Showing and selling fine art photographs

[EllenC]

I need a bit of help from you good people. I've been given the opportunity to participate in an "open studios" event in my city. This is a yearly event where individual neighborhoods throughout the city open up their studios collectively. Each neighborhood takes a weekend and maps are printed so people can walk around and go into each studio to view the artists work over a weekend.

My past work has included commissions only or paid gigs. I have never displayed my work in a fine art setting. I wil have my own room in a building that houses eight other artists. It's basically an open house setting. I will be displaying about 35 prints. What I am unclear on is how to finesse the selling of prints if I get so lucky. I liken this to those that display and sell their art photos in cafés/restaurants/offices etc. There is no commission taken by a gallery owner.

So lets say I have a buyer that wants framed print #3. I don't want to let them walk away with it on the spot as others may come by during the two day event that might also be interested. Do I take an order, take payment, print and frame an additional piece and make the delivery? Will people insist on walking away with the piece then and there? I will not be doing limited editions. What's the standard turn around time one should expect?

I have more questions at this point than I'm even aware of. I have one week to prepare. Any advice from those that have sold/displayed in similar circumstances is greatly appreciated.

[krb]

don't want to let them walk away with it on the spot as others may come by during the two day event that might also be interested.
Economics 101: Scarcity increases value.

[Picture North Carolina]

A dilemma. I understand your point but then again, agree with KRB.

If you choose to sell, how about this: print a small 5x7 of each larger print that is hanging. On the 5x7 you could add text something to the effect of: "Sorry, this print was sold. However, if you like the print I can make one especially for you. Please contact me." Place the 5x7 where the large print was hung. This would demonstrate demand, value in addition to availability.

I would be interested in knowing a broad, general overview of your fine art pricing.

[WilliamL]

A dilemma. I understand your point but then again, agree with KRB.

If you choose to sell, how about this: print a small 5x7 of each larger print that is hanging. On the 5x7 you could add text something to the effect of: "Sorry, this print was sold. However, if you like the print I can make one especially for you. Please contact me." Place the 5x7 where the large print was hung. This would demonstrate demand, value in addition to availability.

I would be interested in knowing a broad, general overview of your fine art pricing.


This is a great idea... thanks for the tip

[EllenC]

A dilemma. I understand your point but then again, agree with KRB.

If you choose to sell, how about this: print a small 5x7 of each larger print that is hanging. On the 5x7 you could add text something to the effect of: "Sorry, this print was sold. However, if you like the print I can make one especially for you. Please contact me." Place the 5x7 where the large print was hung. This would demonstrate demand, value in addition to availability.

I would be interested in knowing a broad, general overview of your fine art pricing.

Interesting idea. Is this something you do with your own art work? I've never seen this done in any gallery setting whether casual or formal. I've always seen the piece remain until the end of the installation even if sold.

[PBeeee]

Gallery owners typically put an indicator of sold on a piece when it is sold. Small red dots are often used. And a successful show with many red dots often feeds a frenzy of buying. Although some patrons may want to take a piece right away, most fine art patrons understand the system that it stays. And a weekend is certainly a short installation. You might consider a catalog that is displayed with all the prints in an 8x10 format, maybe even more of your work. A simple three ring notebook with page protectors will suffice. I would believe that most patrons will understand that more prints are available unless the show indicates these are limited editions. I have certainly bought prints, as in lithos, etc. that way.

[Picture North Carolina]

Interesting idea. Is this something you do with your own art work? I've never seen this done in any gallery setting whether casual or formal. I've always seen the piece remain until the end of the installation even if sold.

No, it was just a suggestion.

Gallery owners typically put an indicator of sold on a piece when it is sold.. Although some patrons may want to take a piece right away, most fine art patrons understand the system that it stays

The only problem with this system is that it does not work for all locations / demographics. In the popular gallery areas around here, gallery crawls are very popular and attended by many, especially this time of year (mountains / fall). A very large percentage of crawlers are vacationers, some just for the weekend. You can always offer to ship the product to them later, but proper packaging and shipping of a framed work can be expensive and greatly reduce the profit margin of the sale.

[PBeeee]

Not if you make them pay for shipping, which I have done many times. The words my husband probably regrets me knowing the most are 'do you ship?' Taught to me by his own beloved aunt.

[EllenC]

[
I would be interested in knowing a broad, general overview of your fine art pricing.[/quote]

After much advisement from many different artists, I am choosing to go with $420 for a 16x20 museum matte and framed in a 20x24 black frame, which costs me about $85 in materials. I had originally opted to go much cheaper but everyone told me their work sold better at a $400+ price point. When it was cheaper, no one purchased it. I've even had some suggest $600 but that seems too steep considering I am an unknown.

It shall be an interesting experiment.

[PBeeee]

Good luck. I hope you have a good show.

[PhotosGuy]

Think about also selling with a mat, but without a frame. Not everyone will want your frame, you save $s & can charge a bit less. It would be easier to ship, too.

[EllenC]

Think about also selling with a mat, but without a frame. Not everyone will want your frame, you save $s & can charge a bit less. It would be easier to ship, too.
Will do. Thanks.

[Picture North Carolina]

...but everyone told me their work sold better at a $400+ price point.

That is a really, really interesting and valuable bit of advice and knowledge.

[Picture North Carolina]

Think about also selling with a mat, but without a frame.

That has always been one of my biggest questions. It would seem to me that people who can afford to decorate their houses with pictures costing $400+ would most likely have a specific decor. Any frame chosen to sell a print in would stand a chance of not fitting their decor. And generic frames (chrome, black, white, etc.) wouldn't fit either.

[ChrisRabior]

People are funny about that kinda thing. Offer something for $25 and it's viewed as cheap. Offer the exact same thing for $500, and suddenly it's viewed as a work of art and worth the price tag.

It's called perceived value.

[PBeeee]

Re" CannedHeat & point about frames: My experience is that you are right, of all the art work we have, I think 1 is in its original frame. And I quite often buy without the frame, if an artist stands firm on that and I don't like the frame, eh, sale lost. Sometimes you get the impression that they think you are trying to be cheap but I'm pretty blunt about not liking a frame. But, that said, I do think for a show, you have to show things off in frames. Presentation counts. And for photography, it is lucky that plain black tends to be the classic look and can be the cheapest for the artist.
As far as reframing, it is not just the look. I want to know archival/museum quality materials are used, a choice for glass finish, I want the back properly sealed for dust, the hardware correctly installed for where and how it will be hung, things you cannot always count on when someone is framing something cheap. Having additional photos available unframed would be a good thing so long as all that are hung are shown off framed.

[EllenC]

Thanks everyone for the advice. If I had my way, I'd be displaying all photos mounted or on gallery wraps with no frames at all. I just prefer that look when there are multiple pieces shown. In addition my work looks far better matte which of course the glass of the frame ruins. Unfortunately time was not on my side for this.

[Picture North Carolina]

Good luck, and good sales, Ellen. Let us know how it went.