Mini gallery / photo showing and exposure.

Forums: Art And Photography, Advertising, Gallery, Printing, Selling
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I was using google to read various comments about how to get into a gallery some where with your photography.
I learned a few things.. and it sounds like this is really a place where you NEED to know someone who knows someone.. blah blah blah.

Well. thats not me.

So I have some ideas I want to throw out and would love some help, suggestions and I am always open to someone telling me if I am doing something wrong. Im working on this with only my set of eyes so outside input is not only welcome, but needed Smile

I have a 2 week goal here.

Yup. Pressing this gas peddle yall. Really Smile

In 2 weeks I want to have in my hands -

1) a book produced that will be of nothing but my photos, my information and a way for people to order prints of the photos they see in this book.
This book will also be a portfolio of sorts so that I can approach businesses, people and companies with a professional sample of my work.
After coming to the conclusion below, I will need 2 of these. But to stay realistic, I am keeping the one book in 2 weeks goal.

2) at least 10 prints. 8x10 photos with a 16 inch frame and mounts

3) at least 2 scheduled.. or "in the works" places to show my photos.

2 weeks. Reasonable? One week is better..

My idea is to maybe get the library to give me some wall space.. Or a restaurant to show my work , or a coffee shop, or or or ? My hope for this is that I will find some place that may announce my work to its customers in some way.

OOHHH!!! ding ding.
While typing I got an idea.
I have been to this place before and know it is a great spot. It is a coffee shop called Ruta Maya. It caters to local shows, acts, AND artists.
I have been in there many times and have seen the work people put up for sale . Not being rude.. but I have seen utter crap on the walls and I know it sold. This is a family friendly place too having childrens shows on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This is the place to put up my childrens photos.

Wonderful.. just writing this out I have a new idea. So dont be surprised if I write out everything that ever enters my head. I have been in this place before, wanting to do this, but never with clarity or conviction.

I need 2 books.

One of family photography and another of .. other stuff.
Ruta Maya is a family photography showing.

Another idea I have is to maybe attempt product photography for small starting companies, or web based small businesses. What I want is little work like that to be supplemental.. my key income , the cake so to speak.. should be weddings right now. Gallery selling and shows the thick creamy icing Smile

I am setting my wedding price at 5,000. No less. NO way. No how.
One every other month is MORE than enough income for me to get by on so I wont have to panick and work several times a week to pay my bills.. Not like I have to now.

But, that is the later plan.......right now I need to get a base of exposure.
Coffee shop . Excellent.
then.. ?

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@shewolfnm,

I have no idea of the relative merits -- whether there are better places to go -- but you can get photo books at Shutterfly.

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books

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I am using this company -

http://www.blurb.com/

I have gotten a few books produced by friends and some in stores and they make beautiful books.
Their work is excellent and affordable. I can get one book for under 30.00

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cool

check with a local arts council, see what they can suggest

small local restaurants are a great place to display art, they get free art, you get exposure, the deal may include commission on sales or referrals

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@djjd62,

djjd62 wrote:

small local restaurants are a great place to display art, they get free art, you get exposure, the deal may include commission on sales or referrals

This would be nice, though I dont know that people in restaurants will want to buy photos of other people..
what I am hoping for is that they will see the example and contact me to take photos of their family/wedding etc..

1 Reply

@djjd62,

arts council.

never thought of that. thanks...

1 Reply

@shewolfnm,

Perhaps you could contact people in the wedding business. Dress suppliers, cake bakers, reception halls etc. Maybe you could strike some kind of deal with them to showcase your work.

Maybe approach office buildings (I know you had considered coffee shops etc) and offer to provide pictures for their lobby etc. That could give you good exposure.

Do you have a website?

If you have considered animal photography maybe you could offer to take pictures at the local SPCA and have them mounted on their walls.

Good luck.

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@shewolfnm,

I usually stay away from restaurants that invite artists to show their work and who charge a small percentage for showing.

1 A restaurant, no matter how artsy the owners are,is a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT not a gallery. The owners dont usually show pictures to their best advantage. They are merely trying to fill wall space on a rotating basis. (If you can accept the fact that the customers arent there to see youre work but to eat, then ok)

2 The restaurant owners have no real plan to help market your work, so the fee, no matter how small, is for NO SERVICES provided you. A gallery with whom youre comfortable, is an ART BUSINESS first. The owner isnt merely supplying wallspace for your work. The gallery owner is investing time into selling your work and moving your work. The gallery charges higher fees but you get a much higher price and better exposure.

3 Restaurants arent always the most sanitary places. I once did a show in a rather upscale restaurant in Downtown Philly. I sold some works but most of them , that I reclaimed, were kinda grimy from the reataurant kichen (it was a French/Italian grille).

I dont do any restaurants any more. I do sometimes do a hospital lobby, but only for the publicity that the hospital associations provide. (Ive learned that, fitting subjects , like historical scenes or stately houses can lead to commissions of portraits of patron houses (or summer houses)).

Do you have an art agent woking for you?

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I've had a couple of galleries over the years, one in the seventies and the last one fairly recently. We did talk to walk-in artists and occasionally gave them solo shows.

I once showed my paintings at a cafe Venice, which was then - and maybe still is - a combination of semi-fine dining place, regular cafe, and store. I was not the least bit a "dirty" place. I did sell a painting, for $1500. if I remember correctly (this was in the nineties). The woman who handled the art there had done hundreds of shows, was respected for her "eye" and art knowledge. I once sold three, or was it four, paintings at an upscale type linens shop, again for fair money.

On the other hand, I've been in many small cafes and stores that always have art on the walls that is for sale - I like those kind of places - and have rarely seen any of the work sell. I can see it as a kind of advertisement, and would have cards/a brochure stacked at the store counters somewhere, perhaps a small card on the wall. It can be good for the store, in that some people will like the shop/cafe in part because it has art displayed.

What I regret is that I spent a lot of years treating galleries like places to be somewhat afraid of approaching.. with good reason re a few of them - but I now look back at myself as being too wary.

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I'm kind of confused.

Are you looking to sell finished works or looking to increase exposure about your services so that people will hire you to do their portraits?

A gallery setting is more for selling works that are finished.

If you're wanting people to hire you to do the work for them I'd suggest approaching (if you're mostly interested in kids/family/portraits)

Pediatricians
Obstertician/gynos
Adoption attorneys
High end (children's or adults) clothing stores*
High end toy stores*
Small book shops*
Neighborhood shops*
Caterers (for weddings)*
Tux rental shops (ditto)*
Bakers (ditto)*
Bridal shops (ditto)*
Senior citizen/assited living centers (family portraits)
Stationary/scrapbooking stores*

You might offer to shoot photos using their products (especially toy stores and kid's clothing stores) for display.

Be prepared to put out some money for professional framing and business cards (usually you can tuck the card into the frame so that people can snag it and have extra cards on the counter).

Like I said, though, it depends on exactly what you're trying to sell.

*You will have a lot more luck with small/high end/privately owned shops than with any big retailer.

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

I'm kind of confused.

Are you looking to sell finished works or looking to increase exposure about your services so that people will hire you to do their portraits?

Both.

I need to establish the business first so that I have a good base for clients to find me.
I had this once, I pissed it around and lost it. I can do this again.

meanwhile.. I need to start getting my printed work out there in hopes of getting into a gallery, or some other place where they can be purchased.

I would like it if my bread and butter income was wedding photography.. and gallery sales were a nice bonus if that makes sense.
God knows I would love to have GALLERY sales my bread and butter income, but hey! That.. well.. that would just be too easy Laughing

So I start here..

I am uploading photos now to the software for making my book.
I plan on taking this book + 200 business cards to little companies around austin and see if I can find someone to work with.
I would have never thought to go to just local ones.. THAT. .is a fantastic idea especially in this city where small local businesses are every-where.

I also love the idea of going to the shelters. One thing that crossed my mind was to offer a good percentage of my sales if they would put my name and information into their adoption packages ... and if their families call me for a quick pet session, the shelter gets a good cut of that.

I no longer have a website though.
This will be something i will pursue.. in a bit.
I have a blogspot for now.. http://melissasphotographs.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the tips on the restaurants.
It crossed my mind that it might be a waste of time.. but one with no exposure like myself.. might? benefit..

Eh. Nah.
I will take your word as gold on that one simply because your point is perfect. It is a place for food. Nothing else.

My other thought , and i will get with a friend tomorrow who owns a school.. but to do daycare / pre-k year books for schools.
I can do small books for about 25 dollars, charge 40 per book and also be giving the family a permanent reminder of who I am as well. Maybe use the very back page for a few thumbnail examples of my work.. Maybe not.. and that works to implant my name into their lives.

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My father (who doesn't sell his work) has had his photos shown at the local library. He also routinely enters contests and submits his photos for all sorts of free "show us your pictures of Long Island" types of things. Could potentially help with exposure.

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Can I get , by show of votes, everyone's input on which photos to choose for my book?

Please do not vote down...... I will not see a thumbs down vote. I can only see up thumbs. The number of upthumbs will help me decide.
I can get 20 pages so 3 of those will be order information and contact information. Maybe 4 if I choose to make a Bio page. Im not sure yet what to do with that..

But the rest of them will be on their own page, MAYBE with a description.. more than likely not..

The tall photos will have a white border on either side unless I fill it to page size with a black stroke or something.. Unsure of how to do that. I think it will depend on the photo as to how it will lay in the book.
Photos of large width will bleed to the edge of the page with no border.

Thank you :0)

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Some of these are listed on Flickr. Feel free to click on the link and read comments if you like.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2143073338_c120eb7d3e_b.jpg

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I may pick this one for my cover photo...it is a tie between this one and one of Jillian..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2154/2510391998_f57f854324_b.jpg

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Or the cover may be this one

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2573/3810564119_878942725b_o.jpg

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/3795712550_7596d914b5_b.jpg

*damn flood prevention is stopping me from posting more. Says I need to wait a half hour. So I will be back in a minute I guess. Ugh. *

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/3152818676_9534807217_b.jpg

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2125/2143073348_10d94098f3_b.jpg

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/2143073334_99bb26f4db_b.jpg

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Mini gallery / photo showing and exposure.

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