The #1 Reason Photographers Can’t Sell Prints

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[RanftEvan]

Prints featured in this video are currently on EvanRanft.com

[thisisme]

An artist told me a quote by Picasso: “A painter paints what buyers wants, an artist paints what he wants”

[Stormbessed]

What you’re saying makes perfect sense but I find it sad that the art you’re proudest of won’t sell. I volunteer buy your most artistic prints… er… print… broke college student vibes

[fruitygranulizer]

as a music producer, this hits hard.

i've seen plenty of extremely talented producers make shit that takes months to sound design, arrange, mix and master, and the final product is such an artistic display of skill

yet the producers that make the simplest beats that any 13 year old on a laptop can make, they sell more simply because theres a wider audience for simple beats (easier to rap on)

[nicerides]

You got to remember people are imagining what it looks like as part of their décor rather than a photographic masterpiece. Plus minimalistic photos look good even at a distance and are pretty popular.

[ronaldmcyr]

I agree. After retirement I rekindled my interest in photography. With time, travel and good gear, I captured some great landscape and macro shots. Before the pandemic, I bought a display tent and paraphernalia and tried to sell my works printed on various media including aluminum. After a dozen Art Fairs, I barely sold enough to cover the booth fees, much less the capital investment in gear and product. Looking at more established exhibitors who seemed more successful, I thought most of their work was over-processed and over-saturated --definitely not my taste, but obviously more popular. I now have boxes of unsold prints and am glad I don't have to make a living at this.

[davidbelgrave]

Nobody ever lost money underestimating the taste of the general public.

[cbcphotography]

Agree, even in photo contest. Usually, in our club competition, sunset will always make it in the top 10. 😊

[fishbarbeque]

THISH IS SO TRUE
When I started selling sculptures I made what I wanted as a passion, but soon realized its not about you but its about your buyers, it takes so of the fun out of it, but money matters!

[KEVINRICHARDS]

I truly believe that. I look at what photos people are hanging up their houses and offices.

[derekmeccaphoto]

Evan would love an updated tutorial for 2022/23 for discovering what sells in an area, how to license digital copies, the best methods for printing and marketing/seo for the content.

[tdawg]

This is so true. I have a few prints that are cool images to see on Instagram but after I printed them I realized “who is going to want this in their house”

I think the play is to find a couple great images and just focus on selling those. Don’t try to have 30 different prints, try to have 3 that sell like crazy.

It’s hard because as artist it’s very enjoyable to see our work come to life.

[T_Black]

I opened up my online print shop this year and this is SO TRUE! The most basic ones sell the most. Landscape/Cityscape/Landmark images are my best sellers.

[johncoupe]

this is very true. simplicity is always the key to anything!!!! great video

[carolynparr]

Highly agreed! Another issue is that many photographers attempt selling on one platform, rather than several. When I was first on SmugMug my sales rolled in very slowly. Then I opened up shop on Pixieset, Pic-Time and Etsy, and sales were a whole lot higher.

[vspatmx]

Priceless
Priceless
Priceless.
You rock

[SourPlanet]

But how do you ascertain what viewers like? Polling? Swapping out regularly and keeping performing prints? Social media performance seems unlikely to correlate, as prints vs posts are totally different audience for the most part. Seems minimal prints are a good go-to, as people use them for a larger design goal so detail is often unhelpful. Would love to know more info from your experience 🙏

[FireStartersYG]

What tips do you have when it comes to printing? Who do you print through? Paper quality? Are you a fan of prints on metal?

[mobeefus]

“It’s not what you want. It’s the consuuumer.”
Joe Dirt.

[kophotograph]

Thats why I don't want to sell my work. I would have to change my photography and likely to a style, that I don't like. Whats the point of taking photos that I personally would not hang on my wall?