Pricing of fine art landscape photography

I have a artshow coming up and a few people that want ot by my photos.

But I don't know what to charge. I have a epson 1280 that gets me

great prints as large as 19x13 inches. Please tell me what is the

average price for work like mine. sizes 8x10, 11x14 and 19x13. Thanks

so much for your help. Please look at my gallery if you want a better

look at my potential.

<a href="http://www.keithlaban.co.uk">Keith Laban Photography</a><p>Jon-Michael, I'm sorry if the following sounds rather negative but I think you need to reconsider what you are selling. An essential quality of any print offered for sale is the expected lifespan. It is not unreasonable for a buyer to expect that a print will last at least as long as they do. Unfortunately dye based prints from the 1280 will have a limited lifespan and this would need to be made clear to the potential purchaser and allowances made for this when pricing. Better still would be to consider changing your printer and to offer pigment prints which have better archival qualities.

You have some very nice pictures, Jon-Michael.

 

I don't know if this will help, but a landscape photographer here has been selling his pictures using a type of auction. He displays them in a popular restaurant and there's a box for people to drop bids into. I understand that he has been very successful with this.

 

Good luck with your endeavours.

Nice work. I agree with the above response. I make sure that my work is produced using archival quality materials. This includes matting, tape, using a professional custom lab etc. I am primarily a portrait photographer, so I am not able to comment on specific prices for your type of art, but I believe that people are willing to pay more if they know what sets your work apart. In my case, I educate my clients about archival quality and the proper display of their art work and I haven't had any complaints about pricing. Everyone that purchases a wall portrait gets an info sheet stating that the quality of their art pieces can be adversly affected by displaying them in direct sun, excess heat, humidity, smoke or other pollutants, etc.. When they realize why they are paying a little more, so that their precious portraits won't turn yellow because a lesser quality tape, mats, or printing process was used they will thank you and pay for it without blinking an eye.

Those are some good points. I think I will take them serously and try and get some stuff printed professionally. But could someone please just give me a ball park figure for a 13x19 inch photograph(no frame, just matted) I was thinking maybe 50 to 75 dollars. Maybe more.

I think that $75-$125 sounds better. $75 for an 8x10, $100 for 11x14, and $125 for a 19x13. That is what I would charge, but again I haven't sold this type of work. I charge $100 for an 11x14 portrait that is mounted on double weight matboard and sprayed, no frame and no mat included in that price. I charge $180 for a 16x20 that is mounted on masonite and sprayed, again mo mat or frame included. So, that is my best advice. Hopefully someone more qualified to answer this question will respond soon. ;)

Here's how one seller sets his prices:

 

http://luminous-landscape.com/essays/selling.shtml

 

My personal approach is in this thread, and quoted below:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00FU7V

 

"As a beginner seller, my "formula" for print pricing (other image use would be very different) is based on:

 

- how similar works are priced.

 

- who I would like to own my work.

 

- how I can at least recoup some material cost.

 

- they can never pay for my time.

 

- it is easier to raise than to lower my prices if there should be a high demand for my work."

I can speak only for myself. I charge $100 for a 6X9 (or 7-1/2X10) print, double-matted in an 11X14 frame. I picked that price point because that's what people seemed to be comfortable paying.

 

I sell most of my work to friends or from coffee shop walls. When the print price was $125, I didn't sell as many prints. I might sell more prints at a lower price, but I figure a hundred bucks covers my time to mount, mat, and frame, and the cost of the print itself.

 

I live and work in Silicon Valley, so prices for everything here are higher than elsewhere, which might be a factor.

 

<Chas>

 

Everything in the frame must contribute to the picture.

In order to give you any kind of reasonable advise on pricing we need to know your cost.

What does it cost you for 1 - 13x19 print. (Paper cost per sheet, ink cost per 13x19 sheet

if you get your supplies on line factor in the shipping cost per sheet, if you buy them

locally factor in your cost to drive to and from the store to purchase them. How much do

your matts cost? Frames? Other expenses? Travel...? You must know the answers to

these questions before you start to throw prices around. What is your total cost for your

13x19?

What I heard time and time again when I was asking the same questions was this: Price your products so people perceive them as having value. Price something with a bargain store price and people will see your work that way. Price them high, and people perceive value. Sounds strange, but it works. My income soared when I more than doubled my prices.