Donations of your work?

GraphyFotoz · February 8, 2007

I desided to donate one of my Framed and matted pics for a local PBS Station Art Auction.
Help them raise $$$ and help get my name out there...at least locally.
Anyone else done this before?

It's a 11x14 Frame/Matte with 8x10 pic.
Told em it's value was $100.

Place I'm talking about
http://wskg.org/

This is basically what I donated..
Lil darker/wider frame and a lil wider matte but you get the idea. :dunno

Whatdya think of the idea?

Pupator · February 8, 2007

Seems like a great way to
1) Get your name out there
2) Get a tax write-off
3) Help a good cause

How can you lose?

Lovely picture, by the way.

urbanaries · February 8, 2007

Pupator wrote:

2) Get a tax write-off

careful, you can't deduct the market value, only actual expenses for donated items. Print, matte frame, that's it. Nickel's worth of free US tax advice....ick.

rosselliot · February 8, 2007

actually I have. I'm from north louisiana, and right after Hurrican Katrina there was a huge number of fund raisers to help out our state. I donated 6 art pieces to a local art auction to help out. I think they sold for about $10-$25 each or so. I was pleased, I wasn't very well known then, so I didn't expect much more.

I didn't file taxes then since I didn't make enough through photography, so taxes weren't an issue (in terms of right-offs) for me.

it is a great way to your name out there...would they let you put your business card in the bottome corner?

- RE

rosselliot · February 8, 2007

btw, I'd like to know how much it goes for?

and...just for future reference, I think it'd be likely to go for EVEN more, if you had more natural colors. I think a photograph, be it color or black and white, looks best in a wide black frame with white matte. think how amazing that would look with a poster frame around it and a large wide white border - it would POP out, it would look amazing. but instead, the wood frame and the colored matte take away from it...in my opinion. I love the picture, but I wouldn't buy it because I wouldn't want to have to reframe and matte it, because that color scheme goes with nothing in my house. black and white goes with everything...

just my opinion..

- RE

GraphyFotoz · February 9, 2007

Well for one.....
Deduction doesn't matter for me.....it's a donation to help out the station not me $$ wise.
IIRC for NYS writeoff hasta total more than $3000 a year before it worth claiming?
As for the colors...the shot I posted here was just a SIMILAR sample of the real mcoy. My matte is wider....lil darker green and the frame was dark brown almost black.
Black frame....white matte? Unless it's a BW...sounds like a print you can get at WallyMart for $10!

I'll let ya know what it goes for.
I donated a Water Lilly to them back in the 90's and it brought $75 back then ($25 more than my est $50 value at the time)and it was in a metal frame matted.

No matter like I said it's for the station.....I enjoy listening to NPR radio on my way home in the mornings.
Good way to get my name around....all my info is on the back of it so......

johng · February 9, 2007

GraphyFotoz wrote:

Black frame....white matte? Unless it's a BW...sounds like a print you can get at WallyMart for $10!

Actually, take a walk into an art gallery. 90% of what you see will be white matte and black frame. This is opposed to a gallery selling prints of painted work where you will see more matting and framing like yours. It's merely a different approach/style. The black/white allows the picture and it's quality to be the sole subject. Colored matting/framing allows for the whole ensemble to fit well with your decor.

The other benefit is black/white will work in almost any room. Pre-selecting a colored matte that clashes with the decor reduces the potential value. Again, think of it from a buyer's perspective - oh, I love that photo, but the green matte will look terrible against the red color of the wall I want to hang it on. It's a great shot you have posted. But I'm with the other poster on this one - a great photo stands on it's own and looks better with more subdued framing/matting (especially black/white) and you're less likely to scare off potential buyers whose decor might not go with the color scheme you use.

NicoleB · February 9, 2007

Beautiful idea!
Not sure about the green frame though, but that's just me

We've done something similar on flickr online when Katrina hit.
I raised about 35 bucks with three of my prints.
It's a good feeling in a way

Keep it up!
Nicole

Edit:
Just read your reply with the frame - alright

!!

Malte · February 9, 2007

johng wrote:

Actually, take a walk into an art gallery. 90% of what you see will be white matte and black frame...

Or silver frame with black matte. Atleast according to my framer, she says almost all photos going to galleries get ordered that way. She says photographers are very keen on getting all attention to the print, not the frame, and that black is better that way.

Still colours that go with anything though, good points.

Malte

KvPhoto · February 9, 2007

I donate every year for my job. Usually a set of 2 or 3 8x10 prints in 11x14 frame with matting. They sell for about $200 each time. I did do light wood frames with a cream border which just happened to look really good with the images I had chosen. I am planning to also donate a portrait session this year, a bit nervous about it since I have only done a few of them thus far but the parents are always asking me to after seeing my own daughters portraits that I do.
I really like your image but agree that the green mat takes away from it.

Malte · February 9, 2007

GraphyFotoz wrote:

Whatdya think of the idea?

Very nice idea, and a great shot!

GraphyFotoz wrote:

Told em it's value was $100.

That's a little low I think, were the asking for a starting bid?

Malte

NicoleB · February 9, 2007

Portrait sessions is a wonderful idea

I did my first "official" shoot of a kids theatre last weekend (low light and a decent P&S camera only), but it worked out alright.
The first of the kids told me the next day, she saw one of the pics on my flickr page and loved it

The prints will be done next week and than I'll really see, hehe

Frog Lady · February 9, 2007

kind of along the same lines - I'm donating my time/talent for a sports action shoot and will produce a collage from that shoot. It'll be an item in a silent auction to raise money for my kids school. I'll show case a couple of collages and some action shots from previous work and we'll see how it goes.

Thinking it'll be a good way to get my name out there and show case work to parents that would be in the position to hire me... So, I'll let you know how it went after 3/10.

C.

rosselliot · February 9, 2007

it would definitely look like you bought it pre-printed from walmart if you superimposed $10.99 in bottom corner.

I was just trying to help you out in the future. It looks like I have some support from the other members of the forum. I think that the color you picked goes well with your photograph, just might not go with the normal decors of houses. done in neutral decor.

- RE

Rhuarc · February 9, 2007

This is a really great idea! My church is having an auction to raise money for the kids programs. I'll have to do something like this.

kapalua · February 11, 2007

charity auctions
I donate portrait sessions to charity auctions all the time. My donation: 1 hr portrait shoot + three 8x10 prints. This has four benefits:
1) I'm helping a good cause
2) the winner of the auction always ends up buying more stuff from me
3) my name and promotional materials get circulated among all the auction attendees
4) I get referrals from the winner

In my view, this is one of the best promotional strategies I've ever used - and unlike other advertising, it's free! (or nearly free, my pro lab charges me $3 for the 8x10s....

Larry

www.laurencekim.com

Angelo · February 12, 2007

oh my, my, my, my, my!

first true mark of a philistine: buying "art" to match their home decor :cry

:hide

Graphy, this looks like a fantastic photo and you should frame it as YOU see fit to present it in its best light.

I wonder why you valued it so low at $100?

Photodawg1 · February 15, 2007

I think it's a great idea. Framing is relative, but much wisdom to either white or black matting. I have framed some pieces in colored mats, and still love the way they look, but I don't anymore for items I intend to donate/sell.

I donated to local school last year. I will see my new accountant Tuesday, so I am not sure about how I am going to claim this. I know I signed a form for what I estimated the "value" to be and I put $400 and the piece was heavily bid on and went for $700. I also took about 5 other pieces and sold one for $300 and made $240 from that. Great experience. Doing it again this year. What I loved about it was it gave me a chance to display my work to an a "buying" audience and compete along with many other artist of different genre, including photography. So the objectivity was absolutely priceless and I would equate the experience to it to a 3 credit college class.
Hope that helps...lovely lovely picture btw!
Linda

Donations of your work?

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