WHY PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT SALES ARE SURGING
Photography Prints are Becoming More Popular
There are many reasons to enjoy photography. For some of you, selling a print would make your day more than anything. Despite the thousands of accomplished photographers, you can do this!
Many have heard of Edward Weston, Joseph Muench, Alfred Stieglitz and Annie Liebowitz. There were just a few of dozens of photographers that helped develop the the modern age of American Photography. One photographic pioneer, Ansel Adams, skillfully produced works that have graced many of our homes and especially introduced many of us to ownership of photographs.
Now with digital cameras everyone is a photographer and photos are everywhere. Skilled photographers may feel finding sales to be daunting. New enthusiasts may feel intimidated. Do not fear! The more the market is exposed to photographic prints, the more they will sell. If you have established competitors in your area, their sales will soon help you. There is always a market for a new style or the “newly discovered” artist. Below are some more reasons to expect the popularity of photographic prints to soar.
[Photo of Edward Weston's kitchen shows he had color in his life.]
- Just as the aforementioned photographers opened up the world of photography to collectors, photographers of our day are have opened up an awareness of photography as an art. Art Wolfe, with hundreds of National Geographic prints and dozens of books, and Peter Lik with his large murals presented behind acrylic glass panels are just two who have brought light upon this colorful photography world. The first reason photography will sell increasingly well has to do with understanding Change Theory as described by Everett Rogers. He grouped consumers into five levels of buyers. When any new product comes to market, the Innovators buy first. These are usually young, affluent risk takers. The next group is called the Early Adopters. They make early decisions based on confidence in their own judgment.
Then come two groups of wannabes or me-too’ers. These are called the Early Majority and the Late Majority. Together they make up about 70% of the buyers. The final group is called the Laggards. They may still purchase, but maybe not in my lifetime. Those first two groups make up only about 16% of the buyers according to Rogers. We aren’t even through the Early Adopters purchasing, so a giant market of about 75% of the public is ready to hit! In any other market, it would be time to inventory up. We have the advantage of being able to show our wares digitally, but those who can afford the inventory are making inroads as I write.
2. Photographic prints for purchase are comparatively inexpensive. Aluminum or canvas prints may not even require a frame or glass. Multiple prints may be made much more easily and at lower cost than Giclee prints of paintings.
3. The world is modernizing (still). The X-generation and and millennials are simplifying their lives (aren’t we all!). Furniture is simple and functional. Walls are open spaces just ready for photographic prints.
4. The environment, public strife, and health is pretty much on everyone’s mind. Photography captures that environment and speaks to the viewer’s key ideals. It may also capture a moment in time. What you see today may be cherished as a memory of how it used to be. Many print purchases are of a location that means something to the buyer…they bring back a memory or speak to a particular taste. A photograph may do a better job than a painting of capturing this memory with higher degree of reality.
5. The use of color can create emotional impact. It may also coordinate with room decor. Shopping for or commissioning a photograph with particular colors is often easier than shopping for or commissioning a painting.
6. There are a wide variety of display options from standard prints to large acrylic displays. Photography has been used as room dividers, wallpapers, and triptych wall hangings. At lower price points photography is increasingly popular for notecards, calendars and marketing items such as coffee cups.
7. The many genres of photography mean there can be something that meets the tastes and decor of just about everyone. From Abstract to Zoological, photography can hit the mark.
The possibilities for variety in sellable photographs are endless.
Now that you know why your prints could sell, if you don’t have the portfolio yet to present out in the real world, it’s time to create your work. Shoot! Boom!