I want to sell photos. How?

[pono]

I'm just starting out, and photography is just a hobby, but I wanted to see if I could sell some of my photos. I was going to print out some 5X7 and 8X10s and matte them.

I was thinking about going down to some local art galleries and seeing if they would sell some on consignment. I was also thinking I could go to the flea market and sell them there.

What do you think or what do you do?

Mahalo

[Peter Ryan]

Hi Shane,

I started selling prints at markets about 2 years ago. Where to start?

Firstly let me address the galleries. Prints of the size you are talking will not suit most galleries, the sales price is not high and after their cut (possibly 60% - after all they are paying the rent on the shop) the return to you is too small to bother. I tried hanging my prints on a wall in a shop but did nothing but give them free art in some respects.

I find that I get the best sales when I meet the buyer and can talk to the image. Like antiques there is some kind of providence in meeting the guy who took the shot, know when and where he took it and something about why.

That leads me on to markets. I get my best sales from markets but there is a pricing point i.e. people don’t expect to buy something worth $500 in a market and if they do you will not get many. Better to turn over more images and slightly smaller margins and get your name out there. I sell framed prints in sizes of A3 ($120), A4 ($90), 6 x 8 ($40) and panoramas at 6 x 16.5 inches ($70). The trick here is I do my own printing and also buy frames and mount board direct from the manufacturer to keep the costs down and margins up. This suite of images and pricing gives a good spread for interested customers. I do use the markets to sell my one day workshops. Many have cameras and if they like your work want to learn how to do it themselves. I find I have no trouble filling workshops and the outlay is minumal and I get paid to talk (which my partner tells me I do very well).

There is another guy who sells prints and one market. He gets his printing (5 x 7 mainly) done at one of the large discount stores, mounts the images and puts them in cellophane bags. He sells prints for $20. I feel this presentation diminishes the value of his shots.

A good day for this guy might be $100 in sales whereas a good day for may can be $750.

Some things to consider about you target market. If there are a large number of tourists then you might be better to buy a progam like ProShow Gold for around USD70 and make DVD shows and sell them for say USD 25 – 30. You will have an idea on such pricing but the production costs are minimal.

I go to one local market where I sell a lot of gift cards but not many image because, while the shoppers love my work (or so they say), they are an older community and have no room on their walls for more images.

So understand your target market, keep costs down and margins up and have fun.

[Shadowman]

To add to Peter's comments you first want good product, that's your starting point. You can attempt to sell anything, but the bottom line is do people want to buy what you are selling. You can usually tell if you have a marketable product by the amount of feedback you get from viewers of your photographs and especially if a few of these viewers ask if they can buy a print from you. Once you know you have a marketable product, then you can move onto Peter's suggestion.

[pono]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the feedback so far. I get what you are saying about the galleries Peter. I didn't really plan on making that much money in the begining. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm just trying to be realistic. My plan was kind of like your friend who prints 5X7s and wrap them up in celluphane. It makes sense that people might "de-value" your work if you present it to them like that, but I see a lot of prints that are presented like that at various places, that is where I got the idea.

I think the market scene would be a tough one because as you said, people aren't expecting to spend a big amount of money at them. I think that selling the prints in frames makes you look more professional, and make people want them more, but I don't know what I can afford.

I went on a boat ride on one of the outer islands. I didn't want to mess my gear up, but the lady gave me one of the DVDs they were selling. It had A LOT of photos on it. I personally would rather have something I could hold in my hands, but I guess other people don't mind, so that might be something to consider.

Shadowman, I know I want to sell something nice. I really don't want to try to sell crap. I guess the only to find out what people think is to get it out there. I guess I've kind of been doubting my abilities, but I figure if I keep doing that, I'll probably never do it. I'm kind of in the, for the lack of better terms, f-it stage right now. I pretty sure thats a good thing though.

Thanks!

[Peter Ryan]

Hi Shane,

I know I had great fear and trepidation when I did my first market. It is hard to hold yourself out there in front of an audience and say this is me do you like it. No-one likes rejection but as you say if you don’t do it you will never know.

I do not do it for the money. This is a passion and as I move more into the next phase of my life (some call it retirement) this is what I want to do. I have worked for myself for over 25 years and I know the importance of valuing your work and the market you work in. I see people from time to time that enter my market and undercut price because they do not know how to value themselves. This then undervalues the whole market. It is very important when you start off that you know where the market price is, as there are people out there that make their living out of photography and it is not fair to devalue their market worth.

My dear old mother had saying I try to live by “You would hate to die wondering”. So get some images, trust in yourself and try it. As I said before the main thing is have fun because if it is not fun it is not worth doing.

[challiyan]

www.camerocks.com is a cool site for amateurs to sell their photos. You can set your own price or select default prices. There are some competitions and image request which users can participate. Membership is free and payout is based on different memberships