plug: http://www.bellamygallery.co.nz/)

I missed this post.

That's very, very nice stuff in there.

[Colin Southern]

I missed this post.

That's very, very nice stuff in there.

Thanks Donald - I'll be sure to pass that on to her! I think she's moving back here to Nelson in a few days ... looking forward to catching up with her. Last time she was here for a few days I shot her sister Caroline ... so we've printed out a 750mm x 500mm head and shoulders print which Michelle has had framed ... Caroline is going to be TOTALLY embarrassed ... just the way we like it

[arith]

magery. Don't tell them how much time you put in, how hard it was to frame...yadda, yadda, yadda...just talk about your concepts and then let your buyer be the last one to speak and leave them to peruse at will...he who speaks last, loses (or in your case) becomes your buyer. Be strong and smile the smile of a confident artist.

Killer; I could never do that. Talk to people like they are a money dispensing machine.

[jimpayne]

I would like to mention a concept about selling. Imagine you are a great chef, BUT you serve this great food at a restaurant that is a little run down looking and on top of that the plate the food is served on is old an doesnt match the quality of the food you serve. Well it will be hard to convince a person to even bother trying the food based on the way things look. So with photos, start with your best quality photo, then the best quality matte and frame. At this point your presentation is deserving of the money you should get or that you would like to get. How something is presented can do alot towards selling. People like to feel as though they get the most for their money, so all these little quality things help. After all a Mercedes has 4 wheels just like a Honda, but those silly little details like headlight wipers, which probabily serve almost no purpose, make the person think they are getting the most.
Jim

[cichlid]

Hello,

Donald, I believe this is the posting that you were referring to a pricing formula (by Peter Ryan)

Selling Prints?

Erik

[Markvetnz]

Katy

Here is my 2 bob's worth. Firstly are you planning to make a living out of this or are you simply doing it to cover some of your costs or to put it bluntly, as a sort of experiment to see how it goes? I have been in business for myself for years and in my experience many small operators in any field are dreamers. If it's a hobby and you don't need to put food on the table out of it then you have the luxury of charging only to cover costs if you so choose. I can't see the point of spending all day at a market hoping to sell a few prints and maybe make a few dollars on each. Remember you also have to spend time yakking to every customer. This could be fun in the beginning but it could soon become a chore and then it starts to impact on your love for photography in general. If you want to make a living out of it then you must start with the end in mind. Colin makes excellent points based purely on a business POV.

With all due respect to Steaphany getting 12000 views without a single sale is a total waste of time from a business POV. No offence intended but views don't pay the bills.

As far as pricing goes, this is where you need to undestand that there is a lot of psychology at play when it comes to convincing a customer that they are getting a quality product and value for money. Price point plays an important role in creating customer perception of quality.

THERE IS ONLY ONE REALITY IN BUSINESS - CUSTOMER PERCEPTION.

It doesn't matter how good you actually are. If your customers think you aren't any good then, in the marketplace, you simply aren't. This goes for any field. I've seen many people in my profession who are technically pathetic, yet their customers love them and they make a lot of money. I've also seen many really talented people not make it in business. They tend to end up in governement or academia - not PC but true. I think it comes down to a little X factor and most of all to people skills.

As far as selling prints goes my advice would be
1. produce quality prints - WOW them
2. Create a niche - try to make sure you aren't selling what everyone else is selling
3. Charge appropriately - the comment about the plastic surgeon is true. People are basically very vain. Deep down most people think that the more they pay for an item the better it is.

It's often more "show how" than "know how". Good luck if you are setting up a business and most important of all - Have fun with it.

[Markvetnz]

One thing I forgot to mention. Don't sell yourself short Katy. Just because you aren't a so called pro doesn't mean your work is inferior to anybody else's. I've seen some work by "journeymen professionals" that is very average. Self confidence without being delusional is critical in any commercial enterprise. My wife is a qualified midwife and a massage therapist. She had the opportunity to set up a therapeutic massage business catering exclusively to pregant women. However, she had this strange notion that because she was just starting out she would charge a low price until she got going. She couldn't see that by charging a premium for an exclusive service she would attract more up-market customers. She has finally realised that she is not a business person. She just couldn't sell water in the Sahara. She'd give it away because she felt sorry for them . The massage table now hs pride of place in our attic catering to spiders - ah lessons learnt ...................