Is it me?

I'm a bit bummed out. I only sell prints to hang on the wall, no publication rights, stock sales, etc. and only part time. This year I did more shows & fairs than usual but my sales are way off. I just did a two day 'open studio' event that the local arts council sponsors. Last year it was my best event of the year. This year traffic was way down, probably a quarter of last year and sales were about a fifth of last year. I did one local fair in a community where there is an private university and it was held on parents' weekend. Students there drive Mercedes and Lexuses. I grossed $9 (two note cards). Everyone who came through all the places I went had nice things to say, "beautiful work", etc. but hardly anyone was buying. Are others experiencing the same drop off of sales this year?

Hey Jim, you're not alone, myself and all of the photographers that I know on the art show circuit are down on average of 30% to 50% this year. One photographer I know who has don't great numbers in the past was down about 70% this summer. I saw the sales dropping last year so I cut way back on shows and added more workshops. Next year I'll cut back again on the shows.

I don't do art shows myself, but I do visit a few every year. From my perspective, as a potential buyer of artwork, I have found the prices to be way outside my budget. So I have to satisfy myself by just taking a look and perhaps having conversations with some of the artists.

Recently, I visited Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop, California (featuring the work of the late Galen Rowell). I found it interesting to note that many of his prints are priced lower than similar sized prints displayed at art shows here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I offer prints of my own work for sale from my web-site. My volume is small and so far it has been unaffected by the recent state of the economy. I have a lot of repeat customers, which is a good thing I suppose.

I also have work in a local gallery which sells a handful of prints each year. My prices are up this year because I went to higher priced materials (200 year archival) with a noticeably better print quality but I'm only getting $50 for a print matted to 11x14. I have some people telling me that's too much. They think I should charge $20-25 so people could afford them more easily. Other people tell me I'm undervaluing my work and they should be priced at $150-200. This marketing thing is driving me nuts. At $20 minus the gallery commission I'd make nothing. If I ask 3-4 times what people aren't willing to pay now I can't see how that will help sales.

Hopefully you'll experience an upswing in the near future, as we have with studio prints. Last fall our volume was 34% lower than 2009, which was our highest ever. But we're experiencing a rebound this year. Yeah, we changed marketing strategies (more visibility at events) and extended our product line in the interim, but with no drop in price structure. Interesting enough folks really like the new products but they're yet to become a significant income generator.

If the "studio art" market is reflected in your print art markets, I'd hold in there a little longer before getting discouraged.

Hello Jim, I agree that the marketing will drive you nuts! I have only been doing shows for a few years and like you I do photography part time. I have noticed that the purchasing is very volatile this year. One show will be good and the next will be slow, regardless of past experience. There is more of a correlation with the economic news of the week or two leading up to the show. If the news is all bad, people don't buy. This also seems to be more prevalent at the higher end shows. I keep working at improving my displays and my mix of products. When the overall purchasing is down you have to work harder to make sure people buy from you and not the guy two booths over! Good luck!

Jim, as others have noted the market has been generally soft this year. I noticed a very clear turning point in my sales. I started with record sales early in the season. Then the debt ceiling 'crisis' hit and sales fell a solid 50% and stayed there. The best indicator of the change was my last show of the season - the juried Westhampton Show. Last year it was my strongest show ever. This year it was the first show where I didn't even recover my entry fee. It will hopefully be better next year. I have a core series of shows that I attend and I will keep doing them.

As for pricing - the people who say $50 is to much for an archival quality 11X14 print aren't going to buy anything anyway. Would those people be so willing to give their own work away? I highly doubt it. If the person isn't willing to recognize the value of the work, I'm not interested in selling to them. Simple as that. If a customer is truly excited about a print, but a little short, I will work with them within reason, especially for a multiple print purchase. The tire kickers can go take a hike. I charge $65 for that size, which is about the going rate around here (Long Island) for the better photographers. I charge the same whether in galleries or private show sales for consistency and to keep the galleries happy.

Hang in there. It will probably get better.

Although I do not do shows I do sell prints through a couple of galleries. I live in a summer tourist area. One gallery is open only from June 1 to the second weekend of October (Canadian Thanksgiving), another is in a year-round resort hotel and the third is a gallery/store that is open year-round but maily May to end of October business. The summer gallery sold only one small gallery-wrapped print the whole season and few of my cards. The resort gallery sold little in the summer but has sold 6 large gallery-wrapped prints in the last month. The third one sold a couple of unmatted paper prints in the summer and a good number of large gallery-wrapped prints in September & October.

My own circumstances have led to my choice of selling through galleries and to have some else do my canvas prints not possible on my Epson 3880. Yes, it does cost me more but I don't have to have a set-up for spraying or rolling the finish or doing the stretching. You can see that I am not exactly making a living from my print sales but I am able to buy a new desk-top computer, printer and laptop. My favourite thing is to be out making the photographs!

My friend who does the printing and stretching of the gallery-wrapped prints for me is in the business of doing fine arts prints for artists and photographers. His customers are telling him that large gallery-wraps are selling best. Whether it is a fashion or not people are not so interested in prints behind glass right now.

When I started having canvas gallery-wrapped prints done I thought a 30" print was large. It is the 30 to 48 inch ones that are selling best. The small ones, 12 x 12 aren't selling this year.

My gallery-wrapped canvases sell for less than an original oil painting of the same size. I would never consider selling a matted 11 x 14 for as little as $50!

Alain Briot's excellent book, "Marketing Fine Art Prints" helped bring into focus the things that are working for me.

Eleanor, A bit of clarification. The prints I sell for $50 are matted to 11x14. That's not the print size. The actual print is 8½ to 9" on the long side. I try to mat my prints to standard frame sizes as I find customers are put off by prints that require expensive custom frames. The next size up on my prints would be an 8x12 matted to 14x18". The largest I can print myself is 12x18 which I mat to 18x24". I have Alain's book on marketing BTW. His advice is partly what prompted me to double my usual efforts this year. Unfortunately I live in a depressed area and I expect that the state of the economy had a lot to do with my sales decline this year but it's a bit depressing none the less especially in the face of the additional effort I put into it. Next year will be better (fingers crossed).

Yep, seems everyone is feeling the pinch of the economy...will be nice when things start to turn around. Just out of curiosity, Jim, how much marketing are you doing? For those of you that are doing ok in this economy, what do you find is the biggest contributor to your success? Is it marketing, brand, level of quality, maybe your vision? I'd be interested to know this.

Also, along these lines, has anyone picked up additional subjects to shoot to help with income flow? Like humans or pets? Weddings or portraits? I detest taking pics of humans simply because of my personality-it lacks greatly in the ability to communitcate properly-I get frustrated easily with humans. Its not their fault-its mine.

I have really been wanting to quit my job and go full time into photography, but don't want to do it until I start making money. However, its really tough to prepare to go full time and start making money when I have to work full time as it is. So, quite a bit of my time after work and on weekends gets devoted to marketing, contacting prospective clients, trying to get galleries going, and still find time to shoot and post process.

I'll answer some of your questions, Marie. The heart of it is a good business plan, regularly evaluated and updated. That includes financial planning.

Our business has succeeded through diversity, i.e., constantly evaluating and experimenting with new markets and new product forms. We shoot portraits, weddings, events, advertising, promos, industrial, scientific, assignments and more. Income fluctuates in all the sectors, but collectively they add up to a business.

We devote 5% of our gross to advertising (back to the business plan), and something like 60% of our income is from repeat customers. The advertising is aimed at garnering new customers, though established clients prefer to learn about our promotions from general advertising rather than direct contact. They HATE email solicitations as much as we do. The only good thing we can say about emailed ads is that they provide employment for the spam filter developers.

Here's another insight about going pro- You can spot most pros by the old, beat up equipment they use. The latest gear is for people on high incomes other than photography, while the working pro will make existing gear last as long as humanly possible. The pros also drive clunkers, rather than new cars. Our "new" truck is 11 years old. And we're still using a 1992 model, too.

More than you asked for, but there are reasons not to be using the latest gear and driving the latest cars. You can keep up with the Joneses, or you can elect to harbor your money and invest wisely in your future retirement (back to the business plan). We elected to put the new car/camera money into the mortgage on a commercial building for our business. Twenty years later we're still driving one of the vehicles we started with and using some of the same lenses, but we now own the building. The cash we get from selling the building or the income from leasing it out will certainly form the core of our retirement. The mortgage was in fact an enforced savings account, into which we poured our money rather than spending it on the Joneses.

Thanks, Hank. You bring up some points I'm thinking about now. Really appreciate your perspective on these things. So, muliple income sources is the way to go at this point, and as much as I hate portraits, I fear I will be adding that one day.

Luckily I'm past the new car phase in my life. Used to be I was trading in every 3 years for a new car. Now, I've got a Pilot that I have had for 5 years and have no need to turn it in. It gets me to where I want to photograph, and carries my gear well. Well, I'm glad there are reasons not to have the latest gear, lol! I don't have it! LOL! Lets see, Nikon D90 with a 50mm 1.8, 70-200mm 2.8 VRI-purchased used...and 18-55mm kit lens. My kit lens has been one of my work horses...until I can afford the 18-55 2.8.

I have no problems with shooting portraits. I did it when I started out along with a general variety of photography. In my Army years I even photographed an autopsy once. I can work with people one-on-one. It is groups, especially large groups, that stress me out too much, so shooting weddings will never happen for me. I can also do restoration of old photos but that is a limited market.

Hank's comment about emails is interesting. I participated in a marketing seminar conducted by some 'art marketing experts' who advised us to use Constant Contact to continually update clients about our activities. They said we should send emails informing them of every show, sale & fair we attended, every time we updated our work in a gallery, when we got grants (I don't do grants. Did that twice which was more than enough), at the least quarterly and preferably once a month. In practice I find most customers are reluctant to even give you their email address. At the solo show I had in the spring (zero sales) and at last weekend's open studio (organized by the gallery) we had "guest books" that asked people to sign along with their physical and email addresses. Few signed, fewer gave us an address and NO ONE gave an email address. So much for expert advice.

What has gotten attention for me is press releases. I've done two in the last year, one when one of my photos was featured on a calendar and the other for the solo show. Of course you need to have something substantial to announce, not just "I want you to know about the latest additions to my portfolio" but people do still read the local papers, at least around here they do, and the papers often have an on-line branch that has a regular following.

Great feedback Jim. The dichotomy between the advice from "the experts" and the recipients of email ads and blog/social media promotions is striking to us as well. It sure appears to us that we're getting a sales pitch.

How are you distributing the press releases, and how are they published? We're "buying" our press coverage as newspaper and radio ads. That 5% of gross we dedicate to advertising has been our best payback. Even those can't be strictly for visibility, rather we have to be promoting a special event, especially sales or seasonal promotions.

And I'm right there with you on shooting groups! Egad. My wife loves it and is really good at it, but I run the other way.

RE: Press releases. What I do is write up an announcement, labeled "Press Release" at the top. It is just a third person statement regarding the event. I do an email to the appropriate editor with a photo attachment. I.E. "Local landscape photographer Jim Bullard has had one of his photographs selected by Acme Calendars for inclusion on their 2012 calendar... blah, blah, blah." The blahs includes a bit about me, my website, etc. and I send it off with a JPG they can use if they wish in conjunction with the release, a copy of "the" photo or one relevant to the event. Don't be too wordy but give them enough that they can rewrite or edit it down. The papers don't always choose to run them but when it is not directly related to an overtly commercial venture they often will. They should be reserved for unique events. The two that I did in the last year related to getting a photo on a calendar with national distribution and the opening of a solo exhibit. If you received some sort of recognition or award for your work, those are also good candidates for press releases. Opening a new studio could be a legit press release also, especially if you were buying ad space at the same time but the press release is written from a "news" perspective. If you also pay for an ad you end up with double exposure for your money. This only pertains to local media of course. Local media often like promoting local arts and crafts. Regional papers are less likely to run such releases but it doesn't cost anything extra to send it to them by email. As the LOTTO saying goes "Hey, you never know", maybe it's a slow news day and they are looking for content. If your 'event' is in conjunction with a larger organization, for example recognition from a conservation organization, coordinate with and feed the press release through the organization.

If you don't already, you should consider donating work to local NPR/PBS stations for their fundraisers. It doesn't have to be photos. If you do workshops you could offer a space in a workshop that they could present as a premium for an appropriate pledge or any other service you offer could be worked into it. Unlike giving free photos to those commercial enterprises that offer credit that they say will give you exposure that 'might' lead to paying jobs, the public media exposure really does enhance your reputation. In the fundraising process they talk about you and the thing you've offered in very positive terms. It isn't just a "by line" in 6 point type. I frequently introduce myself to someone only to have them respond "I know how you are and I love your work". And even when it doesn't lead to paying work or sales, you have supported a local resource.

Haven't tried the press releases and those are good suggestions.

On supporting local NPR, you're right on target. I didn't mention it but a significant part of our ad budget is donations to causes we support including sponsorship such as NPR programming and events. There's good response to those. We also provide premiums for NPR and other fundraising events ranging from Rotary to youth sports. Those are generally free gift certificates for portrait sessions including an 8x10.

If you're going to get back into portraits, work with a pro lab (we use H&H Color Labs). They have "event" pricing, which you can use in promotions. We (i.e., my wife!) do lots of those, with sponsors at events ranging from the prom for the senior class to portraits with pets for the local shelter, with 20% of the gross back to the sponsoring org. We also use those in our studio for special events including Santa photos, Valentines, Easter, and more. Getting people into the studio at these events is one of the biggest success stories in encouraging them to schedule family portraits, etc, in the future. The biggest hurdle is getting them through your door to see your displayed work, but once there for an advertised event we have a very high rate of return business for regular sessions as well as business services.

Hope my rambling helps. It's a "building" game, whether you're just starting out or long in the tooth like us.

Jim Bullard,

Our small company, Brenner Pass Photography, Fairfax, VA, recently set-up a 10 x 10 booth at the Fairfax Holiday Show. It was our first and last for this event. 7000 shoppers attended but, to my surprise, 95% were middle to older aged women looking for guess what? Arts and crafts. Other photographers I met at the show were disappointed and would not do the show again. The following week we visited the Vienna Arts and Crafts Show and spoke with vendor photographers. Their experience was the same. I'm not discouraged but learned not to do a similar show again.

Fairs have been good markets in the past for me but very uneven. The fair that prompted my original post was billed as a "real art fair" and I was cautioned price things high. It was in a community with a high priced private liberal arts university and held on parents weekend. I got lots of compliments but that's all. This year has been consistently down. I think it is a combination of a bad economy and a changing market. From conversations here and elsewhere I have concluded that sales are off generally. Hopefully as the economy recovers some of that will come back but meantime I'm looking at re-targeting my market. I've signed off doing any more fairs or shows until next summer at least and then I will be very selective.