wogears Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john tonai Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <p>He knows how to market himself</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka_nissila Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_shearman1 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJHingel Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Desmond Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <blockquote> <p>Am I envious? Of course; who isn't?</p> </blockquote> <p>I'm not. I'd go nuts if I spent time being envious of other people's riches or success.</p> We didn't need dialogue. We had faces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanford Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <p>My hope is that someday someone will say about me: "he has more money than brains".</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan2240 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wogears Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karim Ghantous Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Some say it's shenanigans, hype, not a genuine confirmed sale. And some say the collector already wants his money back because Lik didn't include the calendar, coffee mug and tote bag with the same photo on each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Taylor Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 <p>Good on him.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 What Ian said. Nice to see hard work over a long period of time handsomely rewarded. www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 "Peter Lik Photo Sells for 6.5 Million. How?" Lik is obviously a very good businessman as well as a fine photographer, and he obviously has a very devoted, very wealthy fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanKlein Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <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> Flickr gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_6502147 Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <p>Ha. I think it might be someone here on this forum, who indicated that there are plenty of wonderful opportunities for photos....on the way to the icons. That reflects my mo.</p> <p>Les</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray House Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <p>I am not in it for the money, but I wish I were as good a photographer as Peter Lik. My congratulations to him.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonjb Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <p>I think it is fantastic that a collector would pay that much for a photograph. I do not have to wish that it were another photo by another photographer, nor am I envious.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelChang Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <p>$6.5M buys about 365 lbs of gold at today's prices ($1221 per Troy ounce). </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Cavan Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <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> Dave Cavan https://davecavanphotographics.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wouter Willemse Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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