How to sell fine art photography
How to sell fine art photography? Whether you are an established photographer with a large portfolio or just starting out you must have at least once asked yourself this question. There has never been a better time to showcase your work to a huge audience than nowadays, but there has also never been a worse time to try to make money of it. Undoubtedly, photography is a hard business to break into and each photographer will face unique challenges depending on his potential market and audience. That's why this question is worth discussing.
You don’t have to brainstorm the possible ways to sell fine art photography, we’ve already done your research for you and condensed it into this article! As a high-end editing service, we offer you an insider’s perspective on the question. If you look up our high end retouching before after, you'll see that we know a thing or two about creating quality pictures that will attract clients in the future. A lot of photographers try selling fine art photography- but a few of them succeed for a variety of reasons.
So, is there still money to be made in fine art photography? Do you have to sell art photography online? What are some other options? How to create a consistent flow of clients? If you are ready to get an insight into the industry and the answers to these questions- keep on reading! Let's get to the bottom of it together!
A little knowledge of the selling process will go a long way toward closing sales and in this article, we will walk you through the best ways of selling fine art photography step-by-step, introduce you to an award-winning photographer Huntington Witherill and tell you what skin retouching online has to do with making money of your work. We want to address only the most recent and up-to-date techniques and strategies. Needless to say, that if you follow the tips presented in this article, you are well on your way to success in this industry.
In the following video you can get acquainted with the tips of a renowned fine art photographer Huntington Witherill, who has successfully sells art photography online and offline.
So, how to sell fine art photography?
If you are a professional photographer, or an aspiring amateur, you rely on your pictures to bring you financial rewards. Putting your works in front of a large audience is not easy, but by selling your pictures you can later invest your earnings in a better equipment to increase your professional rate and level of credibility. The basic step, obviously, is coming up with a selling strategy and marketing your work smartly in order to slowly build the audience. The competition in this industry is, without doubts, stiff and it can be somewhat difficult to break into the photography business unless you know the right steps to feature your work. It's also important to keep in mind, that clients value high quality pictures, so high end portrait retouching is a must!
This business is all about knowing how to sell yourself. Exactly how much you make is going to depend on the approach you take, as well as how good your photography actually is. But, the harsh truth is, bad work, that is well marketed will definitely outsell good work, that is badly marketed. The style of your pictures and the demand for it are two factors that determine where you should sell your work. There are really numerous options to sell fine art photography online and off. The opportunities to sell your photos offline are everywhere, even when you’re not actively looking for them.
First of all, having a cohesive, navigable website legitimizes your work and creates trust that's why it's so vital for a photographer to have one. When you have a proper website that showcases your portfolio smartly-it's easier for people to buy your goods and services, to say nothing about the fact that it's very effective when you want to sell fine art photography online. An important reminder is, that you should only share your very best photos, do not upload a lifetime worth of work to your website! Be your own worst critic, and be objective.
You can find information about online portfolios and get inspired by some of the best ones out there in the article “How to make a fashion photography portfolio.”
There are also automated online stores and limited edition online art stores. Both, provide an excellent source of an income. The only difference is that automated online stores do all the work for you and limited edition stores sell prints at a higher price.
Secondly, it goes without saying that social networks are an integral part of your self-promotion, that’s why you need to engage in social media to sell fine art photography online. It's one of the best ways out there to promote yourself, gain publicity and reach global audience.
A lot of people shy away from it, because they think it involves an expensive website and complicated payment gateways, which is not true! These days anybody can create an enormous following online through the power of social media. That's why, we suggest harnessing the power of social media for self-promotion and online marketing. But, you should be very careful about how you present yourself to the world.
Art fairs are perfect for selling your photography offline. You can start out locally and then gradually expand your business. Their biggest plus is that after paying the fees, all the revenue goes straight to the photographer! Without any commission! Attending every year can show the potential clients that you are a consistent creator and will persuade them to buy from you.
Moreover, it’s extremely important to create and maintain relationships with local art galleries in your community. It's a sure-fire way of selling fine art photography, getting your photography in front of a wider audience and adding a new revenue stream to your photography business. It can help you start a business relationship and become included in a community. Besides, you may potentially be featured in art galleries around the community and you can also get a sense of your competition. It's important to keep in mind that some of your work may have a market outside of local galleries.
It all depends on the style of your photography. But you don’t have to limit yourself to art galleries. Aside from galleries, you can try contacting individual art-dealers and try auction houses. This can also give you additional exposure, diversify your income and help you get your name out there.
All of these tips can help you easily maximize your earnings. However, you are not confined to these choices! Be innovative, get creative! If there is no market, then you will have to come up with one. Don’t be afraid to do something extra-ordinary — because that’s exactly what makes you a unique photographer and it's going to make you stand out from the herd.
You can even go as far as creating your own logo- which is a good trick in promotion. Tips on how to do it can be found in the article “Importance of Logo in photography — Photography logo ideas”.
The process of building your own photography business takes patience, hard work and perseverance, and requires a bit of thick skin. It's important to remember that there are no shortcuts in getting your work in front of these clients. There are sacrifices involved. But, the opportunities in the industry are plentiful and working at it should bring positive results.
You'll definitely have to learn how to cope with rejection at the start of your career as a fine art photographer, so you have to be resilient! Keep in mind that photography sales do not happen overnight. It takes some time of trial and error to start earning anything. But if you’re really serious and passionate about earning money as a professional photographer, then you know that time is not a problem! Stay focused and keep on shooting!
Let’s be honest — if your photos are not visually appealing, you won't sell art photography online or offline. If you want to have a successful photography business, professional editing is just part of the equation! What’s the point of selling your works if the customer is not going to be impressed and will not want to eventually come back to purchase more? To increase the chances that a buyer will fall in love at first sight with your work, you’ll need to make it look good! That's why we are here to help! You take the photo, we do the rest! You won’t be able to resist our lucrative photo retouching prices. Selling fine art photography has never been easier thanks to our website, because we are passionate about creating high-end photography. We can make any ordinary picture look amazing and eye-catching!
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