Colour Your Worlde

Pricing your art can be tricky at best. Many of our customers struggle to find their place in the market, and not price themselves out of business before they even get started. Until you are an well known photographer with celebrity clientele, like Peter Lik, commanding and actually selling your work for a hefty price may be hard to achieve. That doesn't mean you have to sell your work at rock bottom Costco prices either. So, where do you fall in between?

The Photoshelter blog has some advise for you. In their article - The Price of Prints: Part 2: How to Avoid Pricing Yourself Out of Business - they interviewed professional photographer Dean Oros who lists what to consider when pricing your prints.

1. Always, our cost of doing business.
2. Proof or a polished image.
3. Media: type of paper, canvas, greeting card etc.
4. Type of photo session / event that was the cause of the image to be produced in the first place. Or, for example, is it a stock image we created at our expense where we offer generic prints, or a limited edition fine art print.
5. We often do not include high-res digital files (for consumer clients). Unless they're well-versed in color profiles, etc., most consumers will take those digital files to a local consumer lab to have inexpensive prints made which they in turn will share with their friends and family. Your image will never look as you intended by doing this. Handling the printing yourself will ensure you have control over the print process, and will ensure your client receives the best quality for the type of print they've ordered.

As printers, we couldn't agree with #5 enough. When selecting a print company it is important to make sure they keep up with calibrating their equipment and quality assure output for consistent color. Setting the right price for your prints also means that you can proudly put your name on that print. Maintaining control of your work from start to finish will reinforce that confidence.