Turning your prints into revenue
If you shoot commercially, the most compelling reason to print your images lies in enhancing your business revenue. Find out what a difference GALERIE can make to your business.
Among the great figures of photography who understood the importance of photograph printing is Edward Weston, often described as “the most influential American photographer of the twentieth century”. Weston took his last photographs soon after being diagnosed with Parkinsonâs disease in 1946, but went on to dedicate the final ten years of his life to one important activity: overseeing the printing of more than 1,000 of his most famous images. Aside from ensuring his lasting legacy, the financial value of this dedication is made clear when we take into account that in 2010, more than 50 years after his death, Westonâs Nude was sold for a record-breaking $1.6 million.
There are many photographers who dedicate themselves to print-making in order to make their business work, and there is general agreement among our customers that printing images with GALERIE makes business sense. According to the 2012 ILFORD GALERIE survey, an impressive 46% of our business customers sell over 50 prints per year, with 76% of these respondents confirming that they find it cost-effective to do their printing in-house.
Sell wallspace, not prints
So how do you give yourself the best chance of making money from your prints in a fiercely competitive market? Firstly, think about your attitude when youâre talking to potential customers. Resist the urge to tell customers about the quality of the photographic tools you use. Materials including paper, while very important, are of the least concern to your client. Instead, adopt the approach of selling a carefully-crafted visual memory that lives in their home on their wall. Sell framed “moments” to your customers and they will not only come back for more, their friends and family will call you get the same experience.
Secondly, differentiate yourself from competitors by establishing a reputation for selling only the best quality prints. Choose ILFORD GALERIE papers for consistent print quality you can rely on every time. The range offers a variety of sizes including sheets and cost-effective rolls, as well as a range of weights and finishes to ensure that you can offer clients the best quality prints alongside excellent value for money.
âOverall these papers are affordable and of excellent qualityâ George Schaub of Shutterbug magazine on the ILFORD GALERIE range, July 2012 “Overall these papers are affordable and of excellent quality”.
Big is beautiful
When selling to clients, always show a range of print sizes, and remember that presenting large, framed images can have maximum impact on the client. This give you chance to really show off your image potential, but there will be nowhere for inconsistencies to hide. Choose a GALERIE paper with enhanced inkjet receiving layers such as GALERIE Prestige Smooth Fine Art Matt rolls for maximum sharpness, allowing your clients to explore the intricate details of your print and re-live their happiest memories. The deep blacks and smooth tonal range in products such as GALERIE Prestige Gold Fibre Silk will give you the confidence to expose your images to even the closest scrutiny.
In the same way, paper thickness gives you the opportunity to make a powerful impression with your print. Allow your client to hold in their hands a print made with heavyweight papers such as the award-winning GALERIE Prestige Smooth Pearl 310gsm and Smooth Gloss 310gsm. This will really allow them to fall in love with the picture.
Be bold
Bold colours give you a failsafe way to stand out in a competitive photo market. If you can create the winning combination of a well-focused image with vivid colours, your clients are likely to feel that theyâve found someone who can take very special pictures.
For this reason, you should look for a photo paper that yields a high dynamic range. The wider your dynamic range, the greater the range of luminance will be between the lightest and darkest areas of your picture. Simply put, youâll be able to accurately represent different levels of intensity, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight. Amongst the GALERIE products offering exceptional high dynamic range is the GALERIE Prestige Smooth High Gloss, which produces intense, vibrant colours with an ultra glossy finish that will create striking prints.
Black and white images also have the potential to be bold, and with the rich blacks and creamy whites offered by products such as GALERIE Prestige Gold Fibre Silk, your black and white prints will make as much of an impact as your colour ones.
Remember longevity
As you are in the business of selling memories to your clients, making a fantastic first impression with a print isnât enough. You need a photo paper that offers superior longevity. Over time, the imaging experts at ILFORD in Switzerland have been able to engineer inkjet paper coatings that offer image stability rarely seen in inkjet photo printing. Today, our flagship product GALERIE Prestige Gold Fibre Silk boasts a Wilhelm Imaging Research permanence rating of over 200 years.
Before launching any new GALERIE product, we undertake stringent scientific evaluation to measure the impact of light, ozone, humidity and sensitivity to temperature of the paper. As the physical integrity of your print is just as important as image permanence, we also undertake a series of physical tests to measure scratch, brittleness and delamination. This means that you can trust GALERIE to produce prints that will last a lifetime.
To turn your prints into revenue, remember that no matter how much skill you have in shooting, your prints need to be professional and saleable. Donât take a chance on the quality of the paper you use. Choose ILFORD GALERIE for consistent results that your business can rely on. Weâll use our long history of imaging expertise to assist your businesses towards a profitable future.
Sources
http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photography-business/
Edward Weston sites http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Weston/ www.edward-weston.com
http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/tips/vivid-colors.shtml
