How to go about creating and selling art prints?

SaqqaraBird · Jul 5, 2017

Hi all! I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this thread, but it didn't seem to fit anywhere else! So I have a fair amount of landscape, wildlife and some fine art images that I've created that are simply sitting on my desktop and I've been thinking for a long time about trying to sell some of them to make a bit of extra on the side. (I'm not a professional just yet as I have just moved country and waiting on work visas and all that as well as extra experience in the real world before I set up shop).

However I really have no idea how to go about it. I know there are plenty of printing options but that's what gets me confused. Is it best to sell plain roll-out prints? Or ready framed and/or mounted? Is it better to have some prints sitting and ready to go the moment someone is interested, or to print each one made to order (thus giving some freedom to the buyer about framing/mounting options).

Are there any online printers that anyone would recommend that does high quality work? I've asked around at a couple places in town, but they don't seem to have a wide range of printing papers that I would want for my work to be seen as intended.

And how does one go about pricing their own work, especially when you are a total unknown and untested? Here is a few examples of my work (2 wildlife, 1 landscape, 2 fine art from a series).

Innocence by Ché Grové - Photo 106584863 / 500px
Untitled.jpg by Ché Grové - Photo 106585113 / 500px
Cape Palliser by Ché Grové - Photo 106583831 / 500px
Hy Breasail by Ché Grové - Photo 117725901 / 500px
Ørruggr by Ché Grové - Photo 122448027 / 500px

I'm just completely in the dark about the whole selling physical photographs process so any advice would be very appreciated!

Thank you

tirediron · Jul 5, 2017

As I'm not in the US, I'll let others recommend labs for printing. First and foremost, you're choosing the single most over-saturated, under-valued, and difficult area of photography to try and make money. There are millions of pictures like these uploaded to social media every hour. To be brutally frank and in the context of salability, the first three are average, ho-hum at best. The last two have some merit and interest, but would benefit from further, careful processing.

As far as actually selling, you need to them printed in large format (20x30 or bigger) so that they have the most impact, and in a plain, minimalist frame, and find a place to display them. There are lots of venues from coffee-shops to high-end galleries. Be prepared for anywhere from 30 - 70% commission however.

Derrel · Jul 5, 2017

tirediron said:
As I'm not in the US, I'll let others recommend labs for printing. First and foremost, you're choosing the single most over-saturated, under-valued, and difficult area of photography to try and make money. There are millions of pictures like these uploaded to social media every hour. To be brutally frank and in the context of salability, the first three are average, ho-hum at best. The last two have some merit and interest, but would benefit from further, careful processing.

As far as actually selling, you need to them printed in large format (20x30 or bigger) so that they have the most impact, and in a plain, minimalist frame, and find a place to display them. There are lots of venues from coffee-shops to high-end galleries. Be prepared for anywhere from 30 - 70% commission however.

Original Poster: I hope you were not offended by tirediron's comments. He said pretty much everything I would have said had I replied to your post first. This is a category that is just literally CHOKED with people offering images...annnnnnd....there are THOUSANDS of images as good, or better, beign uploaded every single day to sites like pBase and Flickr, and so on, often without copyright protection. It is super-easy to download a full-resolkution digitial file, and then send it out to be printed, at any size desired. People steal images allllll the time. There's not a lot of absolute "need" to buy fine art images these days...

If you want to sell images, sell images of people, to the people who are in the images you have created. Images of beautiful, natural-world scenes are free for the stealing, all over the world wide web.

SaqqaraBird · Jul 5, 2017

Hello and thanks for both of your replies

I understand I have a long way to go, and am needing to expand and improve my portfolio, as I really am just a beginner and unexperienced especially in the realm of landscape and wildlife. I also completely understand what a difficult market this sort of photography is within, and am not expecting to make any large sum, it's simply something I thought I could offer on the side, on top of a full time portrait photography business (hopefully one day!). I have just had many people asking about purchasing prints (mainly of my fine art series, where the last 2 images are from) and I've kind of struggled to figure out how best to go about doing that. This sort of photography is more like an on the side hobby and something I enjoy so I thought I might as well see if I can make the occasional extra from it

. I probably wouldn't sell many like first 3 as I agree they are good but not amazing and easily drowned out by the hoards of far better images out there, but I am hoping to improve in this area greatly and eventually offer better images and when I do so I would like to know how best to go about offering them. And no I am not offended at all, I appreciate constructive criticism, and I completely agree

KmH · Jul 5, 2017

I hope you have some serious business, marketing, & sales savvy.
Either way - these will help:
Marketing Fine Art Photography
How Photographs are Sold: Stories and Examples of How Fine Art Photographers Sell Their Work

Good luck!

chrisbattista · Jul 7, 2017

I see you live in Hawaii. How touristy is your area?
whenever I go on vacation is see many public squares (jackson square LA, StArmonds Cir FL, etc.) setup with self made localist art shows on the weekends. after a good talk with a gallery owner on Jackson square he told me people want a quality memoir of their vacation, but can't always (or don't want to) take it around with them. He sells mostly photography of local POI, represents them as said above "20x30 or larger" to capture attention. he will take payment emediately and have their order printed and shipped straight to their home, or a local frame shop of their choosing. and as any good fine art photographer, he limits his prints.
after talking to him i see this everywhere, right down to the local monthly exibit in our local square. and belive me, nobody is sigh seeing marietta ga.