Re: Selling Stock Photography What is art?

8:57 PM |

If you are a landscape photographer, go to this site.

http://www.andrisapse.com/

I met Andris a few times and we talked about just this subject.

An old Chinese tale say, if you are to create beautiful art it is the many details that you must pay most attention to.

First, you must find the places that can give you the landscape. For me personally, this is the back blocks of China especially, then Asia, Australia, New Zealand, North and eastern Africa, Pacific Islands, Scandinavia and Russia. Of course, there are many more. Have you tried your own back yard.

Every photo must convey a mood and message. Andris travels around, when he see what could be a good shot, he takes his time, maybe days, to poke around, take some shots, trying to imagine what it would like in certain light conditions, time of the year, weather, etc, and notes down the potential camera positions using a GPS. He figures out where the sun may be at a certain day, and what the weather may be, and the light conditions. Then he returns, maybe months later, and wait in the moment. Forest, trees, lakes and mountains does not move around much, what changes is the conditions, light, and weather. You have to catch the moment. That creates the art.

Then he put some of the work on the web, publish books, limited edition prints, unlimited prints, and do all kinds of other related work as lectures, and consulting work.

Andris also has a distinct name, if your name is Norma Jean, change it to something like Marilyn Monroe. You understand what I mean.

Then it is a matter of quality, as the buyer perceives it, time and work. Andris is from Latvia, came to New Zealand when he was six years old, and started photography when he was 40, and it took about 20 years to reach fame, so don't be in a hurry.

I think this is a good example of one way how to succeed in photography.

On 21-Jan-2012 12:02 PM, d d wrote:

[Soapbox On]

Isn't this a little like posting 50 images on a stock site and complaining that nothing is selling?

I do get the whole question on what's fine art, but people in that genre have the same passion for getting every detail correct. Hell when I shoot those macro shots every speck of dust looks like a snowball. So yes I'm just as concerned with the final product as you may be. Do I need a MUA? Not if I'm shooting food and not if I can hire a full team. But I can't afford to do that and then sell them through stock sites.

The reason I joined this discussion in the first place was to get advice and try to figure out what if anything is selling in the stock market. So far Brian seems to be offering the most help on that topic. Telling me you sold an image for xyz without context provides no value in this conversation.

I've also sold images for a good profit as well, but the price and demand is not consistent (all 200+ photographers) and the site I do business with is slowing down. On that site clipart seems to be more popular right now.

I'm looking for advice on the do's and don'ts and what to look out for. What made you successful and what are your clients looking for? If its lifestyle and I'm a landscape guy, maybe I need to concentrate on fine art. If you're selling $1,000 images 4-10 times a month I would like to know what type of stock sites your dealing with? Are they genre specific? Is this a new trend you're seeing?

[Soapbox Off]

Thank you

From: angiephotographer <angieknostphoto@hotmail.com>
To: selling_stock_photography@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 5:14 PM
Subject: Selling Stock Photography What is art?

This talk about what is art and what isn't reminds me of a kind of off topic story I will share...

I did one art show in my life. Didn't sell anything. The photos I presented were mainly of rock musicians performing or 'rocker lifestyle' type of subjects.

The exhibitor next to me was presenting his black and white, out of focus pictures of women bound, gagged and tied up. He looked over and sneered at me, and I heard him comment out loud to someone, while clearly looking my way, that "Some of this crap here isn't even art"....

Make what you will of that story. Carry on....