why don't you buy other peoples photographs?

I buy work when I can. My most recent is by Anna Hepler, an inkjet print enlarged from a cyanotype. I'm hoping to get a cyanotype contact print later this year. I also trade images with friends and other folks whose work I see online if they're amenable.
 
ferider said:
I do though, Joe, sometimes when I really like something. Lots of books, too.

Interesting in this thread that some posters with thousands of dollars in vintage camera equipment feel they cann't afford another persons print.

A question of emotional value I guess.

Roland.
Click to expand...

not to change topics but what really baffles me is someone with thousands invested in a camera and lens and shoots the cheapest film they can find.
and then gets it processed at the cheapest lab they find.
 
I do own many photographs by other photographers and tend to display them rather than my own. I find the work of other photographers inspiring and that they constantly push me to do better in my own work. What I really like though, is to see my work on others' walls. That is a treat I could get used to.
 
Benjamin Marks said:
I do own many photographs by other photographers and tend to display them rather than my own. I find the work of other photographers inspiring and that they constantly push me to do better in my own work. What I really like though, is to see my work on others' walls. That is a treat I could get used to.
Click to expand...


can't say there is a great demand for my work...
 
back alley said:
not to change topics but what really baffles me is someone with thousands invested in a camera and lens and shoots the cheapest film they can find.
and then gets it processed at the cheapest lab they find.
Click to expand...

Agree.

Back on subject, it's understandable that you prefer most of your own prints. Not an ego issue in my book, since your own work and emotions are in there .... Somebody else's work must resonate very well to be competitive.

Roland.
 
ferider said:
Agree.

Back on subject, it's understandable that you prefer most of your own prints. Not an ego issue in my book, since your own work and emotions are in there .... Somebody else's work must resonate very well to be competitive.

Roland.
Click to expand...

this is true...
 
back alley said:
to be completely honest...

if i were to choose between anothers print and one of my own (for the limited wall space that i have) my ego would go with my image.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. So you actually think your own work is really good and better than anyone else's you could imagine? I'm not being sarcastic at all, I just find this interesting as I can't seem to get in this mindset. Somehow I'm never 100% happy with my own work. Even if others say it's great I always see what I could've done better. Mind you, I'm not being self-deprecating at all. There's plenty of work of mine that I think is decent. Sometimes I'm really happy with a shot but the longer I look at it the more I find things I see that I would want to improve.

I don't think the same way about other people's work. Either I like it or I don't. It is what it is. I didn't take part in its creation so the idea to change something doesn't really occur to me.
 
Jamie123 said:
That's interesting. So you actually think your own work is really good and better than anyone else's you could imagine? I'm not being sarcastic at all, I just find this interesting as I can't seem to get in this mindset. Somehow I'm never 100% happy with my own work. Even if others say it's great I always see what I could've done better. Mind you, I'm not being self-deprecating at all. There's plenty of work of mine that I think is decent. Sometimes I'm really happy with a shot but the longer I look at it the more I find things I see that I would want to improve.

I don't think the same way about other people's work. Either I like it or I don't. It is what it is. I didn't take part in its creation so the idea to change something doesn't really occur to me.
Click to expand...

can't say that i think my stuff is BETTER, but it is mine.

i read a story once about a drapery maker who came into a photographers home to measure for new drapes. he asked the photographer what he did for a living and the photograher told him. the man looked puzzled and asked him where his photos were? the photographer said he never hung his own work on the walls. the drapery maker thought this was foolish and said his home was filled with his drapes, they were beautiful and also were built in advertisements...

there are some shooters here whose work i would love to have but i can't imagine they would want mine in a trade, the styles are so different.
 
back alley said:
black on black...impossible to read.
Click to expand...


I cut and pasted the above black on black comment:

"I buy other peoples work if I like it (photographs and artworks), but it has to express a unique vision and personality - unfortunately this requirement limits the range for possible purchases because most people* are consciously or unconsciously copying other peoples work (as opposed to ‘standing on the shoulders of’).
If I like it and it qualifies, I have no problems paying up to 3 figures (in USD equivalent) – above that, it has to qualify as an investment as well – meaning the artist has to have a art world career potential on top of the visual attraction of the artwork.
I do have collected a few works aligned with these principles."
 
What Joe asked about here is reflected differently in the art gallery I am a member in. Photos are in far less demand than paintings or wood work. It may indicate the people view photography as "an easy and light form of art that anyone can do" .... so to speak. Photographers ... may view photos differently; worthy to buy? Do we behave diferently than what I see in the customers at the gallery?
 
raid said:
I cut and pasted the above black on black comment:


If I like it and it qualifies, I have no problems paying up to 3 figures (in USD equivalent) – above that, it has to qualify as an investment as well – meaning the artist has to have a art world career potential on top of the visual attraction of the artwork.
I do have collected a few works aligned with these principles."
Click to expand...

I think it's very difficult to pick those photographers who have investment potential unless you go for already established artists who have a track record - in which case the price of the work will reflect their success and you might have to pay more than three figures for it.

Trolling through the gallery on this site alone yields plenty of work which I really like but which of the photographers has investment potential and which are going to remain largely unknown is difficult to figure. I think the first part of your statement is the most important - buy something you like. The decision then is how much you like it - enough to pay £500 or £50 or £5. That's the test!
 
I don't like most people's work enough to buy it. I have started collecting stuff from people who use #believeinfilm on twitter but mostly in secret. :) Price is a big issue and I'd rather buy work I like that is cheap and then try to promote the photographers who made them to add value.
 
back alley said:
there are some shooters here whose work i would love to have but i can't imagine they would want mine in a trade, the styles are so different.
Click to expand...

Funny: the stuff I post on RFF is really gear specific. It is not representative of my best work at all. As an amateur, I don't even have that extensive an on-line presence as the pix posted on flickr are usually there so family members can see them and so on.

However, Joe, I'll go on record as willing to swap prints with you. Only criterion: the picture you send me has to be one of which you are proud. Now if we could only figure out how to view a representative body of one another's work. . .
 
Benjamin Marks said:
Funny: the stuff I post on RFF is really gear specific. It is not representative of my best work at all. As an amateur, I don't even have that extensive an on-line presence as the pix posted on flickr are usually there so family members can see them and so on.

However, Joe, I'll go on record as willing to swap prints with you. Only criterion: the picture you send me has to be one of which you are proud. Now if we could only figure out how to view a representative body of one another's work. . .
Click to expand...

i use flickr for most everything and my image blog for anything i consider a little better...
 
raid said:
What Joe asked about here is reflected differently in the art gallery I am a member in. Photos are in far less demand than paintings or wood work. It may indicate the people view photography as "an easy and light form of art that anyone can do" .... so to speak. Photographers ... may view photos differently; worthy to buy? Do we behave diferently than what I see in the customers at the gallery?
Click to expand...

Last year I was speaking to a photographer who has his own gallery here on the Isle of Skye. As it was out of season and there weren't many folk about, we spent quite a bit of time chewing the fat about things photographic. At the end of it he was astounded that I actually bought some of his work. He explained that people who identify themselves as keen photographers hardly ever buy anything.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom