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Peter Lik Photo Sells for 6.5 Million. How?


wogears

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<p>Oh why can't I get a bigger ego? Seems to be all it takes <a href="http://petapixel.com/2014/12/10/peter-lik-print-sells-6-5-million-shattering-record-expensive-photo/">in this case</a>. For God's sake, it's a picture of Antelope Freaking Canyon! The are only a couple million such in existence. Am I envious? Of course; who isn't? Swagger around, show off your big, uh, <em>tripod</em> and there you go. Okay, Lik is technically competent, and knows how to get the looks-good-in-a-thumbnail super saturated colors. Not knocking this at all, but really--more than Adams or HCB or McCurry (who at least took <em>real</em> risks) or Gene Smith or Joel Meyerowitz?</p>
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Do your pictures of Antelope Canyon also happen to have a human shaped ghost in the beam of light? What about the management of

contrast? I think it is handled beautifully in this image. No screaming colour in this one, either, why would you mention

super saturated color when the image in question is black and white? I think the spiritual mood of the place is better conveyed in Lik's image than others that I've seen that mostly show its colour.

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<p>That is an interesting image, but as John points out, Lik knows how to market himself. I have been to his stores at the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and downtown Sydney. They are nicely done to attract customers, although most of them spend probably hundreds or thousands, not millions.</p>
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<p>Peter Lik is the Steve Irwin of photography. He's the Crocodile Hunter of Light. If light doesn't behave he'll jam a finger up its bum, duct tape its jaws shut, hogtie it and transport that damned light to a better location. Then he'll dangle his baby over the light and feed it live chickens.</p>
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<p>"How?"<br /><br />Because there are people out there with more money than brains.<br /><br />You could argue that $6.5 million for a Rembrandt or Van Gogh might be an "investment" because there's an established market for them, they are iconic names and original paintings are one of a kind works. But for a photograph by a photographer I never heard of before today, there's no guarantee the buyer would ever be able to get his money back if he sold it someday let alone make a profit. Hope he likes looking at it on his wall.</p>
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<p>Craig, you might not have heard of him before (me neither !) but the guy has sold for some $200 mill worth of prints up till now. He is all by himself an "established marked". 20 "art" galleries worldwide work for him. Investing in his prints might be a good investment if you have brains for that sort of thing.</p>

 

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<p>Didn't some soul just post the other day about photography never being art and not selling for the same kinds of prices as 'real' art?</p>

<p>This whole thing is just a natural consequence of some very small percentage of people controlling most of the world's wealth. <br>

If you have to ask how much it is, you can't afford it.</p>

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<p>The value of any art is completely dictated by the price the highest bidder is willing to pay. Why this piece would fetch 6.5 million when a similar might fetch $6.50 is beyond me, but as others have said, it's all about marketing and business sense.</p>

<p>I once knew a guy who made a particular style of rocking chair. He got tired of making them, so doubled the price to decrease demand. It had the opposite effect. People will think your art is worth whatever you say it is.</p>

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<p><strong>Ilkka Nissila: </strong>Do your pictures of Antelope Canyon also happen to have a human shaped ghost in the beam of light?</p>

<p>No, but<a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3061/3071705869_7d6a98bb2c.jpg"> this one</a> has a sort of human figure in it, AND it doesn't look like an x-ray of a female pelvic region, which Lik's does. :)</p>

<p><strong>EDIT: </strong>Also check <a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/bd/67/71/bd6771a38cd87949442fc70673c868d8.jpg">this one</a>, which really DOES resemble Lik's shot.</p>

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<p>These things are never easy to understand. I have seen art that has sold for millions but is worth nothing and says nothing. I have seen the most magnificent art sell for mere tens of thousands. This photo is definitely a great photo. No doubt about that. But here is the acid test: must you have a print? If not, then you miss nothing. If you had the money would you buy it?</p>

<p>Lik is an excellent photographer, without any doubt at all. He has been taking photos for quite a while, so he did not come from nowhere. I have a book of his photos (<em>Australia: Images of a Timeless Land</em>) and it cost me $5 from an op-shop, which was very cheap indeed. I definitely got my money's worth, no question. In fact I'm going to look through it again.</p>

<p>I see photography in as pure a sense as possible: the whole point about it is reproduction (and technical objectivity). If anyone wanted a nice print from my photos I'd happily oblige them for the cost of the print plus postage plus one hour of my time. I suppose limited editions make life easier for the photographer but they go against the nature of photography, IMO.</p>

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<p>I saw his store in Honolulu and he obviously knows how to market. They're beautiful and expensive. Does he generate the sales to cover the cost? </p>

<p>So, I wonder whether this was just an investor with him trying to get him more notoriety and raising the stakes for his work that he will sell in the future- all at higher prices of course. Now everyone will know of him and collectors will be willing to pay a lot more than they have had in the past. Reminds me of three card Monte or the shell game on a NYC street where the shill lures in the unsuspecting marks by winning some games and making it seem so easy.</p>

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<p>It is a very unusual image and much better in the black and white version in my opinion. I cannot answer whether it's worth 6.5 million as the value of contemporary artworks are impossible to predict. His style generally seems to be hypersaturated landscapes, but I am sure he works very hard to obtain them. Yes, I am envious! I also feel vaguely encouraged that someone actually will pay that much for a photo and of a slot canyon too - surely one of the most clichéd locations known to photographers.</p>
Robin Smith
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<p>When we're in Vegas we usually drop by the Peter Lik gallery, and if you have been keeping tabs he is moving somewhat away from the highly-saturated natural landscapes into more detailed shots, often in B&W, and not always of natural objects. One of the people at the gallery told us that collectors had suggested this move and he is responding to that. I'm envious of his devotion and salesmanship, but not at all envious of his success. Good for him.</p>
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<p>Every time a photo gets sold for big bucks, there is a thread with snarky remarks about the (qualities of the) image, the silliness of the amount, how it's all not worth it and so on. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless">Not a p.net-only problem by any means</a>, by the way.<br />At the same time, we all like to see acknowledged that a good photo takes a bit more than just pushing a button and silly luck, and that photography is a proper art-form and form of creative expression. Well, if it's art, it plays art's rules: most work goes forgotten, unpaid or for pennies, and some works go for the big, big amounts of money.</p>
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