Selling my photography in an auction--any tips?

[RauschPhotography]

So long story short, my boyfriend's aunt was in a really terrible car accident a month ago--head on collision with a truck, broke both feet, her right leg, ribs, and several vertebrae. She has had to undergo a lot of surgeries, and her insurance isn't covering a lot of it, so the family is having a benefit and silent auction to help her out with the expenses. I'll be having at least one piece of my photography up for auction, and was wondering if you had any advice! This is my first auction, so I'm not really sure what to expect :blushing:

 

[mikehaugen]

I am assuming that you mean that you are selling your photographic services vs. selling pictures, correct? In this case I would suggest that you are as specific as you can be about how long of a session, extent of editing, number of prints, and you my also need to specify a travel radius, especially if this isn't a local auction. I might even specify a time frame (say in the next six months) or a certain day of the week. Other than that I don't know how else to help you- people will bid on whatever deal you offer and highest bidder will tell you what they are looking for.

 

[Studio7Four]

The first thing I would suggest is to know your target audience. Who is invited to this auction and likely to bid? That will help you decide on the subject matter (say, if it's at a yacht club a photo of a boat on the water at sunset is likely going to garner more interest than, I don't know, a mountain scene) and on the size to present. I would suggest having it matted and put it in a frame. Pick a frame which is presentable but simple - no need to break the bank on the frame, and you can choose something which won't clash with most decors but also allows the winner to swap it into a new frame if they desire. (So choose your matted size on standard frame sizes.)

Especially if you're auctioning more than one piece (hence giving the audience a measure of your skills), you could also consider auctioning off your services for a custom image. Put whatever limits you want on what is included (for what you'll shoot, how long you'll spend, how many images they get - that's all coming out of your pocket). You might be able to upsell after the shoot, and you can decide to either keep those proceeds (to help cover your costs) or donate those as well to the cause.

 

[RauschPhotography]

I am assuming that you mean that you are selling your photographic services vs. selling pictures, correct? In this case I would suggest that you are as specific as you can be about how long of a session, extent of editing, number of prints, and you my also need to specify a travel radius, especially if this isn't a local auction. I might even specify a time frame (say in the next six months) or a certain day of the week. Other than that I don't know how else to help you- people will bid on whatever deal you offer and highest bidder will tell you what they are looking for.

I will be selling framed prints of my work, not my services. Sorry, I really should have said that!

 

[RauschPhotography]

The first thing I would suggest is to know your target audience. Who is invited to this auction and likely to bid? That will help you decide on the subject matter (say, if it's at a yacht club a photo of a boat on the water at sunset is likely going to garner more interest than, I don't know, a mountain scene) and on the size to present. I would suggest having it matted and put it in a frame. Pick a frame which is presentable but simple - no need to break the bank on the frame, and you can choose something which won't clash with most decors but also allows the winner to swap it into a new frame if they desire. (So choose your matted size on standard frame sizes.)

Especially if you're auctioning more than one piece (hence giving the audience a measure of your skills), you could also consider auctioning off your services for a custom image. Put whatever limits you want on what is included (for what you'll shoot, how long you'll spend, how many images they get - that's all coming out of your pocket). You might be able to upsell after the shoot, and you can decide to either keep those proceeds (to help cover your costs) or donate those as well to the cause.

Thanks for the advice. I'm still trying to decide which size would be the most appropriate and marketable at the auction!