I'm submitting three shots to a gallery show hosted by the Friends of Rockefeller State Park Preserve, and I'm trying to decide on sizes and pricing. The last time I did a gallery show, I had 2 11x14 prints priced at $80 each - just enough to cover the gallery fee and framing, plus a bit of profit, but neither one sold. For this show, the entry fee is higher, plus the gallery takes a 20% commission, and I have to pay for prints (I ran the first ones on the giant plotter at work), so I was thinking $100 to cover my costs and make a small profit.
But then I wonder if they have a snowball's chance to sell at that price and size. The minimum size for submission is 8x10, but I'm worried at that size they may lose impact if everyone else is printing larger. And in terms of pricing, do I price them just high enough to cover my costs or do I try to turn a small profit? If it impacts your thinking, the show is in a county just outside of NYC where prices for everything tend to run a bit on the high side. Your thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated! And if you have any comments on the shots being submitted, those would be appreciated too.
Minimise your outgoings, your figures sound off to me, I mean hey, I'm on the other side of the world, but it would cost me about $10 to print each, that's $30, and that would be online and they post it to you, including the cost of postage - so if you're using ol' harry on the high street est. 1952 and he's charging you $50 each think again. Also if your having them proframed for $50 each - you can buy off the shelf (for instance IKEA) frames and cut mount card to exact sizes yourself with a sharp knife. I'll be honest for that size I could have these on the gallery wall for $50 about £33, so I'd charge $80 and make $30 and have guaranteed sales. I'd advertise prints without frames too for $30 Bring your costs down to maximise your profit, ask Angelina Lovington who she prints hers with online in the US because she always tells me she gets good deals (search for her on this website)
@chewyteeth Thanks, Dave. It's the $35 entry fee and the 20% commission on all sales that have me worried. My materials costs are about what you're suggesting they should be, but I automatically lose ~$12/print to the entry fee and 20% of the sale price back to the gallery, leaving me with a $2 profit priced at $80. I don't disagree that $100 seems a bit steep...does $85 - $90 seem reasonable then?
I think for the size and framed you would be in the right price range-$85-95. I would buy the middle one if I could afford it. Beautiful. I would not go smaller with these three. Covering costs would be great and profit extra if you are just starting. Maybe do one a little cheaper and one a little more to get the customers drawn in.
Oh yeah, good point. $85-90 is still good. Are you able to advertise your work for future sales? It would justify your low profit if you could offer the prints of leave a business card or a website address? Good Luck.
If I were you, I would print larger and frame it well, then go up on your prices. Someone may look at that little price tag and think you're an ameture because of the small print, etc.
Did you shoot raw Melissa ? if so you could print most sizes pretty good , & size is not that important (cough ! ) its quality that counts , ...watch out for the black head on the bird it might lose detail if you go too large ... i would go for the middle shot print a good size & frame it well ...i think its a winner the others i would perhaps go slightly smaller again a good frame ... to be honest i would be tempted with the water & bird shots ..not sure about the top one ..that's just my choice ...whatever you do good luck,
Ok I tried to type this long eloquent response earlier...and the window got closed on me so forgive me if I sound curt.
Gallery goers seem to think (for some reason) that if something is priced significantly different from everything else that it is either from an amateur (priced to low) or from someone who thinks very highly of themselves (priced too high) Pffft...anyway;
Your clientele has to connect with the photo. No matter how much anyone thinks its a great photo, if someone doesn't connect with it, they won't buy it. A local artist told me that the reason he sells prints is because he shoots local and semi-local areas, places people know. The other booths around him weren't doing half the business he was even with amazing photos. They had photos of places and things that most people walking in had no idea about them. Far off places, landmarks, cultures. Nothing on the personal level, even with technically flawless photos.
Mattes: With all due respect to @chewyteeth Don't cut your own unless you are planning on being EXTREMELY precise. I bought a do it yourself matte cutter (even took a class!) I tried it 8 or 9 times after the class with extra matte material and I still didn't feel comfortable. I cut one of my own mattes and I was being super careful and I over cut. You definitely don't want to do that with something you are going to sell.
Frames: I have had several photos in a gallery to sell. I bought my frames matte and glass from www.americanframe.com . They have reasonable prices, great selection of colors and styles, glass or plastic, archival (if you want to spend the $$). I got the frame, matte (cut to my exact specifications), backing and glass for about $50. It takes a screwdriver and about 15 mins to put the frame together with some L shaped brackets that are provided. Attach the wire and you are in business. If you got this route, I would suggest pricing your photos around $125-$150 or even up to $225 if you go the 11x14 route. I like bigger photos. Mine were mostly 8x10 and I feel like they were too small.
Photos: Get them printed by a reputable local camera/print shop, not Walgreens or Target or Wally World, they don't go for quality, just to get a print. If you can find a place online that you feel would be comparable to the best quality you can get in town for less, check it out. Your clientele will notice the difference, trust me.
Yes I did say those prices...don't undervalue yourself. Your time and effort deserve a reward too. I have no idea what price things go for where you are putting these up at. However you do make it sound like things are usuallyl pricier than a lot of other places. People who go to those places and buy from there are used to and expecting to pay for art they love. If you have a "cheap" price on it, well see paragraph 1! That being said, you have to feel the market out too. If you get there and yours seem overpriced comparatively, then think about reducing the price. Don't go so far down that you lose money or just break even though. You are worth more than that. If they are way underpriced, consider raising the prices....CAVEAT: be honest with yourself, if the stuff that is priced way more than yours is also way higher quality, don't go overboard raising your prices but don't cheat yourself either by downplaying your ability or your work.
As far as the photos above.... I think the third one is the strongest, the middle the well, middle and the top, the weakest.
Top: I like the colors, texture and detail are great but the bottom right puffs are distracting for me, I feel like they are incomplete because they were cut off, no stalk on the bottom
Middle: I think the crop is a little close on the water spray (left hand side), otherwise great photo
Bottom: The focus and isolation of the bird is great. Focus is sharp and colors are distinct. Nothing distracting from the subject.
Like I said, just my opinion. :) I would be happy to give more detail....had to re-type the whole thing so I didn't get everything I wanted to in there.
P.S. Whatever you do, tape a business card on the backside of the frame/backboard so people can readily tell others who they bought the amazing print from! I'm sure there are many places online and local that will print simple cards inexpensively!
Melissa, the bottom one is my favorite, though they are all good, and would look wonderful framed. I think pricing varies so much depending on the vicinity, the crowd, and the reason for the show. I have been to some shows where photos are way over priced, at least I thought so, but the people attending the show were into the arts, and they apparently were willing to pay the prices to support the cause. I think it is only fair to ask a price that will allow you a fair profit based on what youhave put into the prints. As Shades of Grey mentioned, be sure to include a business card so interested individuals can pass on your name if they like your work. I think all three photos will present well. Good luck with it. It sounds fun, and a great opportunity.
@shadesofgrey I also admit I'm a cheap skate - I often think art is overpriced so I always sell mine for as cheap as poss and hence I print etc as cheap as poss. I did an art degree and got a first *whoop* so most things I'm used to doing like mounting but I can appreciate that if you haven't done it for 3 years at uni it might be more difficult. Is Matte the same as mounting? I print cards online with vistaprint also, which is in Belgium and is about $15 for 250 cards but I don't know if they ship to the US - and I don't print in wallmart, even I draw the line, but I print with a chemist called Boots who use Kodak papers and equipment. Cheap makes me happy.
@chewyteeth@brumbe@jannkc@sweett@steveh@shadesofgrey@digitalrn Thank you all for your comments and feedback! I appreciate it greatly. I decided to keep prices lower for this show and see how it goes. They do this one every year, so I'll adjust prices for next time if I'm out of line, and hopefully at least one will sell.
@chewyteeth Me too! I made a table top...er table so that I could cut the matteing.
Matte as I am referring to it, is the beveled thick card stock type material that makes a border around the art and goes between the glass and the photo. Mounting is (to me) the whole process of putting a piece of art into a frame, securing the piece between the backing and matte and putting it in the frame, etc.
I think most art is overpriced too, however I do believe in rewarding yourself for your time and effort. If you sell every print where you break even on the cost of printing and framing, thats fine but I feel like you aren't taking into account the cost of gas to get to and from where you took the photograph, getting to and from the printshop, going to buy the frame at IKEA or wherever you happen to go, and then there is the time it takes to be doing all of that when ostensibly you "could" be at work "making money" instead. (Time could be argued a lot of different ways, this is just an example for my point). Now I am definitely not going to charge what I have seen others charge for similar size photos that were ho hum, just because it is "art" and they think they should charge an arm and a leg. That being said, I don't want to cheat myself either.
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Gallery goers seem to think (for some reason) that if something is priced significantly different from everything else that it is either from an amateur (priced to low) or from someone who thinks very highly of themselves (priced too high) Pffft...anyway;
Your clientele has to connect with the photo. No matter how much anyone thinks its a great photo, if someone doesn't connect with it, they won't buy it. A local artist told me that the reason he sells prints is because he shoots local and semi-local areas, places people know. The other booths around him weren't doing half the business he was even with amazing photos. They had photos of places and things that most people walking in had no idea about them. Far off places, landmarks, cultures. Nothing on the personal level, even with technically flawless photos.
Mattes: With all due respect to @chewyteeth Don't cut your own unless you are planning on being EXTREMELY precise. I bought a do it yourself matte cutter (even took a class!) I tried it 8 or 9 times after the class with extra matte material and I still didn't feel comfortable. I cut one of my own mattes and I was being super careful and I over cut. You definitely don't want to do that with something you are going to sell.
Frames: I have had several photos in a gallery to sell. I bought my frames matte and glass from www.americanframe.com . They have reasonable prices, great selection of colors and styles, glass or plastic, archival (if you want to spend the $$). I got the frame, matte (cut to my exact specifications), backing and glass for about $50. It takes a screwdriver and about 15 mins to put the frame together with some L shaped brackets that are provided. Attach the wire and you are in business. If you got this route, I would suggest pricing your photos around $125-$150 or even up to $225 if you go the 11x14 route. I like bigger photos. Mine were mostly 8x10 and I feel like they were too small.
Photos: Get them printed by a reputable local camera/print shop, not Walgreens or Target or Wally World, they don't go for quality, just to get a print. If you can find a place online that you feel would be comparable to the best quality you can get in town for less, check it out. Your clientele will notice the difference, trust me.
Yes I did say those prices...don't undervalue yourself. Your time and effort deserve a reward too. I have no idea what price things go for where you are putting these up at. However you do make it sound like things are usuallyl pricier than a lot of other places. People who go to those places and buy from there are used to and expecting to pay for art they love. If you have a "cheap" price on it, well see paragraph 1! That being said, you have to feel the market out too. If you get there and yours seem overpriced comparatively, then think about reducing the price. Don't go so far down that you lose money or just break even though. You are worth more than that. If they are way underpriced, consider raising the prices....CAVEAT: be honest with yourself, if the stuff that is priced way more than yours is also way higher quality, don't go overboard raising your prices but don't cheat yourself either by downplaying your ability or your work.
As far as the photos above.... I think the third one is the strongest, the middle the well, middle and the top, the weakest.
Top: I like the colors, texture and detail are great but the bottom right puffs are distracting for me, I feel like they are incomplete because they were cut off, no stalk on the bottom
Middle: I think the crop is a little close on the water spray (left hand side), otherwise great photo
Bottom: The focus and isolation of the bird is great. Focus is sharp and colors are distinct. Nothing distracting from the subject.
Like I said, just my opinion. :) I would be happy to give more detail....had to re-type the whole thing so I didn't get everything I wanted to in there.
Matte as I am referring to it, is the beveled thick card stock type material that makes a border around the art and goes between the glass and the photo. Mounting is (to me) the whole process of putting a piece of art into a frame, securing the piece between the backing and matte and putting it in the frame, etc.
I think most art is overpriced too, however I do believe in rewarding yourself for your time and effort. If you sell every print where you break even on the cost of printing and framing, thats fine but I feel like you aren't taking into account the cost of gas to get to and from where you took the photograph, getting to and from the printshop, going to buy the frame at IKEA or wherever you happen to go, and then there is the time it takes to be doing all of that when ostensibly you "could" be at work "making money" instead. (Time could be argued a lot of different ways, this is just an example for my point). Now I am definitely not going to charge what I have seen others charge for similar size photos that were ho hum, just because it is "art" and they think they should charge an arm and a leg. That being said, I don't want to cheat myself either.