Someone wants to buy my photo, what to do?

[Irie Times]

Well I have someone that saw this picture that would like to purchase it from me framed for his home. he is an aquantance of my dads that saw it on his work computer. I had sent it ot my dad because i thought it looked kinda cool since it was a total mistake. I was taking pictures of a cresent moon and was just metering this without a tripod.

So my question is, what do you think of the picture and what color of frame would you use, or would you sell the picture and have him pick it out.

I was thinking $100 for the picuture, is that out of line?

Anyway this might not be the best forum for this question but i figured i had to start somewhere.

Thanks in advance.

[mjs1973]

This may be more suited for the Business forum, but here are my thoughts, and some questions.

When it comes to matting and framing my photos, I keep it simple. Black metal frames with a white matte. I frame my stuff for art fairs, and display in galleries, and I like the simple look, and I don't worry about the frame/matte distracting the viewers attention from the photo. If I were framing the piece for my house, I may choose something different to match the room better. If someone sees a print they want to buy that isn't framed, I will sell it to them in a matte and let them take it someplace to have it framed. There are too many options for me to deal with, so I recommend a local framer instead.

As far as price goes, it really depends on what you have invested, and what you want to make for profit and your market. What size print are you going to make? How much is the frame and matte? Once you figure that out you can figure in something for your time, and equipment.

My general rule of thumb is to determine what I have invested in the print, frame and matte, and then either triple or quadruple it. This may or may not work for you, but I have found it gives me a good place to start.

[pafindr]

I would add a copyright to the picture stating that it can't be used or reprinted without your permission.

[Hodgy]

since no-one answered I'll give it a stab. I would blow it up, masonite mount & laminate, and frame it. Find out where he want's to hang it in his house, find out the color of the wall and get a complimentary frame. Images look much better when they are framed, so when he see's the image framed it will have that much more impact. Now, as far as price goes, that depends on you. How big is it, how much does it cost, how much is the total cost, and how much do you want to sell it for. I don't know where you are in your photography and how comfortable you are at accepting $ for your images. You charge as much as you want that makes you feel comfortable and happy.

[icicle]

It is worth whatever amount that he is willing to pay for it?
yes you could get a $100 for it, or you could sell it for $15 only the person who wants it is going to dish out the money for it.
just my .02 worth.

Btw, looks unique.

[Don Schaeffer]

Just congratulations. Don't let the frame cost more than the photo. You can buy bery nice framed for $35. Just sign it.

[Irie Times]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, your coments really made me think about what to do and realize there is quite a bit to address.

So,
I gave the guy a call last night and basically said i have not sold any photo's and am not sure of what frame to use or what price to charge. You know, when all else fails honesty sometimes works in your favor.

Anyway, he invited me to come over and we could pick the size that would best fit the wall he is putting it on, most likely around 16x24, and the frame and matt color. He also said he would tell me what he had purchased some of his other prints for and let me decide a fair price. (Kinda wierd thinking this photo mistake will be hanging in someones house!)

Well one new years resolution down! I had 3 resolutions this year and one was to sell or publish a print. Hopefully, this will give me a bit of confidence to get more out there.

[GB1]

My opin:

It's a nice shot and I can see why he wants it. I like that he is inviting you over to help decide the framing. Not knowing his home arrangement I would go with a simple, minimalist/contemporary frame and maybe a matte too. Try a white matte and a thin(ish) black frame.

Personally, I would definitely NOT sign it or but any copyright info on it. To me this ruins the image. If you do matte it, perhaps you can sign the matte in the bottom right corner. At the same time, if you did sign it, the bottom right is somewhat void of anything and would be a perfect place for your sig in white ink (and try not to screw it up when u sign it cause you only have one shot. Or sign a test sheet, scan it, and digitally lay it atop that area).

Cost wise I would go from 1.5x to 2 times my cost of the print, then for cost with the frame and matte. This is fair, but you decide. You may want to negotiate a bit lower for your first sale. the guy sounds cool about it, see what he says

G

[Photo-John]

First of all - pay attention to mistakes. They are learning opportunities. In this case, you got something very cool and you should be proud. No need to feel weird. Scientists and artists should both always be prepared to learn from and embrace mistakes. In fact, when my photography gets too controlled, I make an effort to loosen it up and make room for mistakes. Because I know they can be the source of inspiration.

As for selling the photo - don't sell yourself short. A 16-24 print could sell for anywhere from $10 to thousands. $100 sounds reasonable if you've never sold anything before. If the customer has loads of cash, go for $200. Leave the framing up to the customer. Charge for the print only. Personally, I hate dealing with framing. Sign the print on the back with an archival pen or pencil. You can sign on the matte too, if you want. But the back of the print is standard. Or you can also get it printed with big white borders and sign on the white, where the matter will cover it.

Oh yeah - congratulations

[Irie Times]

Thanks all for responding, you have been very helpful as always!

[brmill26]

I would add a copyright to the picture stating that it can't be used or reprinted without your permission.

I would never do this on an art print you're selling to a client. The risk of someone duplicating from a large print is almost zero because there simply isn't a reasonable way to do it with any quality. And really the same goes for any print. Copyright notices are most important when it comes to electronic files and publications.

That said, I think it's a great idea to sign (legibly) or print your name on the back, and the year. That way, years from now, the customer knows who shot the photo and when.

And $100 sounds like a fair price for a larger print. I too hate framing and avoid it if at all possible, but the classic white matte and black frame are very hard to beat, especially considering your black and white shot.

[mjs1973]

I sign all of my prints, but only on the matte, not the print itself. I also designed and ordered address labels with my name and contact info on them. I stick one of those on the back of the image. Since all of my photos are attached to matte board, the label goes on the matte board, not the print itself. It's an inexpensive way to add your contact info to the photo.