STOP Trying to Sell Prints and Calendars!
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2024
- Selling your photography is hard. But, you need to stop trying to sell prints and calendars. Or, at least the way you're doing it.
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The thing about photography that's tricky is there's no obvious way to sell it. If you're selling coffee, you open a shop. If you're selling toasters, you sell them at an appliance store. But, selling prints in photography is a totally different game.
The bad news is that most of us are selling prints the wrong way. The good news is, there are solutions.
Hey Brendan!
Hey Bear!
err...I mean. Hey Ludwig!
I never tried to sell any of my images, because I m just a hobbyist, but in one of my projects it happened to photograph the same boat several years in different conditions, someone saw the pictures and put me in contact with the owner of the boat which wanted all the photos I ever took of his boat and paid by buying me a new camera 😊 Is the only time I ever got something from photography!
That’s an awesome deal! Might have to start taking photos of boats
Having no UA-cam audience, but a gallery for 7 years I have to disagree with Brendan's first topic. You can sell your prints and calendars without an online audience by selling them in your gallery. I also disagree with trying to sell your prints in cafés or restaurants. People go there to enjoy a meal, not to buy wall art. They might love your prints and might consider checking your website/social media later, but the chance that they will bother the busy staff to take down the photo frame, wrap it up and take a payment is very slim.
My gallery is in a touristy town (Westport) in the West of Ireland, surrounded by cafes, restaurants and pubs. During the day, I get enough people into my shop to buy images or calendars etc, but come 6pm all the people outside are thinking of is food and drink. I could not get anyone inside.
If a local café - or better still a hotel - contacts you and says they want to display some of your images, simply offer them to buy your prints at a certain discount and they can re-sell them to their customers. If they feel offended or think it's not how it works, it just means that they just want a free way to decorate their premises, but do not believe that your art would sell to anyone.
Totally agree. If you have a gallery, that's the same. I mention that pretty clearly in the video.
Interesting, like you say, I sell to a local market (or at least, Swedish market)... online via a web shop or the like..hard... btw.. prints don’t fly off the shelf, but they do sell
Kerstin Hellmann Wise words.
@@BrendanvanSon Exactly what I was going to say... I heard you say it :)
I can attest to this. My hotel that I work at hung up paintings in our lobby as part of an art exhibition. The paintings were for sale. None were sold.
I make calendars for friends and family every year as gifts. I never expected to make any money from it, as it was intended to be a gift. However, I've had people I didn't know who saw a couple of the calendar images on their friend's desk or wall, and then contacted me to get a print of the photo made. I have no intention of making it a career, but the money I made allowed me to buy a really nice tripod.
Exactly! It's the way to go. I'm happy to hear my strategy works a bit :D
Same here. That’s good enough I think as long as it’s not a sole source of income!
I agree that is hard and one tip to help is to sell local landscape photos to local people where that landscape means something to them, rather than just sell a beautiful scene
I appreciate your honesty, it‘s really refreshing
IMO, a lot of YT photographers are not professional photographers, rather photography oriented marketing specialists. I say that because it seem none of their income is coming from selling photographs and all from YT, links, classes. Maybe they have to be decent photographers to make that work, but they are selling an idea rather than art.
That's 100% the case. I used to make 100% of my income from photography directly. But that hasn't been the case for a while. So it would be wrong of me to portray that.
@@BrendanvanSon Brendan is an honest guy.
I totally agree, i had it out with Nigel Danson. He’s selling websites not photography. Watch 15 minutes of videos to see 1 photo at the end is pathetic, i said I’m fed up with getting square space shoved down my throat what has a website got to do with photography, really??? Go watch his video. He tried stemming my comments with square space pay his salary, no wrong Nigel. Your viewers pay your salary. I’m sick of it. As soon as they get a few thousand viewers you get the depressing music, 3 - 4 adverts then 2-3 shoutout to square space or whatever they’ve sold out to
These you tubers need to give their heads a wobble. They believe they’re own comments section.
Matt granger is the worst photographer ever. But somehow he’s got a platform.
Most of these people are you tubers not photographers.
@@waynestead607 Dang dude.... don’t like them, don’t watch them.... sure seems like you have some serious anger towards other people’s methods... 🤷
Perfectly said
Thanks Brendan! You offer some great advice based upon your personal experience. I've been involved in several business ventures and have found that when I allow my product (from Hawaii eco-tour adventures to building a massage business and others, to develop organically, I have the most success. It may take longer, but certainly it decreases anxiety when I can focus on pursuing my passion, whatever that may be rather than focus on the $$$ on I "desperately" want. What's that old saying, "Love what you do and the money will come."
This was extremely helpful. I was looking for the beginning steps to build and sell calendars and your video popped up. I appreciate you providing examples and personal experience with everything. Definitely subscribing!
Glad it was helpful!
Very insightful! Thank you
Very good lesson. Thanks
Great vid and exaclty sum up what I was thinking already :)
This is great straightforward information. With real numbers. Wish everyone did this.
I love that Nikon Camera on your desk. Great Video as always
You are right my friend, it's true . Well said , I appreciate.
Hey thanks for saying it how it is, all these people making "How to make money with photography" videos dont realize we have to build an audience first, which a lot of creators dont have unfortunately, that should be the first thing is how to get an audience, just came across your channel, good stuff! 😊
Thank you for this video!
I moved back to this small rural town and have been doing everything I can and sinking sooo much money into this, being told to sell small and sell mugs and "your photos should sell themselves" by others in the region... only to end up feeling like I was a complete moron to not do something thats so easy for others, I felt like a complete failure and felt like it's either all me or the fact I'm not rich.
This really confirms a lot of what I'd felt from experience but didn't have anyone who really knew how it was to say it how it is- being told constantly that "photos sell themselves" while putting in so much effort to get nowhere, it really broke me.
To hear the reality- that it really isn't easy at all- that it's pretty much impossible without an audience... just hearing that made me feel so much better about myself and my photography.
I pour so much heart into what I do- not being able to sell any of it (3 prints and 2 mugs in 12months), after taking so long figuring out which company to print from, what size, which images, number of prints etc- only to end up feeling like I was a really terrible photographer and even worse business person....
This video explains so much and I only wish I was told this at University or just watched this video before spending $15000 on a degree and all that money on equipment and prints.
This video explains why this failed miserably and it actually helps lift my spirit- maybe this should be just a hobby until I have a lot of money behind me that I can sink into things or until/if I can actually build an audience with an antisocial personality haha
Recently left my job and was gonna dive head first into another disaster trying to rely on my art to live- so I'm really really happy I watched this instead of wasting my time and what little I have left.
I felt bad about selling my backup camera and lens but I'm thinking I should definitely get rid of everyting I don't need for my own enjoyment and focus my efforts on something I can achieve... I should go back to breaking my back labouring or find a cruisy job that pays well doing stuff all just so I can get by like everyone else around here.
Just gotta remember- Talent Does NOT Correlate With Sales, Marketting does.
Great video! Thx for the tips 👌
You bet!
In my opinion, as someone who has sold at art shows, galleries and now in my studio over the past 15 years - one of the most important aspects of marketing your work is understanding your place in the market. Breaking that down...
1. Do you offer work that is worthy to sell or that someone actually is willing to buy
2. Is your work priced at the value that fits your place in the "photographic art world"
3. Be realistic where you are for # 1 and 2 and build your brand....
just my humble opinion...
Everything you said applies to busines, life, and poker. Know your worth, understand your value, and build your brand, persona, and reputation.
Great vlog van the man 👍
Excellent information, advice, and video Brendan! Time. Stress, and money. You spent a lot of time and stress and made just a little money. Definitely not worth it. I tried the same thing - I made a "Safari Babies" Calendar from my trip to Tanzania. Sold a handful. My last time making a calendar. I think you hit the nail on the head with the "emotional connection." angle. People are more likely to spend money when the photograph has a meaning to them - for example, where they got married, proposed, child was born there, where they used to live, etc. Rarely will people just shell out $$$$ because it's a pretty photograph.
Dude, you hit this out of the park for someone like me. I've been building an audience for the last 4 years for a street photography project. I'm gonna revist this video after I go through some of the motions you covered and give some feedback.
Do you have the feedback?
Fierce competition combined with saturated markets lead to many talented photographers unseen. The example you mentioned about wildlife photography is a good one. I agree with you on not wasting time selling prints and calendars online and target local audience instead. Before COVID when I used to go to cafes, I recall seeing artwork and yes they did attract my attention as a customer while enjoying a cup of coffee. Very well thought out video my friend. Thank you for putting it together.
Thanks for watching!
I've been debating whether or not to put more effort into selling prints, and whether or not to put up a website. I was on Etsy for a little while, and sold 1 print. I've sold a few prints to friends. Then I've had the friends that have asked about buying prints, but never followed through, and of course the people that say I should sell prints, but have never expressed interest in buying one themselves. I'm still leaning toward thinking it's just not worth the effort or money to set up the online gallery/website. Easier for me if someone DOES want to buy a print, to just say tell me what photo and what size you want, and I'll quote you a price!
Brendan, you are very honest in your videos. Bravo!
I appreciate that. Glad you liked the video.
hey mate this was really good so thank you..... gonna watch it again. Cant believe you bought wall art from Ikea though.... keep up the really good work on here mate.
Thanks Brendan, some sound advice !
Relating to the comment about family & friends saying such warming adjectives about a shot, yet not one has offered to purchase a copy. Unfortunate and true! I had a shot printed as a gift for a female friend, a shot on the coast which had shells in the wet sand, clearly identifiable adding a little something to the scene. It matched the ocean motif in her place, she had shells gathered in a glass vase etc. When I handed it to her she was quite emotional and displayed it on a shelf a little above eye level. Go forward a couple months. I came over and saw the print was now above head high and behind other things, you couldn't make out what it was. Wow. Understanding her 'different' personality it became one of those, 'well, that makes sense'. My point being even if your friends/family dig the print it may clash with their decor or whatever, understand it may not get displayed.
Pick a topic that people are interested in for a calendar. I did Barns. Hoped to sell 20 and sold 82
Where did you sell them?
You have good points
Yeah, it's a good video to make to curb people's expectations on what their photography can earn. In the end it will work better for some, and less so for others. But it's good for people to make their own experience and try it out for themselves.
I definitely believe this...I've been trying myself for 20+ years to do this as a landscape photographer...Local will probably be best option, especially if in a small town...
Thanks for yet another great vid and insights.. We have been producing a calendar local to our south east corner of Spain for the last 8 years... our aproach has been to engage with a local printer who prints limted numbers on demand, rather than doing a 200 or 300 print run... I supply all the art work to the printer ready to print so not requiring extra work from them... I add value by giving an extra month, Jan the next year, also the print on the page can be cut out and framed, as a number of folk have told me they have and a couple of local bars and cafes have also done.. I have also had local hotels and bars ask for limited print runs with their own branding, which is a great way of selling on the work and they sell on or gift to suppliers and customers .. we will never make thousands of € but 300 to 400 sales a year is good enough for us.. though we dream of the 1k sales as we all do.. Keep up the awesome work :)
Good to hear that you're making it work. I think it's such a key to stay local.
Thank you.
I briefly thought about making a calendar for '21. Then I bought Nigel Danson's calendar. He's pretty good :) I figure I've only put about a grand worth of work in to selling 200 bucks worth of prints this year online so I'm above average. Luckily for me I don't need to sell photos to eat...lol...Great video, Brendan!
Wise words of wisdom... 👍👍👍
great video Brendan and touches on the reality of trying to sell images I tried for a year offering images as downloads at just $3 each through an established online agency sold ......ZERO ! despite lots of "Likes" HAs always puzzled me how UA-cam photographers make it pay when you weigh up travel expenses, equipment costs, time..... they all sit there saying youtube doesn't pay... so how do they live? I tried investing in a website.....Big expensive mistake! once again , great video speaking a lot of sense...great advice. thanks
Great Video! I have had some luck with prints and lots of luck with calendars but I do have an audience for them (the later anyway). Since my day job is for a distributor they purchase my images for calendars and I just order a few without their logo for my personal ones. They use 300 and I am lucky to sell 3 LOL.... I need to catch some of your other seminars as I think building an audience is just as difficult as selling images these days. ~J
Self esteem moment, was thinking at the beginning you were over exposed...and was validated when you agreed...lol. Learning experience, yes! Well said! Other bits of good advice. I'd be happy with just learning enough to be good enough for a few to think my images are excellent...lol. Keep it up! Thanks.
Yeah, it's all about the learning experience. You don't just start being a doctor, it takes years of practice and fill time study.
I just found this video.. I agree it's hard... I feel starting any business is hard. I really like your video here. Yes, it can be done; you have to want it so bad that you'll do the work to find your clients. ;). Back in the Days I tried a Calendar... FAIL LOL but it was a test for me. It failed and I moved on because my ideal clients didn't care about the calendars.
About Calendars expiring; so here's the thing. They all come around again. There are only 14 different years and they go through a 28 year cycle. The 7 non-leap years recur more often than the leap years. So if I had, say e.g. a Brendan van Son calendar for 2020 (a leap year), I would keep it and re-hang it in 2048, and it would remind me of 2020 (in case I need reminding!). Sometimes the return is 6 years, sometimes more... Anyway I think it's fun to keep them and re-use them, and often a talking point when I have visitors... BTW I love this channel and always find Brendan's delivery very refreshing. Greetings from New Zealand. Stay safe everyone.
COVID knocked out my 3 coffee shop / gallery commitments for 2020. And like you stated, friends rave about an image, but very few purchase. I tried small sales, cards, bookmarks etc. too much inventory to have on-hand.....tried a “trunk sale” of said inventory. Gave up. I’m much happier just shooting for myself and displaying my favorites around me !!
My inventory of prints and mat board supplies is taking over my living room and the wife is NOT HAPPY. the "carrying cost" for that inventory also has to be factored in. As its not income until its sold so it's a negative as well for the bare prints and the matt board, frames and sleeves.
@@sjsphotog That's why I only print in 2 sizes: 13x19 and 8.5x11. If I need 4x6 prints I trim a 13x19 sheet. I don't frame and I don't mat. I just sell prints with a backing board in a clear sleeve. Without a separate room, office or studio -- none of which I have -- there is just not enough space to store all those supplies.
I don't try to sell my photography, but just showing examples to people has led to print sales simply because a particular image clicked with someone who happened to see it. I think that's the equation - put enough images out where people who might be interested in them may see them. People who will pay for them will ask if they can buy a print.
Just watching Instagram and you realize the competition is rock hard in landscape photographs. I think that to show your material in a gallery is the way to go. I have a friend living in Faro (close to you) and he is doing a exhibiton in a gallery there during october. That will be interesting to hear how that turned out later. For me myself it is easy. I´m not in it for the money so I can just enjoy to be out in the nature and hopefully take one or two photographs that I can print and hang on my own walls. The same with the calender . I do my own calender with my photos and normaly only one copy. Then of course I am the first to admit it would be a boost to see that people are impressed by my photos and then maybe not only relatives :-)
I laughed maybe a little too loudly as I'm camped up at a beautiful location in the night time watching this as you mention not selling small, postcards, cups etc.
Over the last couple of years I have argued with myself about selling prints and that was my first thought, make small money first and build up from there, I eventually gave up even on that idea. I then decided I'd take images of the area I was working in (I live nomadically) but then I was competing with local artists but thought having an outsiders view (a tourists view) would be beneficial, it got some interest but my limited time in those areas wasn't enough.
In one of those areas I got some big interest just before I left on those grounds, they said the local artists work could be from anywhere but what I had was what tourists would see, both would sell. Unfortunately I left before agreeing a deal but I do plan to go back there.
I think its also for a budding photographer to be realistic as to what they expect, I just wanted a small residual income, not a full time wage but like you say, in landscape and travel photography that is a hard thing to achieve.
Loinvg rhe honesty of your videos, I always have, no sugar coating it.
Yep... when I first set up prints in 2016. My local printer said it is interesting you are going large... everyone else is producing small. He was then shocked that I was selling prints in decent numbers. My minimum size is 84cm!
You have to go kind of crazy, don't you. Everyone does 20x30cm, so have a unique selling point. Printing massive is a great idea.
@@BrendanvanSon yeah I decided early on 84cm / 110cm / or 135 and 150cm on Plexiglass. And they do well. End of the day, make the work the focal point... what is the point of a pathetic piece on someones wall- they want to design a room around art/photography etc. And there is money there, I know people making serious cash - its just targeting the right people for your work. For instance - I will only put photos in architecture mags, as that is what I mainly shoot.
Ps... might come to Portugal in a few weeks, if we do I would love to pop in the new gallery - let the channel know when it is open! :)
Who are your typical clients, what market are you selling your large prints to? Also, what media type are you printing your photos on?
Lots of truths here Brendan. Calendars are so much work for minimal ££ returns, but its still SOME income which at the moment is important - these are mainly being bought by the community I've built up around my work. As for having your images in real places where they're seen, its invaluable, I've had 2 enquiries this weekend for prints of an image in a local hotel's lobby. Its my most popular print!
Before I started photography one of the products I used to sell and was surprised that they even sold was pictures on canvas approx. 12x10 inches of very common themes. People just wanted cheap good looking pictures on their walls.
To be honest I really think you hit the nail on the head with this one. I also think Instagram and UA-cam is the new photography.
Rarely in 2020 people want prints when they can just google and steal an image and blow it up. Nor saying that's right because it's not but I think in 2020 if someone wants to brand themselves, Instagram and UA-cam is going to be the main source to gain traction with an audience first. Along with what you said of being a LOCAL photographer to the town or city you live in. The money in photography will still always be in weddings, portraits, and senior pictures.
As far as Landscape photography I think most earn their money through youtube ad revenue, sponsorships and affiliate marketing
I love when certain industries of photography are left out of the money makers. Not trying to start anything, just an observation.
@@ScottWebb27 I agree but the internet changed the playing field.
Merci Brendan 👌🇨🇦✌
Pre-order at least protects your upfront cost. And here in the US you can get better bulk rates and shipping rates. Would caution to keep it to only shipping in your country as it also saves cost.
Many dependencies. I sell framed prints in my physical gallery, various hotels and tourist info centres because I am very location specific which helps tremendously. I also sell at least 3 prints a week from my online gallery for much the same reason, people want images of location area X and search and find me. Calendars are very low profit but real fans like them so I print a limited run, really as a loss leader. Then there are all the bigger profits from limited edition selling, I do a mix of both. I prefer hotels vs cafes as people visiting cafes are often not collectors of memories and are very transient, hotels tend to evoke a sense of place more vs a sense of taste :) ... I am lucky to have a physical gallery actually in the environment ... I also have 2 or 3 solo exhibitions a year, but only sell a handful from those so I prefer 24/7 365 days a year options more
I agree Gary, your gallery in the Blue Mountains NSW is perfect for the tourists that visit the region & your work is worth hanging on a wall.
@@PMCN53 Cheers Phil - now my secret is out :) ... but indeed Brendan should focus on just Lagos and surrounds in his Portugal gallery!! and a have a 'world' corner, which I do, with a folder of rest of the world, I have sold a few Iceland and USA, but 95% of my physical sales are Blue Mountains, abstracts through to documentary, but always with great light ...
Gary, that's awesome. And super clear that you put effort into the right places to make it work. I love your input to the community, it's so valuable.
Great feedback. Who do you approach at hotels to be able to sell there?
@@brandonblue4783 Hi Brandon - actually the local ones around here have actually contacted me, so that made things easier initially. But every big hotel will have a general manager who will ultimate have the final say on what would get put up in corridors (vs rooms). It is also worth courting the advertising person too for things like photo workshop / accomm packages which I do too
Not long. Good advice.
I have been a hobby photographer for over four decades. I call myself a closet artist because my closet is overflowing literally with prints. I never have really tried to sell my photographs with the exception of online occasionally. Over 20 years I have probably sold three prints on eBay for not much. I did sell two photographs of 10 that were hanging in a local cafe. I was most successful when I was at a venue where people were looking for art and wanted to part with their money. It was actually an art fair in Pacifica California. I sold 19 prints in approximately 8 hours. I priced them probably a little less than I should have, between 30 and $50 a piece, but they sold and that is what counted. The prints were either on archival mat, or Epson canvas that I coated with a UV spray giving it a very slight gloss. It was definitely a learning experience and a good test to see if anyone would actually buy my prints.
Great topic today. I have seen the ‘card kiosk’ in local stores selling the photo cards, and (shame on me), I think, I could take that photo. Hubris, I know. But credit to anyone who offer their art, because if you don’t put it out there no one is going buy it.
wish I had watched this before I spent $125 for someone to build a shopify store for me.. lol. Good advice though. Glad to see someone being real.
Idea... print calendars on the same quality paper as prints (price will go up). Any expired calendars can then be easily cut out and sold as separate prints. Or... just make copies for your promotional purposes, and give them away to your potential customers like hotels, restaurants, local companies etc.
Any recommendations where to print calendars (UK) ? I use Blurb for books but they don’t have calendar templates.
So refreshing to see you in a house
Hard is a nice word for it, but it's worth it. "Friends" and family expect you to give them prints/calendars/ etc., and they get upset if you charge them. Have people preorder calendars. Also, it's hard to find a printer that will do a good job at a reasonable rate.
Hi Brendan. I've been thinking about the coffee shop idea l, but I was wondering what is a good printing medium to use, canvas, framed or something else?
It depends on the coffee shop's style, which is tricky. The best thing to print on is good photo paper - all local printers will be able to do that. My favourite is Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin 310gsm paper. Then, I'd just put it in a thin frame. If the shop wants something different go from there.
But, honestly, I don't even think you need to start with the print. Start with a digital portfolio and pitch them. Save the work until you have a lead.
Pet photography is a fantastic way to get them buy a print. Who doesnt want their dog or cat ect.. proudly placed in the room. 😎
Somehow I missed the calendar opportunity
Many years ago we did a calendar with the car club and created an anniversary calendar. So it doesn’t show days if the week and is usable year after year.
Selling prints isn’t hard if your expectations are set right. Way too many expect to sell everything.
Agreed on the expectations!
Even though it is probably a little bit discouraging for some photographers, you're absolutely right. People tend to buy pictures they have a relationship with, and in Landscape Photography that is so hard to achieve. Especially as the market is as saturated as it is. I think the Idea of offering your pictures as a little exhibition to a coffee shop or a bank or whatever is a really good idea. But even with that It'll be hard to sell something. The best solution I guess is to go to an arts fair, because all (or at least most) of the visitors are probably there to buy some artwork.
It's hard to sell, maybe. But they might at least follow your work on social media this way. Gives you some exposure for little extra work.
@@BrendanvanSon that's true. Like you say, it's about buildings community.
I sold calendars for about 4 years but your right...so much work for very little profit. I don't do them any more 😁
It's hard work, and it's getting more difficult every year.
Spot on man! I have built a small audience locally with my drone work. This year I sold 24 prints and made about $150. All local sales, no shipping. For me it's about the exposure for my work and services. Thank you.
I agree with most of what you said except I follow lots of youtube landscape photographers, but I've never heard any of them say that it is easy to sell your prints and calendars.Also, if you do try to sell, bigger is better. Particularly landscapes benefit from larger sizes and people have walls to fill, so a bigger print will appeal more.
I think a lot would by a Brendan Calendar. But I get your point.
Very well said Brendan, most of use should see it as a hobby and not a easy way to make money (like some youtubers pretend). I do sell prints via my website aswell, but not for the money. I just like the idea that someone wants my print on there wall. Still the cheapest print (A3) is €99 and not something like €30, It's still art at the end of the day!!
Having a exhibition is also a great way to promote your work and to sell some prints, mine got postponed unfortunately because of the covid situation.
Yeah, having your work on someone's wall is special. I think a lot of people focus so far on that, they forget to address the question of "who would want my photo on their wall?".
How you're well!
@@BrendanvanSon everyone should have one of my prints on there wall😉 I'm doing great, photographing The Netherlands this year!!
I’ve sold one out of a local gallery for $300. It had been in the gallery for at least 5 yrs. Good thing they didn’t collect rent cause I would have owed money. Good advice and I’ll try them out.
You spoke about selling to Ikea and similar stores, how do you legally protect yourself on copyright and all?
What sound common sense. Great advice Brendan.
How is it that this guy knows me so well?!
Hi,
I'd suggest to anyone who sells physical goods to ask customers if they received what they bought. A simple mail but a great way to avoid disappointing your customers.
One thing to do with extra calendars is to send (free) to any good/repeat customers
I'm very old school I know, but I cannot imagine putting anything I value on Instagram. I just don't trust social media at all. That's my downfall as I think I have a nice portfolio of quality work, but the thought of putting it out there for someone to steal is an absolute no-no for me. Fair play to those of you who do, but I don't understand how you have enough faith in social media to do it.
Thank you . If you work with a café and hang your photos for display. What type of commission do you offer the owner? Thank you very much. :)
I have made .... wait for it , 0
0 for Landscape photogrpahy and ive been doing it a few years , doesnt bother me , I just enjoy the hobby , Would it be nice to get paid? hell yeah ,
but i cant see my work being worth it any time soon , but i am working on improving on it though , and thats enough to keep me going
There is just a handful of landscape photographers here in Australia that are well known and have galleries. Ken Duncan is a pioneer of the panoramic landscape prints and he has a gallery and restaurant on the central cost of NSW. He prints BIG & BOLD! Glenn Mckimmin another, beautiful images and LARGE is the best way to view. They both diversify into books, calendars, posters & workshop tours etc. They work hard for their success.
Yeah, I agree. If you can afford a gallery, to print massively, and be in the right spot, selling prints is a great idea. But, selling small from home and online can be such a mission.
@@BrendanvanSon Ken has been at this for 30-40 years. He started off by carrying a large print portfolio to corporate offices in NY in the 1980's. They often bought many prints for their corporate office after seeing the LARGE prints. His success was all about HARD work and he finally reaped the rewards. It's a different world now but Ken is still attracting customers to his gallery. Check out kenduncan.com
I love how the next video down is titled "sell calendars".
Love this. And very true. Many great photographers you see are are all selling calenders. But I only need and buy one... That is normally is a charity one, country file,. Prints are great but some are so expensive. So I would much rather buy a photographers book or zine so I can pick it up and grab inspiring ideas and even looking at different genre's.
Agree. And photographers have to get a bit more creative at deciding which products to sell.
Selling prints is VERY hard.. I've sold very few of my images at my local gallery andvlocal art strolls but I don't have a large if any real following/audience so it's very hit or miss. The gallery takes a 30% commission (many take 50%) so you have to factor that into your pricing as well. Art strolls are crazy with all the time spent (1 hr setup 1 hr take down) plus 4 hrs sitting there waiting for some customer to engage and look thru your stuff and the risk of damage to your framed or matted prints even if they are protected in clear sleeves as they should be. Your lucky to sell 35-50$ worth and then if they charge for the space your in the negative.
Thanks for the sobering truth, Brendan. I'm surprised that a professional photographer would buy cheap prints from Ikea instead of showcasing your own photos in your home.
Haha, they're placeholders until we find a print we love.
And we actually don't want too many of our own photos on the walls. It feels a bit self-indulgent. I'd rather get a Thomas Heaton or Morten Hilmer image on my walls, to be honest.
was contacted to shoot a book of doors. I may have quoted quite high. Who knows but it sure would be a great deal of work and involvement. so maybe not too high.. lol
04:08 - Amen to that! I hope most audiences see through that. "10 ways to make money from photography!" ... and then they talk about selling stock images ...
Very interesting Brendan, next you need to make a video about growing a youtube channel. Thanks for sharing.
Haha, If only I was better at it.
There is a seminar about it right now :D
@@BrendanvanSon I would love to hear your thoughts on it, I know step 1 is dont make crap and yes some of my videos are crap, My one year on you tube goes up on Wednesday and I have improved but I have a long way to go.Stay safe.
I too learned that it's tough to sell photos. I tried making a break into the hot air ballooning community. Yes, there are photographers that take pictures of hot air balloons but none that ever focus on ballooning. I'd like to think that my hot air balloon photographs are way above the rest in terms of quality. However, the hot air balloon pilots don't care. If it ain't a photo of their balloon, the photo doesn't exist. And, like you said, they have a lot of photos of their balloons from poor quality cameras/phones that they blow up big and they love them because they have an emotional attachment to them. All of the networking I did never lead to a sale of a hot air balloon photo.
The only breakthrough in making money from my hot air balloon photographs would be the routes that you've suggested. I live in Albuquerque, NM, the ballooning capital of the Americas. But, all of the methods do require me to front the money on the prints, and whatnot, and that's scary. Perhaps the pilots didn't like my photos for a good reason; I might end up with $3000 of junk as inventory. For now, I've already dumped that money into a down payment for my house... in before a housing market crash happens...
In my area (Brittany, France) there are a lot of photographers. They seem to do OK (I didn't say great) because they shoot local places and sell in local store, restaurants, gallery and tourist places.
I don't buy big prints because I live in a very small apartment and I have nowhere to hang them so I don't see the point (except helping a photographer).
But I buy calendars (about 5 to 10 different photographers per year), and I was very happy to buy yours last year 🙂
Thanks for the support, Maxence, And, I promise I'll get to your email soon. Just waiting to hear back from Nisi with some stuff!
@@BrendanvanSon thank you I really appreciate :)
@@BrendanvanSon did you receive some news ? :)
I laughed so damn hard @7:19 because it is the damn cold hard truth.
I have had my work in many cafe's here in Encinitas/Carlsbad for many years. I always keep it fresh and change the selections. I have only sold a few print from cafe's. For me, it doesn't work. 90% of my sales are online. The remainder are are from personal interactions. I do make money from workshops and tripod and filter sales.That's just my experience. One this is right, it's difficult to make a living as a landscape photographer. I have many friends that are amazing photographers. My advice would is to get schooled in marketing. Without being a good marketer, it's hard to be successful.
Great points Larry. I’d say almost all of my print sales in the same north county area are marketing driven
Looked into the seminar and was wondering how much it was? When I followed your link it was showing 5 euros before checking out. When you view it through eventbrite it shows 50??
50 through Eventbrite? That's an eye for sure. Haha. Check the quantity, maybe it was set at 10 for some random reason. If you're still having an issue. Email me at brendanvanson@gmail.com and I'll get you sorted.
Brendan van Son I think I figured it out. For some reason I think I clicked on the mastermind later this month by accident after I followed the link
I’m one of the fortunate I guess. I know a ton of people from being a travel nurse and last year I sold over 350 calendars and a little less this year as I was selling remotely. I do agree it’s a ton of work but I made $17 a calendar. The Christmas season is the Key
Is there no way to print calendars on demand like through shutterfly
Pretty much what I've found.
Also the community idea is sound in principle but it'll be an echo chamber and full of other photographers that are never going to buy your work.
Have you though about books or even a Zine?
I have a book fairly soon. I think probably January it'll be available. Maybe by Christmas if I'm quick.
Not much of a fan of calendars (I use my phone and Instagram) but I love photo books. I like to “read” photos to inspire my own photography so I’m actually more likely to buy someone’s work if they offer a collection of their work in small prints (like photo books). I’ve got Thomas Heaton’s calendar (but mostly for the photos, he hadn’t sold photo books at the time) and his book, one of Sean Tucker’s photo books, Ben Horne’s 2019 collection, Nigel Danson’s Vista and (preordered) Josh Jackson book.
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Artists that I’d like to own photos/photo books of are Simon Baxter, Mads Peter Iverson and Noe Alonzo, and maybe Brendan too? 😉
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I was disappointed when my local bookstores don’t really have a lot of photography books that I like until I realise what I like are all UA-cam creators. So I’ll just buy directly from them now. Unfortunately many just sell high-quality individual prints that are out of my budget. I understand the value of the work going into creating photographs but I just simply can’t afford it.
I mean I’m probably in the minority but we’re out there and somebody will love to buy your stuff. They just haven’t found you yet.
I have a book coming in the new year. Just need to get locked in to finishing it!
P.s. thanks for supporting independent photographers!
Sadly, you can get art at the thrift store that you could decorate a castle with. I would buy a calendar if I could find space to put appointment dates on (yeah I'm OG).
What about stock photography or sites like picfiar? Are these equally a waste of time?
Stock is great. But it takes a really long time to get to a point where it's consistent.
@@BrendanvanSon my own personal take on this is, that these images would just be sat on my HD and I am not really doing anything else other than uploading them to adobe stock which takes seconds. Though after three years I earned £30 >
I totally agree with you and it really is hard selling prints. What I have managed to see are photos printed on canvas size A2, as I managed to show them that unless they go for a cheap frame, it will end up costing them more. Also, if you see my page Tessa Mercieca Photography on Facebook, I tried to have it more like a community and started a group that I called 'let's talk Photography', brought up 2 topics and only got 1 comment. How do you build that? I feel that family members who are not into Photography don't always understand if I talk about photography, so I love talking to others online and getting their thoughts and opinions. Any ideas on how to build that?
Time. It takes lots of time. Also, maybe focus your community down. "Local area photography". "Female landscape photographers". Niche is best.
@@BrendanvanSon ok that's an idea... will see what niche I should try to focus on. Thanks for the idea
I looked at the cost of having calendars made. The cheapest I saw was around $20 of the order was small. There's businesses that give calendars away for free. My local electric company gives thank away to the customers. Sometimes banks do too. You know the song "video killed the radio star"? That's what the internet did to print. Why pay for prints when you can download a free picture and send it to an online print store or go to Wal-Mart and print it yourself?
Hi Brendon,would you recommend using Twitter over Instagram ? Thanks.
twitter is a shitshow
Instagram is all images.
Twitter is all words.
Both you must frequently post or get lost in the shuffle.
You decide.