Print Pricing

I was at a art/photography exhibit last week. One photographer had
approximately 30 prints on display. The prints were each framed in a plain
black metal frame, that was probably 20x30" with white mattes. The prints
themselves were likely 7x12" or fairly close to that. The opening in the
matte was above center vertically with the prints in landscape orientation.
Some of the prints were pretty good others not so great. Several were
obvious PS creations others not so obvious, but composites nevertheless
(like a flying heron added to a dark swampy background). The print quality
was good on all the images. The price on all the images was $380 each. Does
that sound like a reasonable price? I have no idea how many of the images
sold. My guess on the materials and printing costs for the prints, matte and
frames with glass is around $60-$70 each if done locally.

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com

On May 2, 2:40 pm, "Eric Miller"
wrote:
I was at a art/photography exhibit last week. One photographer had
approximately 30 prints on display. The prints were each framed in a plain
black metal frame, that was probably 20x30" with white mattes. The prints
themselves were likely 7x12" or fairly close to that. The opening in the
matte was above center vertically with the prints in landscape orientation.
Some of the prints were pretty good others not so great. Several were
obvious PS creations others not so obvious, but composites nevertheless
(like a flying heron added to a dark swampy background). The print quality
was good on all the images. The price on all the images was $380 each. Does
that sound like a reasonable price? I have no idea how many of the images
sold. My guess on the materials and printing costs for the prints, matte and
frames with glass is around $60-$70 each if done locally.

Eric Millerwww.dyesscreek.com

It does sound reasonable. The $60 - $70 pricing is for framing
materials if bought through the internet.
(www.lightimpressionsdirect.com) Then you have to either figure in
labor at the framing shop or of the photographer. Then you add in the
costs of printing, transportation of finished prints and the costs of
display.
I would have framed that size print in a smaller size. But then that
is me. Today it seems to be in vouge to have small prints in huge,
matted frames. Would love to sell some 4X6 prints, overmatted in 30x40
frames. But naw. Too freaking much work.


Draco

Eric Miller wrote:
I was at a art/photography exhibit last week. One photographer had
approximately 30 prints on display. The prints were each framed in a plain
black metal frame, that was probably 20x30" with white mattes. The prints
themselves were likely 7x12" or fairly close to that. The opening in the
matte was above center vertically with the prints in landscape orientation.
Some of the prints were pretty good others not so great. Several were
obvious PS creations others not so obvious, but composites nevertheless
(like a flying heron added to a dark swampy background). The print quality
was good on all the images. The price on all the images was $380 each. Does
that sound like a reasonable price? I have no idea how many of the images
sold. My guess on the materials and printing costs for the prints, matte and
frames with glass is around $60-$70 each if done locally.

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com



According to one of my instructors, if you're going to sell prints, and
want to stay in business, your selling price should be 4 to 7 times your
costs.

"Pudentame" wrote in message
...
Eric Miller wrote:
I was at a art/photography exhibit last week. One photographer had
approximately 30 prints on display. The prints were each framed in a
plain black metal frame, that was probably 20x30" with white mattes. The
prints themselves were likely 7x12" or fairly close to that. The opening
in the matte was above center vertically with the prints in landscape
orientation. Some of the prints were pretty good others not so great.
Several were obvious PS creations others not so obvious, but composites
nevertheless (like a flying heron added to a dark swampy background). The
print quality was good on all the images. The price on all the images was
$380 each. Does that sound like a reasonable price? I have no idea how
many of the images sold. My guess on the materials and printing costs for
the prints, matte and frames with glass is around $60-$70 each if done
locally.

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com

According to one of my instructors, if you're going to sell prints, and
want to stay in business, your selling price should be 4 to 7 times your
costs.

Well, that is definitely in keeping with my estimation of the photographer's
costs. Did your instructor elaborate on his math? I don't doubt it, I'm just
curious about the rationale.

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com

"Eric Miller" wrote
"Pudentame" wrote in message
According to one of my instructors, if you're going to sell prints, and
want to stay in business, your selling price should be 4 to 7 times your
costs.

Well, that is definitely in keeping with my estimation of the
photographer's costs. Did your instructor elaborate on his math? I don't
doubt it, I'm just curious about the rationale.

Moderate volume manufactured products
sold without retail distribution nominally sell
at 3x the unburdened direct production
cost.

A mark-up of 4x to 7x over printing & framing
costs sounds very reasonable: the one-time
costs for making a print - taking the photograph
and 'designing' the printing process/photoshopping
- are high; and the production volume is low.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters
http://www.darkroomautomation.com/index.htm
n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com

Nicholas O. Lindan spake thus:

Moderate volume manufactured products
sold without retail distribution nominally sell
at 3x the unburdened direct production
cost.

OK, I'll bite: what does "unburdened" mean in this context?

(Obviously, IANAE.)


--
Any system of knowledge that is capable of listing films in order
of use of the word "****" is incapable of writing a good summary
and analysis of the Philippine-American War. And vice-versa.
This is an inviolable rule.

- Matthew White, referring to Wikipedia on his WikiWatch site
(http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wikiwoo.htm)

Eric Miller wrote:
"Pudentame" wrote in message
...
Eric Miller wrote:
I was at a art/photography exhibit last week. One photographer had
approximately 30 prints on display. The prints were each framed in a
plain black metal frame, that was probably 20x30" with white mattes. The
prints themselves were likely 7x12" or fairly close to that. The opening
in the matte was above center vertically with the prints in landscape
orientation. Some of the prints were pretty good others not so great.
Several were obvious PS creations others not so obvious, but composites
nevertheless (like a flying heron added to a dark swampy background). The
print quality was good on all the images. The price on all the images was
$380 each. Does that sound like a reasonable price? I have no idea how
many of the images sold. My guess on the materials and printing costs for
the prints, matte and frames with glass is around $60-$70 each if done
locally.

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com
According to one of my instructors, if you're going to sell prints, and
want to stay in business, your selling price should be 4 to 7 times your
costs.

Well, that is definitely in keeping with my estimation of the photographer's
costs. Did your instructor elaborate on his math? I don't doubt it, I'm just
curious about the rationale.

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com



He was my portrait photography instructor, and made his actual living
photographing people and selling them prints.

His course was very good on portrait lighting, composition, exposure and
such, but even better on how to set up sessions, how to set client
expectations, and how to evaluate client needs so you could keep them
coming back. He says the real money is in the repeat business.

He'd been doing it a while, now doing family portraits and such for the
grand-children of his original clients. I think he was just calling on
his own experience in the business. Basically, you've got to pay for the
overhead, the indirect costs of a business (fixed costs?), and pay
yourself.

I figured his numbers reflected what he'd found worked to make a
successful business.

It came out as an aside during a lesson about what to tell a client
about how they should dress for a shoot, i.e. not to wear anything too
revealing or risqué, and what to tell a family to wear for a group portrait.

He also had a lot to say about joining professional associations,
getting certifications and entering print competitions as a way of
building your skills and your networks.