My Journey to Marketing My Photography

I really like it when people like my photos.  In my photojournalism/film days, I got feedback when walking to work.  All the major daily newspapers in the state had display racks on Congress Avenue near the State Capitol in Austin so lawmakers could get their hometown news.  I knew I had had a good day when it was my picture on the front page of all those newspapers.  

For years my friends and neighbors (and some random folks as well) have told me how much they enjoy my photography.  That feels good, sort of like the analog of getting “likes” on social media I guess.  A few of them have even given me money for my work (that is even better than a “like”) and I really like knowing my work is hanging on their walls.

So after all these years of mostly keeping my photography to myself, with an occasional post to Facebook, I decided to be a bit more serious about trying to get some paid “likes.”  It is not easy to go down that road.  I am not looking for a second (or in my case fourth) career.  But with my wife’s encouragement, I have decided to more formally enter the world of marketing and selling my fine art landscape and wildlife images.  I use the term fine art because that seems to be the thing to do, if I don’t do that it is only photography, and not art. 

How can I do this without going broke in the process or having it becoming a full-time job?  To commit or not commit, that is the question. 

So I looked around at friends that are selling their art, as well as the work of other well-known photographers whose work I respect.  They all have websites.  Some websites are better than others.  I don’t know if all photographers make money from their websites, but the ones I have spoken with say their website income is modest.

I decided I needed a few things:

1-I needed a more professional web presence, and one that would automate the fulfillment process.  There are several options for artists trying to create online galleries, some free (Adobe Portfolio if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud account), some modest (Zenfolio, which is what I selected) and then what I consider to be expensive (and I don’t know if it is worth the price) Artist Storefronts. I know there are others (Photoshelter comes to mind.)

I have some modest computer skills, know my way around Lightroom and understand a bit how web design works.    And fortunately for me, I have a rather large collection of images already processed in Lightroom that are print-ready and easily discovered.  I took a look at Zenfolio.  It was easy for me to understand AND they have a plugin for Lightroom that automates the process of adding photos to website galleries at the right resolution and colorspace.  I spent a weekend configuring Zenfolio, and while there are a few odds and ends that still need attention, if you are reading this blog, you can easily see the fruits of my labor.

2-I needed to show my work in a public space.  I know people that all they do is go from art fair to art fair during the summer showing their work.  That is how they spend their lives. And many art fairs are juried and you may not even get a chance to exhibit your work.  I don’t want that type of life on the road.  I want to continue to travel, but not that way.  I want my trips to be about making photos and not selling them.  So I decided I will concentrate on doing just a few shows, if I can pull that off, and keep them local so no hotel (or travel trailer) nights out of town. For me it is about balance, as is so much in life.

3-To show anywhere, you need “stuff.”  That is you need a way to display your work.  I bought some cheap display grids at Amazon to hang framed pieces and some cradles to hold loose prints.   Not quite as professional as “Propanels, but you get what you pay for. If you are displaying your images outside, you  need a tent with weights to keep it from blowing away.  So I am starting out by trying to show in an environment where the tent is provided (by my local Park City Professional Artists Association). 

4-You need inventory.  Fortunately I have my trusty Epson P800 printer so I loaded it up with my favorite Ink Jet Art paper and started printing work that I like.  I also had a couple of items printed professionally on metal and canvas for larger sizes and I have prints on my walls that hopefully may find a new home.  Of course, even loose prints need to present well, so I bought precut mattes and sleeves. I organized those things and staged it in my garage, marking off my 10x10 space with blue painters tape. 

I took that first step, showed my photos at the nearly weekly (during the summer) Park Silly Market on July 14.

Stay tuned for part II of “Getting Out There.” 

Thanks for stopping by.