Serious Question for 2008

Sam

This question is directed to anyone who has a Smugmug, or other on line photo hosting account with fulfillment options.

My question specifically deals with landscape, still, life, anything you might hang on your wall. Please exclude event type photos, and portraits.

I would to find out how many of you have made " fine art type" sales from your on line presence to people who you didn't know.

Please! If you have an account and offer fine art prints post your results. I would like to generate some real world data.

Maybe something like "I have had 3000 hits in in 2007, and sold 6 8X10's.

I realize that one must market themselves etc, etc,

This is just to see if there is any amount of purchasing from random people surfing the Internet.

I will keep my thoughts and expectations to myself until the responses are in.

PLEASE!!! If you stop and read this and have an account, post your results, even if it's a short, "NONE".

If I don't get a lot of responses, (data), I will be forced to eat worms, and I hates worms, they're gag slimy, and waggly.

Thank you,

Sam

Tommyboy

I have made no attempt to market my photos and have had predictable sales results.

JenGrace

I don't have a 'buy prints' option enabled. I have had some friends show interest in buying, but I haven't marketed at all.

Osprey

no sale

Sam wrote:

This question is directed to anyone who has a Smugmug, or other on line photo hosting account with fulfillment options.

My question specifically deals with landscape, still, life, anything you might hang on your wall. Please exclude event type photos, and portraits.

I would to find out how many of you have made " fine art type" sales from your on line presence to people who you didn't know.

Please! If you have an account and offer fine art prints post your results. I would like to generate some real world data.

Maybe something like "I have had 3000 hits in in 2007, and sold 6 8X10's.

I realize that one must market themselves etc, etc,

This is just to see if there is any amount of purchasing from random people surfing the Internet.

I will keep my thoughts and expectations to myself until the responses are in.

PLEASE!!! If you stop and read this and have an account, post your results, even if it's a short, "NONE".

If I don't get a lot of responses, (data), I will be forced to eat worms, and I hates worms, they're gag slimy, and waggly.

Thank you,

Sam

I have made no extra effort, but have not sold any to anyone I don't know.
If I know them I usually give them a free print and feel honored

Roger

gus

.

SloYerRoll

Sorry Sam. I've sold "wall art" but it's been to family and freinds. So no clever marketing happened that can help.
I just don't want to see you eat worms!

Elaine

Only sold to people I know, but have made no attempts at marketing myself.

ShepsMom

Nothing here, i don't market, but i had someone i know interested in one of the prints. I hope she'll buy the darn thing.

Icebear

Opportunity
Well, depending on the price, I might pay for a "fine art print" of Sam eating worms.

Nikolai

Here ya go, Sam
Mine is not at all "representative" since I don't push the online sales and rather charge for time. However, some people still like my work and occasionally purchase a picture or two.
During the year 2007 my site (www.photosocal.com) go about 300,000 hits and brought me about - drum, lol - oh whole $300 (I'd say half of those were just a few large -size prints).

HTH

pics-ell

minimal marketing. no sales of wall art. if you're going to eat worms, at least down some cheap tequila first!

Dee

I'm ready
to come take your photo eating worms! :-)

Haven't marketed, no sales. All my photos are web size only at this point. I'm considering changing my ways this year as I am selling some photos as stamps and cards (on Zazzle). I have no idea how to market myself though. The first step is to find, post process and upload pictures though, right?

Hey, I remember our conversation from the party and I'm trying some new f-stops out. Unfortunately my landscape moves, as it's the ocean and a lot of what you advised just won't work in that situation.

Richard

One of the things I liked about Smugmug from the beginning was that it let me disable the buy option altogether. I wanted to share my stuff with friends but didn't want to give the impression I was hustling pics.

I still have it disabled mostly because I don't think anyone would want to buy them. In thinking about it, though, there's another reason. I would never buy an art print online myself. If I can't see the actual printed version (real size, real paper, real ink) I wouldn't know for sure whether I would want it on my wall. Just a thought.

kml

I have spent no money on marketing - just the free directory submissions and word of mouth - and not as much of that as I should be doing. I have sold 5 images since April - 2 to family, and 3 to unknowns. Interested in hearing what you come up with.

ArchiTexas

Sam,
The only images I sell are wall art. However, none of these sales have come via the internet. In fact, I only just set up a second Smugmug site this holiday break - this one is dedicated to my images. All of my sales have come through interior designers specifying my work, or architects, business owners, etc., purchasing it directly from me. Some sales have come via a request for a proposal for art. I have yet to make a sale that didn't come about through some sort of personal contact with the buyer, even if via a third party. I hope that this will change in the future. I've begun to include the URL to my site in small print directly under my signature. In this way (I hope) those that see the work and are interested in it may have a way to easily contact me. My hope is that installations in public locations may yield some residual business at my site. I'll see if this pans out in the coming months. I doubt that random internet visitors will ever account for many, if any, of my sales.

rgds,
ERF

W.W. Webster

Sam wrote:

I would (?) to find out how many of you have made " fine art type" sales from your on line presence to people who you didn't know ... If you stop and read this and have an account, post your results, even if it's a short, "NONE".

None, but like many others, I don't try (or want) to make sales. I take the view that amongst the (literally) millions of photographers around the globe who think their work is good enough to sell in competition with others, mine would never stand a chance!

However, presuming that behind your question is an aspiration to sell your work, I was prompted to take a quick look at your site (at least, I think it was yours - sam.smugmug.com?). I noticed the galleries there don't appear to be organised by category but are just spread around the front page. I doubt that casual visitors who found their way to the site would have the perseverance to sift through a lot of family stuff to find any 'fine art' images that might be for sale.

If I was wanting to derive income from my photos, I would try to make it as easy and attractive as possible for someone who arrived at the door to want to come in and then to find their way around. There are some excellent 'commercial' sites at SmugMug that can serve as examples to adapt for your own purposes.

bkatz

Sam -

I have a copy I can send you of "How to eat fried worms" in case you need it.

I do sports photography (I know, I know, an event ) but I keep shooting Landscapes, Critters and Natures because I enjoy them which I have started putting up. Some of the folk who are looking at the sports stuff wander over every now and then (Been online for only 3 months) and I have 1 sale of an 8x10.

Cheers and looking forward to the worm eating...

Julia

Registering my view. Even though the worm consumption has already occurred...

Since having my site with SmugMug since I think either April or May, just starting to get myself off the ground, I've sold one 8x10 print to a complete and total unrelated-to-anything stranger strictly from wandering into my site via Google.

No marketing other than word of mouth, craft fairs, friends of friends, family, and a few business cards out there in shops - nothing on the web.

Markjay

A few
I had one customer who came "out of nowhere" and found a starfish photo he like. He ordered two other photos as well so there were three photos sold for the purpose of his displaying them in a hospital office. That... was when I had my "nature shots" on Smugmug. I've changed gears since.

Another customer saw my work at an art show I displayed at but, when she realized I only had the image in a notecard size at the show, she then contacted me after the show and orderd a 11 x 14 of that image.
To date, most of my sales have come from art shows and commercial clients.

There are sites you can use to sell your work framed like pictureframes.com
where customers pick out the frame, mat, glass, see the WYSIWYG final sample, and hopefully place an order. Can't integrate it with Smugmug but, you can get sales off the site (I have not approached this route at this time). If I remember correct, they'll even "blind ship" for you... meaning no company name on the packaging showing where it came from other than you!

Hope that helps?

Julia wrote:

Registering my view. Even though the worm consumption has already occurred...

Since having my site with SmugMug since I think either April or May, just starting to get myself off the ground, I've sold one 8x10 print to a complete and total unrelated-to-anything stranger strictly from wandering into my site via Google.

No marketing other than word of mouth, craft fairs, friends of friends, family, and a few business cards out there in shops - nothing on the web.

denisegoldberg

Sam -
No sales here either, but then again I haven't done anything to generate any sales (other than posting my photos).

Very interesting response to your question... I'm glad you posed it.

--- Denise

denisegoldberg

W.W. Webster wrote:

However, presuming that behind your question is an aspiration to sell your work, I was prompted to take a quick look at your site (at least, I think it was yours - sam.smugmug.com?).

That's not Sam's work - as far as I know he doesn't have an online presence. But when we met (by chance) in Death Valley in October, he showed me some of his work. Beautiful.

--- Denise

Sam

denisegoldberg wrote:

That's not Sam's work - as far as I know he doesn't have an online presence. But when we met (by chance) in Death Valley in October, he showed me some of his work. Beautiful.

--- Denise

Thanks denise!

I forgot to respond, what with the worms and all. I don't have any online accoiunt.

That other Sam ain't the real Sam.

Sam

anwmn1

No marketing stategy- just word of mouth and key word tags.

Sold 3 16x20 prints for a health clinic- personal contact though

Closest to total stranger had an actor from an event order 8 8x10 prints. I had no personal contact (didn't talk to him or even drop a card) with this person until he contacted me to order prints. Still not real sure how he found the photos.


I am not sure how many people buy fine art via the web without having seen an actual print somewhere else first.

LUCKYSHOT

Sam wrote:

This question is directed to anyone who has a Smugmug, or other on line photo hosting account with fulfillment options.

My question specifically deals with landscape, still, life, anything you might hang on your wall. Please exclude event type photos, and portraits.

I would to find out how many of you have made " fine art type" sales from your on line presence to people who you didn't know.

Please! If you have an account and offer fine art prints post your results. I would like to generate some real world data.

Maybe something like "I have had 3000 hits in in 2007, and sold 6 8X10's.

I realize that one must market themselves etc, etc,

This is just to see if there is any amount of purchasing from random people surfing the Internet.

I will keep my thoughts and expectations to myself until the responses are in.

PLEASE!!! If you stop and read this and have an account, post your results, even if it's a short, "NONE".

If I don't get a lot of responses, (data), I will be forced to eat worms, and I hates worms, they're gag slimy, and waggly.

Thank you,

Sam

Sorry, none, I only do sports and events. The sales there have been good though
Chris

claudermilk

None here either. I have made event-type sales, but have not really gotten going on a serious try at fine-art sales (yet...).

Only caught this thread after you ate worms, sorry....

firststring74

I do photography at horse shows, but I also have my personal favorites up on my website. I get hits but no sales on those pics. But as everyone else has said, I don't market any of my other pics the way I market my horse show photography.

Christina

Bill_M

In the past 6 months I've generated a lot of 'random' orders. Several have used my Smugmug shopping cart, others have contacted me via Email for matted prints and others have bought in-stock matted prints via my Etsy shop (linked through my Smugmug 'Purchase' page).

I sell prints & greeting cards at summer/autumn festivals and I sell in several galleries. Every print/greeting card contains a business card & a sticker on the back with my website address. I allow my images to be used in various tourism publications, and whenever they are used I insist on having my website address listed along with my photo credit.

I believe the key is to get your name out there & get your name associated with photography. Look for display opportunities & other ways to promote yourself that show that you are a pro.

Good luck...
Bill

Sam

denisegoldberg wrote:

That's not Sam's work - as far as I know he doesn't have an online presence. But when we met (by chance) in Death Valley in October, he showed me some of his work. Beautiful.

--- Denise

Denise,

We didn't meet by chance. It was do to the alignment of of the Crab Nebula with Mars rising, influenced by the becking call of the dunes, under a 3/4 moon.

Ether that or the Smugmug strap you were wearing.

Sam

photocat

I sold some of my Tuscany pics as digital downloads. I did spread the word around in some of my online groups that they were available as desktop backgrounds. I sold them for 5 dollar. (probably too cheap, but I was pleased to sell some). As I had uploaded them in my own gallery anyway, I thought it was an easy way of bringing in some small coins...
My grandmother thought me that the one not wanting the small coins, does not deserve the notes...

mercphoto

I have two galleries that might fit your classification of "fine art". Or at least one of the two. They are not event nor portrait at least. One is of WWI aircraft flying at an air show, the other are shots of Hamilton Pool park in Central Texas. They get some hits but zero sales. I have to say I haven't sold anything to someone that I did not actively market to (i.e. a portrait session, or a racing event where people knew I was there). And I do not actively market those two particular galleries.

jziegler

I've only been on Smugmug for a couple months, and don't have a lot of images up at this point. But, so far, no sales at all (even at my low prices), even to people I know. We will see how that changes, I've given out about 70 photo desk calendars to friends, family, and co-workers with the web site listed. That's been the only marketing so far. If it works, I keep a pro account, if not, I may downgrade next year.