I was wondering if anyone here has or does sell any of their work? If so, how do you figure out what to charge for a particular piece? In relation to this, does anyone think it's wrong to sell ones work? Thanks for reading :) Dave.

Hmmm, depends on whether you're counting portraits, still life, nature, landscapes and other forms. I sell my services for portrait work that I do on my own time when I'm not working in the studio. Occasionally some buy the artsy fartsy things I like to do. I have sold a few still life works and a few nature. Mostly to a couple of local artsier shops near where I live. I would probably try for selling more, but I live in a rural area where art is not the most appreciated thing. Personally I see nothing wrong with selling ones work. I would sell more if I could. There's always a new toy I need to buy for my gadget bag. But like most in here, making a big assumption here, I do it because it is what I enjoy doing. Pricing, hmmmm. I guess whatever you feel you can get for it. Kind of depends on where you're selling it at. Here I people hedge at spending more the 25-50 for what would sell for at least 100 or far more in larger cities.

Attached Link: mikepanic.com v3.0

ive sold a few pieces in the past, im currently trying to decide if i want to activly try to sell it or not... i dont think there is anything wrong w/ selling your work - people buy photos all the time... and there are tons of sites dedicated to this. pricing is a whole differant story though - and can be very subjective... i recently found a photographer who was making silver gel prints and they were going for 350-500 on his site - if you ask me thats a bit out of control

In the past, I showed my work in a few galleries (always got excited when I had a show coming up) - and the expenses of such a show (printing (I did my own printing, Cibachromes - not cheap), matting, and framing, as well as the time to set up the show...to the point of buying refreshments to serve during the show - all this adds up real quick. I'd put "prices" on my prints (in a very artsy sort of way...$350 or so per print)...I really was not in the mode of "selling" prints - I enjoyed "showing"...but a few prints actually sold. Should I feel bad about it? I'm thinking...NO (actually had a couple who wanted a picture of me with them in front of the print they bought..go figure.

To answer your question - should you sell your work: Depends...if your work is so "personal" (not meaning that in a demeaning way), then maybe you shouldn't - it could be work that you want to keep within your own circles (I've met several artists who will not show their work to anyone, let alone sell the work - it's just for them...and that's fine). Personally (and that means for ME), I shoot for my own enjoyment - but it's a bit of "me" that i want the rest of the world to see - it's a form of communication - and you can't communicate if nobody else sees it - and if they see it, they may want to buy it...and can that be bad? I had a photo published in Organic Gardening, one of my earliest publications...and a woman from California (I'm in NC) - wrote OG wanting to know where she could get a print of that photograph - they forwarded her to me - and I sold her an 8x10 for $75 (hey, I was just starting out) - and we were both thrilled.

the point is, for me, why shoot if you don't want others to see your interpretations of your vision - and, being that you want them to see it - let them have it...but let them at least cover your costs.

Pricing: Pricing (as much as we would like it to be) is NOT dictated by the image. Pricing is dictated by the market, and (as unjustified as it may sound), bigger names can dictate higher prices for even lesser work (let's face it, a blurry, underexposed reject of Ansel Adams is going to fetch more than any perfectly exposed and composed image of mine...or most anyone else here...no offense, just a fact) - the price set depends on what YOU think the work is worth...based on what the "going rate" in your area is and the quality of your work (not just the photo, but the print material...how archival, the presentation, framing, etc.). Don't be afraid to ask what the image is worth - if you spent two days getting to a specific location to shoot a specific scene, take that into consideration, as well as your film costs and printing costs, framing costs, display costs, etc.)...also take into consideration the number of prints you intend to make from that original - AND STICK TO IT. In other words, if you market an image as a "limited" print of only ten images, then you need to destroy the negative or transparency after you've printed the tenth image - Limited prints will fetch a much higher price tag than "unlimited" prints (and believe me, if you sell prints as a "limited" edition and don't destroy the original, you WILL BE tempted to reproduce it in the future - which will absolutely destroy your name artistically.

Bottom line - should you sell your work?...up to you.
Should work be sold....up to the artist (I don't see HOW this could affect the "artistry" of the work - other than making it available to the public. What's the difference between a $5,000 image and a $5.00 image? - about $4,995...LITERALLY. ART should not have a price tag...but that's just me.

Marc

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=1035914

Hi, Masema. There was a discussion about selling prints before, I have listed a few factors in determining the price of photographs. (Follow link) Hope that helps. :-) (*

I don't see anything wrong with selling your own prints either. (Unless you have way evil motives heheh...) If if translates to earning to produce more awesome work, then by all means do it. (Some of us have to eat, too, you know.) :-) (*

the way art sems to be is that the more you charge for something, the more noteriety you get, cuz after all, if you charge 60,000$ for a piece, it MUST be worth that much, and as such, you become a star! ok, so Im exagerrating...

the more you charge for something, the more noteriety you get It's a psychological thing....the more expensive of two identical items is always assumed to be the better of the two....even though they are both made in China...

I actually have a second job (hopefully it will eventually become my first and only) doing photography, although most of it is doing headshots for actors, weddings, and non-traditional senior pictures (I have to have a little creativity). Because I work in a frame shop they also allow me to sell my prints out front, which I take full advantage of. I have been very sucessful selling shots of nature or local cityscapes. When it comes to photography and what people hang on their walls I find that these do best. As for pricing, it really depends on the size and type of print. A computer print is a lot cheaper than my time and materials in the darkroom and can be printed in mass quantities and at all times. For me 35-50 dollars isn't bad for an 8x10 that has been matted to 11x14. People do like standard sizes. I usually add a generic biography (people like to know who did the work, it makes them feel "connected" to the artist) to the back and shrinkwrap these (your local frameshop can do that for you too). As far as how I feel about selling my work. Some artists create for their own enjoyment, others so they can show how they see things, and then there's people like me who want to be respected by their piers. I kind of look at selling my work as acceptance by joe public. If someone buys my work then I must be doing something right! If that doesn't work, look at it like this: Selling one or two of your prints brings you that much closer to that new piece of equipment that you've been dying for. ;) Hope this helps- - Dan Campbell.

Thanks for the input everyone. You've answered all my questions and then some. I think I'm gonna give it a try and see what happens. At least with a few. The way I figure it, if a can actually make a few bucks while doing something I love to do, then why not, and it's not like I'm DOING it to make money. Thanks again, Dave.