You are a doctor, and I want to contact you about photos

I think that written is still a better call.

No, written is as good as nothing at all. They toss your letter for sure.
The best ist to go with your portfolio to Pediatricians and Dentists for kids.
Ask them if you could put your pictures up, and if they say yes, let
them choose which ones. Then frame them and hang them.

Hairdressers are another choice - they see so many people per day,
you'd get maximum exposure there.

Small coffee houses is another option.

I have a coffee house and a bookstore lined up.

The coffee house will be several months down the line. The bookstore is almost immediate. And I can sell my photos in the bookstore.

Excellent! That sounds promising. Maybe you'll get more coffe houses and bookstores, once you established yourself with those.

I totally agree with CJ. Also try family restaurants. You should offer the owner a free session, if they have a child or grandchild, to put up in their establishment with your contact information to appear underneath. Go in person with your portfolio at a time a business might be slow.

Hello shewolfnm. A friend of mine is a lawyer. She hung her framed photography in her lobby. It gets minimal exposure, but, has been a success.

I never thought of contacting lawyers offices..

Thanks for that. There are MANY of them here !

I am still stuck on that as well.
There are some smaller offices that are run by one or two doctors that I bet , a written letter would feel better and look better to them..

I think CJ and I have sales backgrounds. OK, if you must, send a letter first. Include a copy of some of your work. Then follow up with phone call and see if the person is willing to meet with you and look at your portfolio. People are not going to contact you - you must make this issue personal by meeting the person face to face. Every sales person knows that the more live interaction you have with someone the more likely it is that they will say "yes".

I don't know. I've thought the same about my paintings, versus some of the crappo on the walls in offices. Not that my work is so great, but really, in some cases anything would be better, and could, say with photography, really engage, as well as with some real paintings.

Some Dr's offices are done by interior design firms - and some by the md's and associates. Some very institutional.

Hospitals, big ones, tend to have an art person who choses for lobbies, etc. Well, in flush times, anyway. Sometimes they buy, sometimes you donate. More on that later.

There are professionals who pick and choose for major institutions. I suppose Art Consultant is the word. There are more of these people afoot as art is worth more re collecting.

I've been to a friend's place of employ in SF in one of the near penthouse sets of floors at the top of some building.. where some part of the main partner's major photo collection, to die for, or almost die for, was shown., exquisite.


Sometime, oh, fifteen years ago, I saw a blurb in the LA Times about artists possibly showing work at UCLA med center. I was right on it. Turned out it was to donate. Well, what the hell. I donated a painting I did of a canalside market in Venice, Italy. Moody painting, choice of the art office (forget the office's title). It was shown, if not until now, I dunno about now, but for at least a few years, apparently well liked, at the breast cancer center.

No, no work from it, not that I ever wanted to be commissioned a painting, but I did get invited to an swish party, a small event for donors, a reception to show the architectural model for a new med center building, held in a garden... one of those parties where I was glad I didn't trip, after parking my car quite downhill. If I were more self promoting I suppose I could have made hay out of that one event.

As it was, I became actual pals with the person in that art advisory place that I most worked with. Which reminds me, I should write her, years go by.

Moseying along in my musing, we also had md's buy from us at our gallery, but those paintings, photos, sculptures, etc., went to their homes usually, and not the offices.

I've shown in some oddish places. Mine was the first show, apparently, for the California Council of the Arts in their office building at the time in Sacramento. Good for my resume, none sold. I've sold other paintings for good money in Sacramento, in part from just showing, not even in a gallery.

Showed at a lively large cafe in Venice, sold one big painting, paid my way for months - but that cafe had a sophisticated art consultant, very good.




What am I getting at..

I think you could pursue the doctor's office thing on a few levels, including just asking around, all the way up to a presentation to an Art Consultant.
I wouldn't mention donation, PR wise, unless asked, and would avoid it unless...

which reminds me. I've shown at my last local art museum, not as a solo show person, but as someone who made it past the judge in a local competition.

Bunch of us were asked to participate in a small painting donation scheme, with an auction to benefit the museum at the end of a showing in a certain room, for something like six months. That was fun, and one more thing if I ever retype my resume.

so, CHECK OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AT YOUR MUSEUMS...

I also think you could work up shows for whatever venue from themes that already interest you.... and that effort would probably be filled with both positives and disappointments over time.. but that you have talent for themed shows and should go in that direction. Uh, see Salgado, etc. Not that you're him. But you've an eye and the heart.

Yep, I did marketing for years, and I know that letters don't work. They're
usually tossed by the receptionist/secretary right away. You rarely won't
get a chance to even go to the source that it's intended for.

However, who am I to tell you otherwise: send out 5 test letters and see
if you get feedback. That's simple and doesn't cost much.

I thought also of trade shows where you get tons of exposure. Bridal shows (they seem to be held frequently in every town) are excellent.

I've had two galleries, just about thirty years apart. My experience is surely not representative of anyone but myself and my partners at the times - but, really, just walk in and talk.

That, I suppose, won't work in Coldville, but, as a person who had waited for letter answers myself... in my last gallery, we would talk with anyone. We did like to see more than slides/online stuff.

But then, we didn't always wear black.

Im sorry.

I did not mean to make anyone think I was passing off their suggestion of by passing the written letter .
I just wish that hand written things had 'charm' like they used to.

I absolutely agree, in person in this case is best.. but there ARE a few small offices I know of that are run by older men.. with their just as old secretary who still do things " according to their ways" ..

Of course , in person is best.. but I just hold on to the romantic idea that a well written letter will draw more attention then anything else.

Wedding photography. I posted a link to wedding photographer's musings on here once, really good writing. Not one response, waves fan. Anyway, not an easy job, as I see it from here.

I get letters everyday via email and snail mail from people trying to sell me things. Some of the ones from Nigeria are pretty good. I trash or shred all of them unless it was something I requested.

Hey!
Im black. I could pull of the Nigeria thing..


what'ya think?
Wanna go halfsies with me?

Sorry. I've only seen one handwritten whatever that made a company jump, and it was by a guy with super graphics ability wanting a job in a landarch firm. I saw this as I was - not yet out of school - the secretary's helper for a short while in a biggo firmo, as well as coffee maker, 6 foot long presentation drawing do-er for a meeting a few hours away, parksite photographer, yadda yadda. In my spare time I looked at the files.

Not to be crushing. I do still like real letters, and would pay attention.

Weddings intimidate me right now.

Yes . that is where the money is

Yes. I can charge 2,000 a pop and up

Yes. it is just the same as photographing anything else..

but.. ouff.. Bridezilla anyone?