Selling prints in the digital era

[Alan Klein]

What is it about the hobby of photography that inspires us to want to make money from it? It's a hobby. After all, tennis players, golfers, and basketball enthusiasts, usually don't take up the hobby thinking they're going to be in the MAsters or the NBA, maybe a side bet at some local playground hoops.

[Pieter]

You have to die first. But that might be inconvenient.

There are plenty of dead artists whose work doesn't sell.

[Peter Lewin]

What is it about the hobby of photography that inspires us to want to make money from it? It's a hobby. After all, tennis players, golfers, and basketball enthusiasts, usually don't take up the hobby thinking they're going to be in the MAsters or the NBA, maybe a side bet at some local playground hoops.

Alan, there is a difference between making “art” or to use a term I’m happier with, “print making,” and the sports you have named. While I never tried to earn a living from my photography, there was a time (40years ago?) when I tried to defray the costs of my hobby by selling work. I succeeded mildly but as soon as it stopped being fun I went back to printing just for myself. I have a good friend who is a sculptor, and while she sculpts because she loves it, she happily sells work, again to help subsidize her next sculpture. So my answer to your question has two parts: people try to cover some of the expenses of their hobbies if they can, and those same people are well aware that they can’t make a full-time living either as artists or professional athletes. (I really wanted to be a professional bicycle racer in my late teens, but it quickly became obvious that that was not in my future.)

[Pieter]

What is it about the hobby of photography that inspires us to want to make money from it? It's a hobby. After all, tennis players, golfers, and basketball enthusiasts, usually don't take up the hobby thinking they're going to be in the MAsters or the NBA, maybe a side bet at some local playground hoops.

It is not a hobby for me. Obsession, maybe. But I don't expect to make money. That is a full-time job.

[Vaughn]

I was a member of an artist cooperative gallery for 20 years. Worked a couple afternoons a month at the gallery and a little monthly committee work. In exchange, my work was up on the wall, and people from all over the US and elsewhere would walk by it, sometimes even look at it, read the description of the process(es), or maybe even buy a print (I was selling framed photographs). It was always interesting to be behind the counter and watch people walk by my work -- back there in the far corner of the gallery, especially when one could see how they related to paintings, glasswork, etc. as they cruised the gallery.

Sales (minus 20% commission to cover costs of the gallery) help to support the habit, get my work out into the world, and have a place to show recent attempts.

Size matters. If it's just too damn big, it's going to be painful. Sometimes a 5x7 carbon print in an 11x14 or 12x16 frame is just right.
Just sold an 8x10 platinum print, matted 14x17 -- sent that off last week. Some folks still appreciate something handmade.

[Michael R]

What is it about the hobby of photography that inspires us to want to make money from it? It's a hobby. After all, tennis players, golfers, and basketball enthusiasts, usually don't take up the hobby thinking they're going to be in the MAsters or the NBA, maybe a side bet at some local playground hoops.

It’s not necessarily only photography, other artforms too. They’re different than sports because those are generally shared activities. I think it’s less about wanting to sell things per se and more about some sort of recognition or interaction or response to something you’ve made, otherwise it’s a virtual vacuum which can be a difficult situation for most people. Sure we can all pontificate about “I only do it for me and I don’t give a damn if anyone else cares”, but in the end I’m pretty sure that’s BS in many cases.

[Drew Wiley]

Pieter - How many dead artists have you actually asked, whether their prints are selling or not?

[Pieter]

Pieter - How many dead artists have you actually asked, whether their prints are selling or not?

I talk with them all the time. The market is dead, they say. Seriously, I am at an age that I know a few artists who were not very successful (although they were quite talented) during their lifetimes and have since passed away. Their estates are no better off than when they were alive.

[Alan Klein]

There are plenty of dead artists whose work doesn't sell.

That would be a bummer. You die and then find out your work still isn't worth anything.

[Alan Klein]

It’s not necessarily only photography, other artforms too. They’re different than sports because those are generally shared activities. I think it’s less about wanting to sell things per se and more about some sort of recognition or interaction or response to something you’ve made, otherwise, it’s a virtual vacuum which can be a difficult situation for most people. Sure we can all pontificate about “I only do it for me and I don’t give a damn if anyone else cares”, but in the end, I’m pretty sure that’s BS in many cases.

I agree with you. That's why I suggest giving framed prints as gifts to friends and family. Their appreciation can go a long way in filling that vacuum and making one feel they're accomplishing something of value. Certainly, that's better than sitting in a shoe box on a shelf in a dark closet.