Just a quick note to say that after a period of time, I decided that my new branding didn't fit with the aesthetic I wanted to portray with my work so have changed my logo AGAIN... I used Fiverr once again to achieve this and am delighted with the new style. I'm also aiming to change how I do things a bit with the print store (after a focussed start, it's been very neglected the past few months), so will look to make an update video towards the end of this year as I know that is something people have asked for. Make sure you're subscribed with notifications on so that it pops up in your feed. Thanks again to everyone for the support with this 🙌🏻
Your artwork (photos) are incredible. The reason your prints aren't selling is because you're marketing them to other photographers, and this is the same exact problem I've seen from literally every other photography TH-cam channel and then they complain about how it's so difficult - but that couldn't be further from the truth. The people who want to buy your art are NOT interested in photography. They may not even be interested in going on adventures. Who buys art? That should be the question that leads you to finding your audience, and we can say straight off the bat it could people interested in things like interior design who like wall art, or local businesses like bars and salons who want framed artwork on their walls. Remember, you will be looking for people who have enough disposable income too. You already hinted at how people would be interested in prints of their local area, so start with that - run some some Facebook ads to target people in those areas. Boomers especially love their local history and landmarks. You have photos of Chile on your site, so who is interested in Chile? Who is interested in Punta Arenas? Go find those people. I wish you the best :)
Thank Pete - I really appreciate you taking the time to answer this. I think you hot the nail on the head re. photography YT. A lot of us are basically selling to other photographers which isn't going to work a lot of the time. I'll explore what you have said and will take it from there. Thanks again.
"Who buys art? That should be the question that leads you to finding your audience" Yep I think art is a smaller niche. Pastry or coffee shops perhaps can be easily enjoyed by greater audience. But art? Thanks for the hints: people who like interior design, bars and salons which put framed artwork on their walls...
Your comment is right, but don't underestimate other photographers. As a photographer with many friends in this field, I buy 5-10 images a year and almost every other photographer I know does the same. When you buy from others, you can market it and sell a lot more.
I have been trying to sell my prints for over a year now. I've tried Etsy, my own website, and a little of ebay. I only sold 1 after several months on etsy. I haven't given up but I did ran out of money to continue investing on these services. My next try would be the local market but honestly I dont know now if its even worth it. Maybe my photos are not that great?
Hey Rick great video! I just wanted to say, I had the same mindset in the beginning of wanting my own website to sell my prints but I didn’t want to limit myself to just my audience/ following. I ended up opening an Etsy and it’s been relatively successful. I’ve only been open for a little over a year now and have made profit. I’m by no means retiring off this income but I get a lot of joy seeing random people across the country/world purchase my photos for their home.
That's interesting... maybe I'll take a look. It';s just weighing up if it's worth the time investment I guess... Making these videos is a lot more time consuming than I ever imagined it would be!
Interesting video Rick and I admire your honesty. Don’t despair, I’ve been selling prints for about 3 years and have sold well over 2000 and none of them bigger than A3. In my opinion you need a bigger range, a handful isn’t enough. I think a shopper wants to be able to see a range of images and I find sets of images sell well.
You can’t be a failure because you are creating, you are doing and others are not. I admire your honesty. From what I saw your work looks very inspiring and professional. Thanks for a video full of hope and achievement.
I watched this before heading to work this morning and its been on my mind ever since. I too have thought about ways that my own photography could start paying for itself and its tough to find an answer. One of the subjects I enjoy photographing are endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals that often haul out for a nap on the island I live on. I send all my photos to NOAA so they can monitor the health of the population of seals on Lana'i and gather data points on where the seals are traveling too. This made me think of setting up a nonprofit business where I can sell my prints to raise funds for habitat studies and population monitoring where I live. I've not fleshed out the concept to even think about pulling the trigger, but people might be more keen to invest in prints if a portion of the profits go back to aid or benefit the subjects we shoot. Nat Geo's Photographer series inspired this thought and maybe this concept could work for you. Just my 2 cents. As always, great video!
Thank Rob. Might you be well placed to sell to the tourist market? I like that idea, I'll have a think about how I can give something back.. thanks for the idea 👍🏻
My marketing suggestion, the people will buy your print but you need to sell your story. People love a story of passion, courage and defiance. Images are amazing but knowing the struggles, the joys and moments that you felt when creating your work is what really seals the deal.
That's a good point actually. I think as I venture further into this TH-cam journey, that's an opportunity that will hopefully present itself more often. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it.
You gained technical skills and wisdom from this experience which is probably worth more than the revenue from the print sales. Thanks for all the tips as I am thinking of getting the same Canon printer you have.
I just finished watching this video while walking on my treadmill and I surely wish you success in this endeavor. I have a thought you might consider: I'm an amateur photographer and have been, off and on, for more than 60 years. On my walls here in my den there are 46 photographs. Three of them are gift pictures of family and one is an aerial of a place where I worked over 20 years ago. The rest are mine. I very much enjoy your channel and those of some of your compatriots, but I've only purchased one print from the four of you. I wonder if photographers who watch TH-cam may not be the best market targets. I would be happy to be wrong.
I wonder that too....! I'm going to keep at it and try different things, hopefully I'll learn enough to enlighten everyone but I do feel that there is quite a bit of misinformation out there in terms of what people have sold. I may be wrong though! Thank you.
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Very good and honest video. Congratulation for starting the printing adventure! A good advice I saw is not only offering photos that we love but also photos that are going to suite people walls: Having some B&W is always a good choice, but I recomment going to a shop like IKEA and ask ourself what photo could suite the different showrooms. We also need to ask ourself: what other photographers photo did we bought, what we love about thoses and how we display them. This is a long long journey.
Thanks, that's great advice. Ikea is a good shout actually, they only have what ships in volume. It might not tie in with my view on what I want to sell, but that's part of the learning I guess!
No worries! Honestly, they've not but that's entirely my fault - I've done zero marketing as I've just not had chance. Hoping to change this, and the offering over the next few weeks. It's like anything you are trying to sell, you need to keep pushing it.
Great video Rick and amazing images! I would consider data base marketing using something like Mailchimp, the way I would build a database is sell something really reasonably to build up your database, once someone has bought something from you they are more likely to buy again and spend more next time, think about it in the way charities market to people, you build a relationship and people spend more the more they get to know you and trust you. I was talking to a colleague about this earlier this week and discussed a double sided Zine printed on standard paper folded however you wanted to do it, double sided A3 / A2 could work easily and be sent out cheaply in an envelope. Use the Zine as a limited edition art piece, collect email addresses from the sale and mail to them every month with offers etc, make it easy for people to buy the first item from you. Charities are excellent at marketing, you'd be surprised how much they spend on it, check out how they do it and see if any of those marketing ideas work for you? Good luck and best wishes, Kirk.
This is the way I think it'll go. I've been building a newsletter database which I probably need to provide more value to. I'll have a look at charities, thanks!
Good luck Rick! I just launched my print store about 3 weeks ago. We’re on the same journey around the same. Only 3 sales so far. I’m a little under 1% conversion rate for site visits. It’s a hard business so far! But I’ll keep at it. Best of luck friend.
Thanks, Rick, for your thoroughness of analysis and your honesty. I’m retired but have started moving toward the same goals as you have, but I am several steps behind you in terms of name recognition (effectively zero) and printer size. I know Danson’s (and many others’) attitude toward print selling, which is why most landscape photographers use conducting workshops to earn their keep - something I’ll probably never do because I don’t have the personality for it. I am digesting the implications for me of what you’ve told us, and I would like to follow your progress…and hopefully, success.
You work is incredible and the pricepoint for what you are offering I think is pretty good. I was hovering over buy there on an image and then your video mentioned Yellowstone and the Tetons so I have paused for now. I will absolutely buy from you but for really personal reasons I would love to know if you are likely to offer something from Yellowstone in your print shop. Thank you Rick for this video, great content. I will look forward patiently for what is to come.
Rick, I'm an American here to offer one explanation for not getting many sales in the US: we don't use the metric system, so our stores don't sell frames to fit standard metric paper sizes, like A3. Our standard paper/ frame sizes are based on Imperial inches. Inversely, I once moved to a metric country and could not find a single frame to fit my standard Imperial-sized art because all they sold was metric "A#" frames. There really was not even a close approximation that could sort of fit. People buying an 80-pound print probably don't want to spend another $80+ to order a custom frame for it. And even if they don't want it framed, they still might want the size to match the size of other prints they already own.
The photo can be mounted on a larger board that fits the local frames. People may be matting the print anyway, so the mount board and mat will fit local frames.
@@aeromodeller1 What I meant by the sizes not even being close is that it wouldn't have looked good with a mat because the vertical borders would be a very different width than the horizontal borders. And you'd still have to pay extra to get a custom mat cut because precut mats are also sized for metric or imperial. I also tried to get a frame shipped in from the US, but the shipping cost was just as bad as a custom frame. So that piece of art sat rolled in a tube for years until I moved back the US, and now it is finally framed on my wall. :-)
@@OwlzzZRelaxation Paper size and print size are not the same. Perhaps he could size the print area for imperial markets to standard imperial mats. This complicates the ordering process.
@@aeromodeller1 yes, if it was printed at a standard imperial size on metric paper, that might be the simplest and most affordable solution for buyers and Rick. Anyone with scissors could cut the excess white paper off to fit an imperial mat or frame. But Rick would have to create different crops of all his images because the height to width ratios aren't close to being the same.
That's a really good point .I'm also American and I didnt even think about the different measurement systems.It is really something to take into consideration .
Well you know I’m a fan and soon to be proud owner of those prints! 🙋🏻♀️ Loved the journey and honesty in this video, also incredibly helpful having just got the same printer myself. Looks like you’ve learned lots and enjoyed the process, I’m sure the sales will follow, but even if they don’t 1. My piece will be even more valuable 😅 and 2. You’ll have beautiful prints for your home!
First time viewer. Your photography is phenomenal. The problem isn't your photography, it's that there's only five photos we can choose from. I like the light and airy tree ones on your website but I can't buy those. They go with the art I have in my house already. (Wall space is limited, so choices shouldn't be). Also, I've bought photography from a TH-camr for $29. My max would be about $50 if I REALLY connected with the photo. P. S. Keep your chin up! I would love to be as far along in photography skills and in the business side of it as you are! Keep going!!
Good luck. Selling prints is extremely difficult to do nowadays do to the digital age. I also own the Canon prograf pro 1000 printer. Have owned it now for five years. I pretty much print for myself and family. If I sell a print I consider it a plus. Once again. Good luck.
Rick excellent video and advice “Don’t lose 💰” ….its not you nor your work …which is excellent…people’s lives are soo complicated and fast paced that I think they sometimes just click past opportunities they otherwise would have jumped at . Keep being you …real , honest , and sincere and your talent will shine through and your niche followers will jump at the opportunity to buy your work !🤩Best -Art
What a timing, I printed my first pictures today haha. NIce video Rick and good luck on selling prints, I would love to do thesame bought an Epson ET-8550.
Hey, Thank for such an honest video on the whole process. I have been thinking of opening my own store as well and this has been an honest inspiration. I tried to order on your website and realised your cart option after adding items to cart appears really far down to the bottom. It wasn't obvious to me at all, maybe consider changing the design slighly to make it appear near the add to cart button so the transition from 'add to cart' to the 'cart' page is quicker and smoother. Maybe this is hindering the sales as customer can't find the button quickly. Just some thoughts.
Well one thing is certain, your pictures are beautiful. Regardless of whether they sell or not, you are still sharing beauty and love with the world. I spent a long time setting up an online store for my photographic work whilst I worked at a printers. Just as I was about to go live the print shop closed due to The owner becoming seriously ill. Since then it's just been in limbo whilst I work out what to do next. I wish you all the best and hope you start making some money. One thing I might offer, people are lazy. Receiving a beautiful print is one thing, getting it suitably framed is another. Perhaps a higher price point for a framed print could work?
Thanks, I appreciate your comments and your suggestion and will look into it. I guess my main issue with that is storage but I'm sure I can find a solution. Wishing you all the best with your venture too - I hope you can make something of it.
I’m a web developer… your website looks good but there are some issues with text clipping on medium sized screens. Specifically the Yellowstone print title. Just a heads up, and good luck for the future
My wife and I have been mentoring prison inmates and selling their art for some years now. The struggle is real. Personaly, I would rather pay a monthly subscription to collaborated artists, and be surprised with a new piece of art every month; rather than trying to locate and visit various independent websites to see what is new. But that is just me. In short, we are all experimenting and that can also be an art in itself. Blessings to you and your business!
Good Luck!! I love your work. I would like to see how it works out for you, watching from New York. Remember that everything always a learning experience.
I hope it works out for you in time. I tried selling framed A4 prints in a local cafe. All of the photos were scenes that were local to the cafe, which is close to a beach and a harbour. In 18 months, I sold 1 print and a customer knocked one off the wall breaking the frame 😂. I was only doing it to try to supplement my pension, rather than relying on sales, so it was no big deal for me.
Thanks Paul. It's a tough gig isn't it?! That's similar to me, it's more to supplement rather than there being a reliance on it, so at least there's zero pressure on this venture
I’m sorry to hear that. I have my images in a local cafe. I offer a few sizes and find that my A3 matted prints sell the most. I’ve also had one frame broken by falling. I enjoy hearing people’s comments on the images. Good luck
Thank you for your honesty. I've come here accidentally or as some say there is no accident. That was my big dream to take shots and sell them as some people say I should. But I bet some would say don't even try this. So I will only dream having my secure 8 hrs/day boring job. I wish you luck, take care.
Years ago I tried out selling prints in a lot of different ways, and local restaurants etc was the worst, which makes sense in hindsight - people aren't in a restaurant/cafe to buy art. I found the mindset of the people has the most to do with how successful I was with selling, and had the most success with holding an exhibition in a local gallery, even though it wasn't very busy - people walking into a gallery have the right mindset, and are also ok with higher prices. I also did local markets for a time, which was very hit and miss. I feel sure I'd have done better if I'd had more easily identifiable local scenes, however, there is still the issue that here in Australia people go to markets expecting a bargain...it's not the place for selling high priced items. From the sounds of it, the art fairs they have in the US are quite different.
I recently had an exhibition. I had over 500 visitors and I’d say that at least half of them were properly interested in the subject matter (does that overcome the localness aspect?). I recon that if I’d been selling the pictures (A2 and over), I’d have sold at least 2. My thoughts though - being there in person enabled me to quickly develop a relationship with the audience (I don’t have an on-line presence which seems like a massive hurdle to me). Maybe if the pictures had been clearly for sale then things might have been different (but I didn’t want this to be a sale, but rather it was a chance to enthuse about the subject - which I’d say was successful). I did have a book sitting around and this got a lot of eyes time - problem is there a whole different level investment to sell books. All that I can say is that getting the printer and bringing my photos to life has been a fabulous experience. Breaking even seems like a truly lofty goal and I’ve all but given up thinking that this could be an income stream. I do wish you well, and I look forward to receiving a print.
Thanks Jon, that's such a positive amount of visitors - well done! I totally agree with you on bringing your photos to life with a printer - it's so rewarding. Thank you, I really do appreciate it. Print in the post tomorrow 🙏🏻☺️
You forgot about packing supplies as well. I have tried both methods. For me, I order from the lab and then drop ship from lab to the customer. I then have a separate series called a Signature Series. That contains my signature. I use Shopify for my website. I sell a huge amounts of prints. Please let me know if you need any help. I can give you some really rock solid advice.
Wow! What a rereshing video! Someone is honest about challenges. I have run an online fine photography gallery (I had it in a bricks and mortar pre-COVID ) with famous photographers as the work I am selling - high end $2K-19K US) and I would say several things: 1.) selling any kind of photography prints is hard. In general people are confused about the value of photography prints unlike classic painting (except the French who have tons of photo galleries in France and a vibrant makrt and who invented the medium). But the general public doesn't seem to know the differences between what a fine print is and what a wall poster is, 2.) the people who buy do so for a simple few reasons- either they are a.) experienced collectors and know what they want.b.) want to buy well-known photographers, or, 3.) per PixPete's excellent comments below, are simply people who resonate with a particular image. Meaning, for example, they want shots of sailboats because they are into sailing, or Grand Prix cars because they are into racing, etc. Or look at someone like Peter Lik who makes millions doing his landscape work and has galleries of his own pushing his work in Las Vegas and elsewhere. He is an exception. And you are competing against, well... everyone who owns a cell phone and has an Instagram account. If you want to "sell" then the key is to identify a market niche people want vs. selling what you think is great (as hard as that is to say). If you want to "sell" prints, you need to approach it as a business with markets that want certain things. Otherwise, keep shooting what you like and only cater to people who get t and what you are doing. 98% of this is marketing so check out lots of other YT vids on marketing prints. In your case I would focus on you being you and keep building your TH-cam following as well as a range of other marketing methods. Oh...and you do great work! I love your site!
Good video. Im a new subscriber tonight. Your speech, analysis and talking points are brilliant however I think the photos may not be.....I think range may be the issue mate - range and a couple of WOW photos! Good luck with it all and i look forward to following you from here.
You've done a beautiful job on the shop, I wish you the best. You made great choices, so I don't think you need to worry about the quality of the images. One thing I would be interested in is an electronic magazine or "zine" of your images. I don't personally need more physical things. Shipping and boxing are pretty cheap and easy for that too :-) I think Sean Tucker does those. One thing I saw on James Popsys' store is "Nothing at all." You can buy them in one-pound increments. Looking forward to the Tetons and Yellowstone videos.
Thanks Brian. I have actually been contemplating electronic 'zines' recently so I'm glad you mention it.... Similar to James, I did have 'buy me a coffee' on the website but it seems to have gone (I'd love to say i ran out of stock!!). I'll get it reinstated! Thanks again.
Nice one mate, people like photography experiences more than they like photography things. Printing and selling prints is great and completes the art. You just can't rely on prints as your number one source of income. Do your other photography things and hope you sell a few prints here and there.
Just stumbled into your channel, so I'm a first time viewer. Not a photographer, nor do I buy photography, but from the experience you describe it seems like the piece of the puzzle missing is the audience. Who are you trying to sell to? Who is looking for the photos that you've taken? Simply that they're well composed and visually striking won't make the magic happen in terms of sales. In the same way as identifying your audience to build a following on social media, including TH-cam, is the key part of the process, the same is true for selling anything. Where you have an strong starting point is in having followers already. In each of your future videos, find the one shot that you think nails the experience and offer it for sale within the video. Also, it's worth offering limited quantities for those who maybe see it as an investment. "There'll only ever be 5 prints of this photo" adds incentive to your audience to pick it up if they're on the fence. Fundamentally, try to get a read on who is following your primary marketing channel, whether that's TH-cam, Instagram or wherever. Are they following you to get ideas for their own projects? Because they love your end results? The better you understand them, the more likely you can convince them to make a purchase. Good luck.
if there are more than 5 people in the photo then no need of Model release and if the Private property is clearly visible and is the only property visible then only you need a release.
thanks for the video - very interesting. Suspect that while selling locally would mean a large drop in price - people do want to have an emotion with the subject and local does tug at the heart a bit. Don't lose faith, try offering larger - thats what people generally can't print on their own... best of luck and thanks for being so honest.
Yeah, I just need to weigh up if I'll ever have time to sell local!! Larger is something I'll explore in the near future, feels like I'm missing a trick there. Thank you.
Well done on trying pal, it is the hardest thing to do. So many people don't understand buying from an artist is expensive and for a good reason. When they can simply go to one of these generic picture websites and buy something or get a framed print from IKEA. However this is not your target audience and this is where it gets really hard, getting the right people's eyes balls in front of your work.
RE: success/failure: printmaking is its own art form. Just like you can't just flip a switch from photography->videography, prints represent a completely different artistic challenge. There are so many factors at play to make an excellent print... and then you're ultimately at the mercy of an interior design problem. Though I think we're coming into a resurgence of physical media, I also think the average person has very little artistic experience with print artwork of any medium... so it falls on artists to not only make great art, but educate their audience about the value and experience of this physical art beyond the screen.
Such a fun watch as I’ve long thought about setting up prints as well! Now I’m wondering…does this mean we can look forward to a book from you then?? 😂
Interested in your journey. It has been interesting to read the comments and I must confess I see a lot of photographers selling to other photographers which is nice but you never going to make money out of it. To me the key is accessing people who are interested in art, galleries seem the initial answer but I guess access to galleries is very limited and you really need to be a named artist to be able to command their attention. I hope it goes well and will watch your journey.
for sure a photographer wont be interested buying one. I have been mailing Architects. I have made a good presentation and I have good paper options, price and sizes but i think i need more of marketing.
Thanks for the insights - I've had my own experience with selling prints in person where I sorta broke even 😅 From my perspective people buy prints if the have a connection to the photographer AND the subject. Just liking one is usually not enough.
Tbh i think that to sell prints nowadays you need to be a really famous photographer, huge social media following, be included in many projects, have awards, etc.
Printing them out at home is like doing plumbing work on your own. can work. usually not. Especially not when you're dealing with various editions on different papers that are to be printed one after the other. Look for a good and flexible printing studio nearby and forget all the work like linearisation, profiling, maintenance of the printing machines, storage of the paper, nozzle tests and so on ;-)
I think the first question to consider is why anyone would be interested in a visually appealing picture, such as a landscape, etc. Because to be honest, at this point, that’s all it is. While it may hold different value for you, that perspective changes when we talk about a complete stranger. Does he buy it for visual enjoyment? Is it meant to be a decorative piece for a home? Does it have therapeutic benefits? Does it provide a mental escape, or does it simply resonate with him? Imagine studying art and knowing all the great artists that came before us, now go out and make some fresh art without being influenced or without imitating anyone. It's hard man, you can easily get discouraged, but I still think every visual artist needs a good education otherwise you are just buying expensive gear, and becoming a cog in the ''be a better photographer'' marketing scheme. Why did Gursk's Rhein II sold for $4.3 million and nobody buys my print for $50?! This should be the first question everyone should answer about before buying an expensive printer :)) Reputation definitely helps, you can also be unique in your approach ( I know it's 2024 and everyone is an artist ) but with the proper research and experimentation you can still find your own voice. At the end of the day it's all part of the journey and you have to discover your artistic vision and be consistent for the first part of it, but if you first think of photography as a product, the game is already lost!
what i observe in the comment section is that we all are struggling with PRINT thing. I am also trying to mail different people for my print sale and so far i haven't heard from anyone even though the Presentation, price, paper option and sizes are really good. The thing i notice is that only the architecture has to buy prints for their clients (hotel, shops, offices) but when i visit a top tier hotel, i notice there are lot more paintings than photo prints. The value of photo prints is still lower than paintings for sure. seems like a Photographer has to been a famous or legendary photographer to sell their work.
Also another idea would be to sell backdrops photography for product photography, of windows or garden in the background, because i only found two websites that sell what im looking for.
I've thought about going to events and setting up a small booth. Shoot and print portraits on the spot with a small portable printer. Would that be viable?
You said only a few sales in the first week, that's great! When we setup our online retail business it looks weeks of varying the marketing and targeting until we started getting orders. Keep at it.
Print your best photos ,pack them and go outside in the restaurants in public places, ask people do you wanna buy a photo for your wall, your house , your bar e.t.c 10 bucks please
I can see how people would be drawn to doing this, I'm just not sure what you'd make from doing that would be worth the time investment. I'm happy to sell less but keep it easier for myself. For now!!
@@RickBebbington Just to clarify my previous comment to avoid any misunderstandings: When I say "You have to do blah blah," I mean "What I have to do blah blah if I were in your situation." I'm not giving any suggestions, just sharing my thoughts :) I understand that it is tough to sell art through social media these days, but it is not impossible. As you said, sell less and be okay for the moment.
Ansel Adams supported his family with his commercial work. Edward Weston gave up his commercial studio for Art and was notoriously poor. Both families have continued to market their art photos online. Visit their sites. There are several TH-cam videos on pricing art. Basically, look for work of similar size and quality to yours. Selling art is a game of chance. You are doing well if your advertising has a 1% return rate. You want to post as many photos as you can so the buyer can find the picture he wants. At the same time, you don't want it to be overwhelming. You want to make it as easy as possible for the buyer to find something he wants. Major categories with thumbnails works for me as a buyer. Also, you want the ability to make the purchase right on the page with the image. To get an idea of how to present your work online, look at the many photographers online. What works for you as a possible buyer?
It very much depends on the printer you buy... this one, the Pro-1000 was around £1000 I think, but the ink is where the real expense lies. The printer does come with some ink, but to replenish all of the inks in the printer will likely cost around £600. Not ideal if you are just printing for yourself!!
Just paper. I've not got the space (or time, or inclination) to do frames as well.... Tempted to look at print box sets like Ben Horne does in the future though maybe....
I think it's really hard to compete with a lab on a per-page cost. Yeah, you can technically get some savings (~15-20%) once you're running... but it's very hard to compete with the economies of scale. Though I think this is kinda moot since, as a photographer, the bulk of the price customers are paying is for the art, not the materials.
I would say offer standard imperial sizes for the American market with an additional processing time disclaimer for the custom sizing. Finding say an a3 frame here is exceedingly annoying as some frames even marked as such are really 11x17 and most people are not going to take the time/money to custom mat a photo. Also, your TH-cam and socials audience is prime for say workshops but not for selling prints. Normal folks, interior designers, businesses, etc. buy prints ime, no other photographers unless they are particularly moved by an image. To that end, I’ve bought exactly one print from another photographer and it was a photo that hit me hard. I hunted them down to buy it (dm’s, comments, joined their patreon, etc. lol), I wasn’t taking no for an answer. The few prints I’ve sold to other photogs have been the same way as well.
Look forward to seeing if your "rb" logotype and your "Rick Bebbington" logo are reconciled. It's like your face shaved and with a beard. Identity is hard. Good luck! Printing is the best.
Ther is no easy money in photography. I can assure you of that. Modern technology has also assured that no particular skill or vision is required to produce good photographs, nor the financial investment, time and know how that once required. Nice prints though.
Mate you are 5 days in! I am 7 years into a software business and we have not even broken even yet, not by a long way. Keep going it's not easy. The one thing I would say is that saying "Do what you love and you will never work another day in your life" Utter bullshit. Doing a business with something that you love will eventually grind you down as businesses are hard especially to launch but once you get over the hump and you see light at the end of the tunnel all the sweat and blood brcomes a distant memory. My other bit of advice is that not everybody needs to start a business. Personally I wish I never had.
Sounds stressful, and I totally know where you are coming from. It is hard, but to me, working for someone else is harder so I'll keep plugging away at slowly destroying my hobbies 😂
Most people don't ever place a value on photographs any more, on a recent holiday a fellow traveler said to me "oh thats why you take good pictures you've got a proper camera" , & the only other person with a picture of mine on there wall is the sister in law who used an image my partner shared on WhatsApp & didn't even bother asking .
My number 1 problem is no one knows me. Your problem might be similar: in my experience, most photographers don't buy prints from other photographers. I believe they're wrong not to but many have told me they never did. And no, I don't know how to get others to know about you. If I did, I'd get them to know about me ;)
I’ve got to stop at "hopefully in the long term”. I’m not going to say you need a business plan because I think they are irrelevant in a lot of ways. But you need to make a couple of calculations and know roughly your thresholds where you’re going to stop loosing money, start breaking even, and hopefully make some cash. (Otherwise either just do it for pleasure and roll with, or sleep with eyes open but that is not worth giving advice - & sorry I’m not trying to be rude but I’ve been a one-man business owner with a struggling photographer right next door..)
Yeah, appreciate that. Given that it's not a priority, I'm not too bothered right now. I probably need to factor time into it somewhere... That's a cost that I've not really attributed anything towards.
Hmm I meet a lot of people in my life. I do talk about art and photography. Many of them love art, going to exhibits and such. But never have I met anyone who wants to buy photographies unless it's of themselves/family or they don't know what to get someone as a present.
I don't expect to lower my costs, I mean over time printing at home will be cheaper than using a lab... If I'm printing at home, I have the initial cost of my printer plus the cost per print (paper + ink + time + packaging). So say £1000 for the printer and £40 per print for arguments sake. So if I sell one print, in theory that costs me £1040. If I sell one print and get it done at a lab, that might cost me £60 and that's it - a lot cheaper than printing at home. However, if I sell 100 prints, the cost for printing at home then goes up to £5000 (£1000 printer + 100 x £40). The cost from the lab will be £6000 (100 x £60). So assuming I one day get to a certain number of prints sold, my costs will be lower by doing this at home than by using a lab. Hopefully that makes sense!!
@@RickBebbington you are better off using cheaper lab for prints. Prints will actually look like photographs on offset printer. And you will save ton of time, headache/stress/anxiety, and useless paperwork for taxes. Trust me, you will thank me in the long run. I can think of a couple of cheap and amazing printers in New York.
My apologies for previous comment. It wasn't intended for this video. Not sure how my comment went onto this video. I appreciate a fellow photographers work and I wouldn't intentionally insult your work.....again.....please accept my apology
Just a quick note to say that after a period of time, I decided that my new branding didn't fit with the aesthetic I wanted to portray with my work so have changed my logo AGAIN... I used Fiverr once again to achieve this and am delighted with the new style. I'm also aiming to change how I do things a bit with the print store (after a focussed start, it's been very neglected the past few months), so will look to make an update video towards the end of this year as I know that is something people have asked for. Make sure you're subscribed with notifications on so that it pops up in your feed. Thanks again to everyone for the support with this 🙌🏻
Your artwork (photos) are incredible. The reason your prints aren't selling is because you're marketing them to other photographers, and this is the same exact problem I've seen from literally every other photography TH-cam channel and then they complain about how it's so difficult - but that couldn't be further from the truth. The people who want to buy your art are NOT interested in photography. They may not even be interested in going on adventures. Who buys art? That should be the question that leads you to finding your audience, and we can say straight off the bat it could people interested in things like interior design who like wall art, or local businesses like bars and salons who want framed artwork on their walls. Remember, you will be looking for people who have enough disposable income too. You already hinted at how people would be interested in prints of their local area, so start with that - run some some Facebook ads to target people in those areas. Boomers especially love their local history and landmarks. You have photos of Chile on your site, so who is interested in Chile? Who is interested in Punta Arenas? Go find those people. I wish you the best :)
As a full time photographer who makes a good living off of print sales I second this! @PixPete nailed it with this comment.
Thank Pete - I really appreciate you taking the time to answer this. I think you hot the nail on the head re. photography YT. A lot of us are basically selling to other photographers which isn't going to work a lot of the time. I'll explore what you have said and will take it from there. Thanks again.
"Who buys art? That should be the question that leads you to finding your audience"
Yep I think art is a smaller niche. Pastry or coffee shops perhaps can be easily enjoyed by greater audience. But art? Thanks for the hints: people who like interior design, bars and salons which put framed artwork on their walls...
Your comment is right, but don't underestimate other photographers.
As a photographer with many friends in this field, I buy 5-10 images a year and almost every other photographer I know does the same.
When you buy from others, you can market it and sell a lot more.
I have been trying to sell my prints for over a year now. I've tried Etsy, my own website, and a little of ebay. I only sold 1 after several months on etsy. I haven't given up but I did ran out of money to continue investing on these services. My next try would be the local market but honestly I dont know now if its even worth it. Maybe my photos are not that great?
Your work is absolutely NOT crap!! Love your content keep going
Haha!! Thanks, appreciate it. I absolutely will 💪🏻
Hey Rick great video! I just wanted to say, I had the same mindset in the beginning of wanting my own website to sell my prints but I didn’t want to limit myself to just my audience/ following. I ended up opening an Etsy and it’s been relatively successful. I’ve only been open for a little over a year now and have made profit. I’m by no means retiring off this income but I get a lot of joy seeing random people across the country/world purchase my photos for their home.
That's interesting... maybe I'll take a look. It';s just weighing up if it's worth the time investment I guess... Making these videos is a lot more time consuming than I ever imagined it would be!
Interesting video Rick and I admire your honesty. Don’t despair, I’ve been selling prints for about 3 years and have sold well over 2000 and none of them bigger than A3. In my opinion you need a bigger range, a handful isn’t enough. I think a shopper wants to be able to see a range of images and I find sets of images sell well.
You can’t be a failure because you are creating, you are doing and others are not. I admire your honesty. From what I saw your work looks very inspiring and professional. Thanks for a video full of hope and achievement.
Thanks, I appreciate that. Not seeing it as a failure, I really enjoyed the whole process and learnt A LOT!
I watched this before heading to work this morning and its been on my mind ever since. I too have thought about ways that my own photography could start paying for itself and its tough to find an answer. One of the subjects I enjoy photographing are endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals that often haul out for a nap on the island I live on. I send all my photos to NOAA so they can monitor the health of the population of seals on Lana'i and gather data points on where the seals are traveling too. This made me think of setting up a nonprofit business where I can sell my prints to raise funds for habitat studies and population monitoring where I live. I've not fleshed out the concept to even think about pulling the trigger, but people might be more keen to invest in prints if a portion of the profits go back to aid or benefit the subjects we shoot. Nat Geo's Photographer series inspired this thought and maybe this concept could work for you. Just my 2 cents. As always, great video!
Thank Rob. Might you be well placed to sell to the tourist market? I like that idea, I'll have a think about how I can give something back.. thanks for the idea 👍🏻
My marketing suggestion, the people will buy your print but you need to sell your story. People love a story of passion, courage and defiance. Images are amazing but knowing the struggles, the joys and moments that you felt when creating your work is what really seals the deal.
That's a good point actually. I think as I venture further into this TH-cam journey, that's an opportunity that will hopefully present itself more often. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it.
Thank you for your advice because I'm beginner photography so it was so benefit for me
You gained technical skills and wisdom from this experience which is probably worth more than the revenue from the print sales. Thanks for all the tips as I am thinking of getting the same Canon printer you have.
I just finished watching this video while walking on my treadmill and I surely wish you success in this endeavor. I have a thought you might consider: I'm an amateur photographer and have been, off and on, for more than 60 years. On my walls here in my den there are 46 photographs. Three of them are gift pictures of family and one is an aerial of a place where I worked over 20 years ago. The rest are mine. I very much enjoy your channel and those of some of your compatriots, but I've only purchased one print from the four of you. I wonder if photographers who watch TH-cam may not be the best market targets. I would be happy to be wrong.
I wonder that too....! I'm going to keep at it and try different things, hopefully I'll learn enough to enlighten everyone but I do feel that there is quite a bit of misinformation out there in terms of what people have sold. I may be wrong though! Thank you.
Very good and honest video. Congratulation for starting the printing adventure!
A good advice I saw is not only offering photos that we love but also photos that are going to suite people walls: Having some B&W is always a good choice, but I recomment going to a shop like IKEA and ask ourself what photo could suite the different showrooms.
We also need to ask ourself: what other photographers photo did we bought, what we love about thoses and how we display them.
This is a long long journey.
Thanks, that's great advice. Ikea is a good shout actually, they only have what ships in volume. It might not tie in with my view on what I want to sell, but that's part of the learning I guess!
Thanks very much for being so honest about selling prints. I hope sales have improved since you made this video.
No worries! Honestly, they've not but that's entirely my fault - I've done zero marketing as I've just not had chance. Hoping to change this, and the offering over the next few weeks. It's like anything you are trying to sell, you need to keep pushing it.
Great video Rick and amazing images! I would consider data base marketing using something like Mailchimp, the way I would build a database is sell something really reasonably to build up your database, once someone has bought something from you they are more likely to buy again and spend more next time, think about it in the way charities market to people, you build a relationship and people spend more the more they get to know you and trust you. I was talking to a colleague about this earlier this week and discussed a double sided Zine printed on standard paper folded however you wanted to do it, double sided A3 / A2 could work easily and be sent out cheaply in an envelope. Use the Zine as a limited edition art piece, collect email addresses from the sale and mail to them every month with offers etc, make it easy for people to buy the first item from you. Charities are excellent at marketing, you'd be surprised how much they spend on it, check out how they do it and see if any of those marketing ideas work for you? Good luck and best wishes, Kirk.
This is the way I think it'll go. I've been building a newsletter database which I probably need to provide more value to. I'll have a look at charities, thanks!
This is the video TH-cam recommended to me. Thanks for being genuine and helpful.
thanks
Good luck Rick! I just launched my print store about 3 weeks ago. We’re on the same journey around the same. Only 3 sales so far. I’m a little under 1% conversion rate for site visits.
It’s a hard business so far! But I’ll keep at it. Best of luck friend.
Yep, sounds similar!! Likewise, thanks!
Thank you Rick for such a genuine retelling of your situation and attempt.
thanks
Thanks, Rick, for your thoroughness of analysis and your honesty. I’m retired but have started moving toward the same goals as you have, but I am several steps behind you in terms of name recognition (effectively zero) and printer size. I know Danson’s (and many others’) attitude toward print selling, which is why most landscape photographers use conducting workshops to earn their keep - something I’ll probably never do because I don’t have the personality for it. I am digesting the implications for me of what you’ve told us, and I would like to follow your progress…and hopefully, success.
Fingers crossed for the future of your store, Rick. I thought your choice of images reflected the trip well, I hope the only way is up from here!
I hope so too! Thanks, appreciate it!
You work is incredible and the pricepoint for what you are offering I think is pretty good. I was hovering over buy there on an image and then your video mentioned Yellowstone and the Tetons so I have paused for now. I will absolutely buy from you but for really personal reasons I would love to know if you are likely to offer something from Yellowstone in your print shop. Thank you Rick for this video, great content. I will look forward patiently for what is to come.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
This is a super helpful video as a photographer looking to do sometime similar! Great video as always, thanks for posting!
Thanks, glad it's been helpful!!
Interesting background to what it takes to sell prints, Thanks Rick
Rick, I'm an American here to offer one explanation for not getting many sales in the US: we don't use the metric system, so our stores don't sell frames to fit standard metric paper sizes, like A3. Our standard paper/ frame sizes are based on Imperial inches. Inversely, I once moved to a metric country and could not find a single frame to fit my standard Imperial-sized art because all they sold was metric "A#" frames. There really was not even a close approximation that could sort of fit. People buying an 80-pound print probably don't want to spend another $80+ to order a custom frame for it. And even if they don't want it framed, they still might want the size to match the size of other prints they already own.
The photo can be mounted on a larger board that fits the local frames. People may be matting the print anyway, so the mount board and mat will fit local frames.
@@aeromodeller1 What I meant by the sizes not even being close is that it wouldn't have looked good with a mat because the vertical borders would be a very different width than the horizontal borders. And you'd still have to pay extra to get a custom mat cut because precut mats are also sized for metric or imperial. I also tried to get a frame shipped in from the US, but the shipping cost was just as bad as a custom frame. So that piece of art sat rolled in a tube for years until I moved back the US, and now it is finally framed on my wall. :-)
@@OwlzzZRelaxation Paper size and print size are not the same. Perhaps he could size the print area for imperial markets to standard imperial mats. This complicates the ordering process.
@@aeromodeller1 yes, if it was printed at a standard imperial size on metric paper, that might be the simplest and most affordable solution for buyers and Rick. Anyone with scissors could cut the excess white paper off to fit an imperial mat or frame. But Rick would have to create different crops of all his images because the height to width ratios aren't close to being the same.
That's a really good point .I'm also American and I didnt even think about the different measurement systems.It is really something to take into consideration .
Great and honest video. Really well done!
Best of luck with your project!
Much appreciated!
Well you know I’m a fan and soon to be proud owner of those prints! 🙋🏻♀️
Loved the journey and honesty in this video, also incredibly helpful having just got the same printer myself.
Looks like you’ve learned lots and enjoyed the process, I’m sure the sales will follow, but even if they don’t 1. My piece will be even more valuable 😅 and 2. You’ll have beautiful prints for your home!
I know, thank you again :)
I have, it's been great! Hope you are enjoying your printer!
First time viewer. Your photography is phenomenal. The problem isn't your photography, it's that there's only five photos we can choose from. I like the light and airy tree ones on your website but I can't buy those. They go with the art I have in my house already. (Wall space is limited, so choices shouldn't be). Also, I've bought photography from a TH-camr for $29. My max would be about $50 if I REALLY connected with the photo. P. S. Keep your chin up! I would love to be as far along in photography skills and in the business side of it as you are! Keep going!!
Thanks, really appreciate that. Definitely some things to think about, specifically toward what I'm selling......
Good luck. Selling prints is extremely difficult to do nowadays do to the digital age. I also own the Canon prograf pro 1000 printer. Have owned it now for five years. I pretty much print for myself and family. If I sell a print I consider it a plus.
Once again. Good luck.
Thanks, it really is!
Honest guy! Thank you so much…..YOU keep going!
Thanks, I will!!
Thanks for the insight Rick.
I wish you the best. Thank you for your honest story, it will help others.
Rick excellent video and advice “Don’t lose 💰” ….its not you nor your work …which is excellent…people’s lives are soo complicated and fast paced that I think they sometimes just click past opportunities they otherwise would have jumped at . Keep being you …real , honest , and sincere and your talent will shine through and your niche followers will jump at the opportunity to buy your work !🤩Best -Art
Cheers Art, I will!!
What a timing, I printed my first pictures today haha. NIce video Rick and good luck on selling prints, I would love to do thesame bought an Epson ET-8550.
Thank you!! I'd love to say it's worth doing 😂 have fun on your printing journey!
Hey,
Thank for such an honest video on the whole process. I have been thinking of opening my own store as well and this has been an honest inspiration. I tried to order on your website and realised your cart option after adding items to cart appears really far down to the bottom. It wasn't obvious to me at all, maybe consider changing the design slighly to make it appear near the add to cart button so the transition from 'add to cart' to the 'cart' page is quicker and smoother. Maybe this is hindering the sales as customer can't find the button quickly. Just some thoughts.
thanks, hadn't noticed that - will take a look!
Well one thing is certain, your pictures are beautiful. Regardless of whether they sell or not, you are still sharing beauty and love with the world. I spent a long time setting up an online store for my photographic work whilst I worked at a printers. Just as I was about to go live the print shop closed due to The owner becoming seriously ill. Since then it's just been in limbo whilst I work out what to do next. I wish you all the best and hope you start making some money. One thing I might offer, people are lazy. Receiving a beautiful print is one thing, getting it suitably framed is another. Perhaps a higher price point for a framed print could work?
Thanks, I appreciate your comments and your suggestion and will look into it. I guess my main issue with that is storage but I'm sure I can find a solution. Wishing you all the best with your venture too - I hope you can make something of it.
If u have the support of your family then keep going. Perservance yields success. All the best.
Your prints may have been a bit of a lesson exercise, but you've definitely gained some followers including myself. Keep going man. 💪👌👏
I’m a web developer… your website looks good but there are some issues with text clipping on medium sized screens. Specifically the Yellowstone print title. Just a heads up, and good luck for the future
Thanks, appreciate that - I'll take a look.
My wife and I have been mentoring prison inmates and selling their art for some years now. The struggle is real.
Personaly, I would rather pay a monthly subscription to collaborated artists, and be surprised with a new piece of art every month; rather than trying to locate and visit various independent websites to see what is new. But that is just me.
In short, we are all experimenting and that can also be an art in itself. Blessings to you and your business!
This was the video I needed thank you, great insight
Good Luck!! I love your work. I would like to see how it works out for you, watching from New York. Remember that everything always a learning experience.
Thanks, that's very kind!! it is, and am treating it so. Love New York btw, can't wait to get back!
I hope it works out for you in time. I tried selling framed A4 prints in a local cafe. All of the photos were scenes that were local to the cafe, which is close to a beach and a harbour. In 18 months, I sold 1 print and a customer knocked one off the wall breaking the frame 😂. I was only doing it to try to supplement my pension, rather than relying on sales, so it was no big deal for me.
Thanks Paul. It's a tough gig isn't it?! That's similar to me, it's more to supplement rather than there being a reliance on it, so at least there's zero pressure on this venture
I’m sorry to hear that. I have my images in a local cafe. I offer a few sizes and find that my A3 matted prints sell the most. I’ve also had one frame broken by falling. I enjoy hearing people’s comments on the images. Good luck
Thank you for your honesty. I've come here accidentally or as some say there is no accident. That was my big dream to take shots and sell them as some people say I should. But I bet some would say don't even try this. So I will only dream having my secure 8 hrs/day boring job. I wish you luck, take care.
Years ago I tried out selling prints in a lot of different ways, and local restaurants etc was the worst, which makes sense in hindsight - people aren't in a restaurant/cafe to buy art.
I found the mindset of the people has the most to do with how successful I was with selling, and had the most success with holding an exhibition in a local gallery, even though it wasn't very busy - people walking into a gallery have the right mindset, and are also ok with higher prices.
I also did local markets for a time, which was very hit and miss. I feel sure I'd have done better if I'd had more easily identifiable local scenes, however, there is still the issue that here in Australia people go to markets expecting a bargain...it's not the place for selling high priced items. From the sounds of it, the art fairs they have in the US are quite different.
I recently had an exhibition. I had over 500 visitors and I’d say that at least half of them were properly interested in the subject matter (does that overcome the localness aspect?). I recon that if I’d been selling the pictures (A2 and over), I’d have sold at least 2. My thoughts though - being there in person enabled me to quickly develop a relationship with the audience (I don’t have an on-line presence which seems like a massive hurdle to me). Maybe if the pictures had been clearly for sale then things might have been different (but I didn’t want this to be a sale, but rather it was a chance to enthuse about the subject - which I’d say was successful). I did have a book sitting around and this got a lot of eyes time - problem is there a whole different level investment to sell books. All that I can say is that getting the printer and bringing my photos to life has been a fabulous experience. Breaking even seems like a truly lofty goal and I’ve all but given up thinking that this could be an income stream. I do wish you well, and I look forward to receiving a print.
Thanks Jon, that's such a positive amount of visitors - well done! I totally agree with you on bringing your photos to life with a printer - it's so rewarding. Thank you, I really do appreciate it. Print in the post tomorrow 🙏🏻☺️
You forgot about packing supplies as well. I have tried both methods. For me, I order from the lab and then drop ship from lab to the customer. I then have a separate series called a Signature Series. That contains my signature. I use Shopify for my website. I sell a huge amounts of prints. Please let me know if you need any help. I can give you some really rock solid advice.
Thanks Bob, appreciate that. I might take you up on that actually, thanks.
@@RickBebbington Anytime! Just let me know!
Good luck !!! Great video !!!
Thank you!!
Wow! What a rereshing video! Someone is honest about challenges. I have run an online fine photography gallery (I had it in a bricks and mortar pre-COVID ) with famous photographers as the work I am selling - high end $2K-19K US) and I would say several things: 1.) selling any kind of photography prints is hard. In general people are confused about the value of photography prints unlike classic painting (except the French who have tons of photo galleries in France and a vibrant makrt and who invented the medium). But the general public doesn't seem to know the differences between what a fine print is and what a wall poster is, 2.) the people who buy do so for a simple few reasons- either they are a.) experienced collectors and know what they want.b.) want to buy well-known photographers, or, 3.) per PixPete's excellent comments below, are simply people who resonate with a particular image. Meaning, for example, they want shots of sailboats because they are into sailing, or Grand Prix cars because they are into racing, etc. Or look at someone like Peter Lik who makes millions doing his landscape work and has galleries of his own pushing his work in Las Vegas and elsewhere. He is an exception. And you are competing against, well... everyone who owns a cell phone and has an Instagram account. If you want to "sell" then the key is to identify a market niche people want vs. selling what you think is great (as hard as that is to say). If you want to "sell" prints, you need to approach it as a business with markets that want certain things. Otherwise, keep shooting what you like and only cater to people who get t and what you are doing. 98% of this is marketing so check out lots of other YT vids on marketing prints. In your case I would focus on you being you and keep building your TH-cam following as well as a range of other marketing methods. Oh...and you do great work! I love your site!
Good video. Im a new subscriber tonight. Your speech, analysis and talking points are brilliant however I think the photos may not be.....I think range may be the issue mate - range and a couple of WOW photos! Good luck with it all and i look forward to following you from here.
You've done a beautiful job on the shop, I wish you the best. You made great choices, so I don't think you need to worry about the quality of the images. One thing I would be interested in is an electronic magazine or "zine" of your images. I don't personally need more physical things. Shipping and boxing are pretty cheap and easy for that too :-) I think Sean Tucker does those. One thing I saw on James Popsys' store is "Nothing at all." You can buy them in one-pound increments. Looking forward to the Tetons and Yellowstone videos.
Thanks Brian. I have actually been contemplating electronic 'zines' recently so I'm glad you mention it.... Similar to James, I did have 'buy me a coffee' on the website but it seems to have gone (I'd love to say i ran out of stock!!). I'll get it reinstated! Thanks again.
Nice one mate, people like photography experiences more than they like photography things. Printing and selling prints is great and completes the art. You just can't rely on prints as your number one source of income. Do your other photography things and hope you sell a few prints here and there.
Thanks - appreciate it!
Just stumbled into your channel, so I'm a first time viewer. Not a photographer, nor do I buy photography, but from the experience you describe it seems like the piece of the puzzle missing is the audience. Who are you trying to sell to? Who is looking for the photos that you've taken? Simply that they're well composed and visually striking won't make the magic happen in terms of sales. In the same way as identifying your audience to build a following on social media, including TH-cam, is the key part of the process, the same is true for selling anything.
Where you have an strong starting point is in having followers already. In each of your future videos, find the one shot that you think nails the experience and offer it for sale within the video. Also, it's worth offering limited quantities for those who maybe see it as an investment. "There'll only ever be 5 prints of this photo" adds incentive to your audience to pick it up if they're on the fence.
Fundamentally, try to get a read on who is following your primary marketing channel, whether that's TH-cam, Instagram or wherever. Are they following you to get ideas for their own projects? Because they love your end results? The better you understand them, the more likely you can convince them to make a purchase.
Good luck.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Many of us have considered doing the same. Question: Did you need model or property releases?
if there are more than 5 people in the photo then no need of Model release and if the Private property is clearly visible and is the only property visible then only you need a release.
No worries. Honestly, it's not something I considered. This might be a little naive and maybe I should have done....
Selling prints is the long game. You just have to keep doing it until it breaks for you. I have found doing local shows will help.
Thanks, I will!
thanks for the video - very interesting. Suspect that while selling locally would mean a large drop in price - people do want to have an emotion with the subject and local does tug at the heart a bit. Don't lose faith, try offering larger - thats what people generally can't print on their own... best of luck and thanks for being so honest.
Yeah, I just need to weigh up if I'll ever have time to sell local!! Larger is something I'll explore in the near future, feels like I'm missing a trick there. Thank you.
Well done on trying pal, it is the hardest thing to do.
So many people don't understand buying from an artist is expensive and for a good reason.
When they can simply go to one of these generic picture websites and buy something or get a framed print from IKEA.
However this is not your target audience and this is where it gets really hard, getting the right people's eyes balls in front of your work.
Thanks mate, you're so right. I need to find the market that finds meaning and value in the work I suppose
Just subscribed. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🎉
Thanks for subbing!
Great video Rick! Would you mind sharing your source for the cardboard shipping sleeves? Thanks!
Thank you sir for sharing your process.
RE: success/failure: printmaking is its own art form. Just like you can't just flip a switch from photography->videography, prints represent a completely different artistic challenge. There are so many factors at play to make an excellent print... and then you're ultimately at the mercy of an interior design problem.
Though I think we're coming into a resurgence of physical media, I also think the average person has very little artistic experience with print artwork of any medium... so it falls on artists to not only make great art, but educate their audience about the value and experience of this physical art beyond the screen.
Such a fun watch as I’ve long thought about setting up prints as well! Now I’m wondering…does this mean we can look forward to a book from you then?? 😂
One day, why not?! Thanks!!
Interested in your journey. It has been interesting to read the comments and I must confess I see a lot of photographers selling to other photographers which is nice but you never going to make money out of it. To me the key is accessing people who are interested in art, galleries seem the initial answer but I guess access to galleries is very limited and you really need to be a named artist to be able to command their attention. I hope it goes well and will watch your journey.
for sure a photographer wont be interested buying one. I have been mailing Architects. I have made a good presentation and I have good paper options, price and sizes but i think i need more of marketing.
Thanks for the insights - I've had my own experience with selling prints in person where I sorta broke even 😅
From my perspective people buy prints if the have a connection to the photographer AND the subject. Just liking one is usually not enough.
I think you may be right..... maybe a wider spread of locations will work a bit better. I'll keep testing! Thanks Valentin
Good luck. I guess it is all about perseverance. 🤞🤞
Tbh i think that to sell prints nowadays you need to be a really famous photographer, huge social media following, be included in many projects, have awards, etc.
Printing them out at home is like doing plumbing work on your own. can work. usually not. Especially not when you're dealing with various editions on different papers that are to be printed one after the other. Look for a good and flexible printing studio nearby and forget all the work like linearisation, profiling, maintenance of the printing machines, storage of the paper, nozzle tests and so on ;-)
You could also print for other people. I would pay for some of my wildlife photos to be printed just to see what they looked like initially.
That’s a great shout, I’d not thought if that - thanks 👍🏻
Hello! Any particular reason to have the white borders? I tend to avoid them 🤔
I just prefer how they look. Also gives space to sign and title...
@@RickBebbington Ah, cool. It makes sense. Thanks. I usually sign at the back 😊😊 keep it up 👍👍
I think the first question to consider is why anyone would be interested in a visually appealing picture, such as a landscape, etc. Because to be honest, at this point, that’s all it is. While it may hold different value for you, that perspective changes when we talk about a complete stranger. Does he buy it for visual enjoyment? Is it meant to be a decorative piece for a home? Does it have therapeutic benefits? Does it provide a mental escape, or does it simply resonate with him?
Imagine studying art and knowing all the great artists that came before us, now go out and make some fresh art without being influenced or without imitating anyone. It's hard man, you can easily get discouraged, but I still think every visual artist needs a good education otherwise you are just buying expensive gear, and becoming a cog in the ''be a better photographer'' marketing scheme.
Why did Gursk's Rhein II sold for $4.3 million and nobody buys my print for $50?!
This should be the first question everyone should answer about before buying an expensive printer :))
Reputation definitely helps, you can also be unique in your approach ( I know it's 2024 and everyone is an artist ) but with the proper research and experimentation you can still find your own voice.
At the end of the day it's all part of the journey and you have to discover your artistic vision and be consistent for the first part of it, but if you first think of photography as a product, the game is already lost!
what i observe in the comment section is that we all are struggling with PRINT thing. I am also trying to mail different people for my print sale and so far i haven't heard from anyone even though the Presentation, price, paper option and sizes are really good. The thing i notice is that only the architecture has to buy prints for their clients (hotel, shops, offices) but when i visit a top tier hotel, i notice there are lot more paintings than photo prints. The value of photo prints is still lower than paintings for sure. seems like a Photographer has to been a famous or legendary photographer to sell their work.
Yep, it's a tough market that's for sure.
Step 1: have a successful TH-cam channel
100%. No money in it for us mere mortals. Also Etsy is a disaster now for print sales due to AI shit saturating the market.
Working on it 😬😂
What size are the frames on your wall behind you? And then what size photos are they as well?
Also another idea would be to sell backdrops photography for product photography, of windows or garden in the background, because i only found two websites that sell what im looking for.
I've thought about going to events and setting up a small booth. Shoot and print portraits on the spot with a small portable printer. Would that be viable?
Best of luck Pal! A Challenge might be an audience of togs wanting images other than their own on their walls ?
Cheers Darren!
Job done - your vlog has lead me to your web and sales site for a nose around.
And lateral thought - you might find a market for Patagonia images in North West Wales (Wales) due to the cultural and Welsh language ties. 👍
That's a great shout actually!! Thanks!
You said only a few sales in the first week, that's great! When we setup our online retail business it looks weeks of varying the marketing and targeting until we started getting orders. Keep at it.
Thanks David - I think I probably had quite unrealistic expectations 😂
Great Video!
Thanks!
Which paper did you use?
Fotospeed NST BW
I would like to see a 6 month update on results
Print your best photos ,pack them and go outside in the restaurants in public places, ask people do you wanna buy a photo for your wall, your house , your bar e.t.c 10 bucks please
I can see how people would be drawn to doing this, I'm just not sure what you'd make from doing that would be worth the time investment. I'm happy to sell less but keep it easier for myself. For now!!
@@RickBebbington Just to clarify my previous comment to avoid any misunderstandings: When I say "You have to do blah blah," I mean "What I have to do blah blah if I were in your situation." I'm not giving any suggestions, just sharing my thoughts :) I understand that it is tough to sell art through social media these days, but it is not impossible. As you said, sell less and be okay for the moment.
Ansel Adams supported his family with his commercial work. Edward Weston gave up his commercial studio for Art and was notoriously poor. Both families have continued to market their art photos online. Visit their sites.
There are several TH-cam videos on pricing art. Basically, look for work of similar size and quality to yours.
Selling art is a game of chance. You are doing well if your advertising has a 1% return rate. You want to post as many photos as you can so the buyer can find the picture he wants. At the same time, you don't want it to be overwhelming. You want to make it as easy as possible for the buyer to find something he wants. Major categories with thumbnails works for me as a buyer. Also, you want the ability to make the purchase right on the page with the image.
To get an idea of how to present your work online, look at the many photographers online. What works for you as a possible buyer?
Thanks, that's really helpful. I've definitely noticed that once the marketing tap is switched off, the sales dry up
How much did it cost to start printing? Printer, ink etc.?
It very much depends on the printer you buy... this one, the Pro-1000 was around £1000 I think, but the ink is where the real expense lies. The printer does come with some ink, but to replenish all of the inks in the printer will likely cost around £600. Not ideal if you are just printing for yourself!!
Do you sell the prints in a frame.? Or just the paper print.
Frames are a big cost, and I guess you would need them in stocks.
Just paper. I've not got the space (or time, or inclination) to do frames as well.... Tempted to look at print box sets like Ben Horne does in the future though maybe....
I think it's really hard to compete with a lab on a per-page cost. Yeah, you can technically get some savings (~15-20%) once you're running... but it's very hard to compete with the economies of scale. Though I think this is kinda moot since, as a photographer, the bulk of the price customers are paying is for the art, not the materials.
Probably. I like printing for myself though, so this was a solution that worked better for me. For now anyway!
I would say offer standard imperial sizes for the American market with an additional processing time disclaimer for the custom sizing. Finding say an a3 frame here is exceedingly annoying as some frames even marked as such are really 11x17 and most people are not going to take the time/money to custom mat a photo. Also, your TH-cam and socials audience is prime for say workshops but not for selling prints. Normal folks, interior designers, businesses, etc. buy prints ime, no other photographers unless they are particularly moved by an image. To that end, I’ve bought exactly one print from another photographer and it was a photo that hit me hard. I hunted them down to buy it (dm’s, comments, joined their patreon, etc. lol), I wasn’t taking no for an answer. The few prints I’ve sold to other photogs have been the same way as well.
Yeah, that's something I overlooked actually. Thanks. Workshops are something I'm considering..... we'll see!
Look forward to seeing if your "rb" logotype and your "Rick Bebbington" logo are reconciled. It's like your face shaved and with a beard. Identity is hard. Good luck! Printing is the best.
Ther is no easy money in photography. I can assure you of that. Modern technology has also assured that no particular skill or vision is required to produce good photographs, nor the financial investment, time and know how that once required. Nice prints though.
It's true!! Thanks
By the way very nice green T-shirt with white branding …
Work is not crap buddy, to me it's price, went to support on site and price got me, lol.
Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it. Out of interest, what would you be prepared to pay?
@@RickBebbington I would max out at $50 myself.
How would one get someone to their online store if they don't already have a following of any kind?
SEO I'm guessing. It's hard though
Good initiative, but the final price is too high for the vast majority of people.
It's a premium product, obviusly, but it not for everyone.
Seems that way, but I have to weigh up if it's worth my while selling them for less. I'm not sure it is?
@@RickBebbingtonanyone can work for nothing 👍
Mate you are 5 days in! I am 7 years into a software business and we have not even broken even yet, not by a long way.
Keep going it's not easy. The one thing I would say is that saying "Do what you love and you will never work another day in your life" Utter bullshit. Doing a business with something that you love will eventually grind you down as businesses are hard especially to launch but once you get over the hump and you see light at the end of the tunnel all the sweat and blood brcomes a distant memory.
My other bit of advice is that not everybody needs to start a business. Personally I wish I never had.
Sounds stressful, and I totally know where you are coming from. It is hard, but to me, working for someone else is harder so I'll keep plugging away at slowly destroying my hobbies 😂
Most people don't ever place a value on photographs any more, on a recent holiday a fellow traveler said to me "oh thats why you take good pictures you've got a proper camera" , & the only other person with a picture of mine on there wall is the sister in law who used an image my partner shared on WhatsApp & didn't even bother asking .
Rough 😂
I hate it when people say the good camera thing. I think a lot of people still place value on it, but your are right. Most don't.
😂
At least you've got a nice printer. Printing your photos is more enjoyable than just storing computer files.
Haha - very true!! Need more ink already 😬
My number 1 problem is no one knows me. Your problem might be similar: in my experience, most photographers don't buy prints from other photographers. I believe they're wrong not to but many have told me they never did. And no, I don't know how to get others to know about you. If I did, I'd get them to know about me ;)
Yeah, undoubtedly the more people that 'know you' the more sales you'll get. Getting known is most certainly a long game.
I’ve got to stop at "hopefully in the long term”. I’m not going to say you need a business plan because I think they are irrelevant in a lot of ways. But you need to make a couple of calculations and know roughly your thresholds where you’re going to stop loosing money, start breaking even, and hopefully make some cash. (Otherwise either just do it for pleasure and roll with, or sleep with eyes open but that is not worth giving advice - & sorry I’m not trying to be rude but I’ve been a one-man business owner with a struggling photographer right next door..)
Yeah, appreciate that. Given that it's not a priority, I'm not too bothered right now. I probably need to factor time into it somewhere... That's a cost that I've not really attributed anything towards.
Hmm I meet a lot of people in my life. I do talk about art and photography. Many of them love art, going to exhibits and such. But never have I met anyone who wants to buy photographies unless it's of themselves/family or they don't know what to get someone as a present.
Explain this to me. How do you expect to lower your print cost over time? Not to mention paper cost, ink cost and most importantly time cost.
I don't expect to lower my costs, I mean over time printing at home will be cheaper than using a lab...
If I'm printing at home, I have the initial cost of my printer plus the cost per print (paper + ink + time + packaging). So say £1000 for the printer and £40 per print for arguments sake. So if I sell one print, in theory that costs me £1040. If I sell one print and get it done at a lab, that might cost me £60 and that's it - a lot cheaper than printing at home.
However, if I sell 100 prints, the cost for printing at home then goes up to £5000 (£1000 printer + 100 x £40).
The cost from the lab will be £6000 (100 x £60). So assuming I one day get to a certain number of prints sold, my costs will be lower by doing this at home than by using a lab.
Hopefully that makes sense!!
@@RickBebbington you are better off using cheaper lab for prints. Prints will actually look like photographs on offset printer. And you will save ton of time, headache/stress/anxiety, and useless paperwork for taxes. Trust me, you will thank me in the long run. I can think of a couple of cheap and amazing printers in New York.
Print sales, especially online, is a long tail game. It's not that uncommon for me to sell prints from someone who saw my prints six months ago.
Who would buy a photo of three chairs though? Not many. Ps the hover on your website is broken. The images just go white and there’s nothing to see
It’s been the best seller so far 🤷🏻♂️ just goes to show how subjective photography is. Just checked and it seems ok to me, thanks though.
@@RickBebbington @user-zl5gi8sv7u - You're right......the images do turn white when you hover over them and you can't see anything.
FEAR
Yup
That’s
Me
horrible isn't it?!
@@RickBebbington yes☹️
My apologies for previous comment. It wasn't intended for this video. Not sure how my comment went onto this video. I appreciate a fellow photographers work and I wouldn't intentionally insult your work.....again.....please accept my apology