Selling my picture

LadyEssex1

LadyEssex1

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Jackie Townsend ne Veitch
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Hi Freinds. Someone saw a picture I had taken and wants to buy an A2 one mounted & framed by us, any idea on how much one would charge? x
 
I sold one of mine last year at £25.00 for an A3 print not mounted/framed. Hardly a fortune but enough to keep me happy. Are you looking to make a living out of your photography or is this like mine just a rare request.
 
Hi Jackie, it might be worth considering how much you would pay for such a product and work from there
 
It would depend on the uniqueness of the photo.

If it was a once off, it could be worth significant money.

But if the photo is repeatable then value is limited.
Mj
 
I would charge between £50 (+ the framing cost) & £150, depending on the client. If it's a corporate, charge more.

+1 to Mark's comment.
 
so a 16 x 24" picture. loooking at what i sell mine online for at that size in a framed print its around £220, but thats mounted and framed for me so if you are getting the frame and mount yourself ( cheaper than having it done for you ) then i would say you should be asking around £150-200
 
Printing, mounting, and framing is not cheap. Then there's the time, and hassle of doing all that.. then the value of the image itself. Assuming 20x24" or something, I'd say £200. If they don't want to buy it, then don't sell it to them :)
 
As said, depends what it is and who wants it. What are they willing to pay? If they really want it look at the £200 mark. If you think they may come back for more price it a little lower. Make sure all your expenses are covered and you have a nice bit of profit.
 
Oooo! As much as £200 Quid, we have the machine to make frames so my Husband will Mount & Frame it so £150 sound about right, this is the picture she asked for.
Thank You to everyone that helped on the price for me to charge, much appreciated.
xx Jackie xxView attachment 37190
I was going to bring some of the shadows out but no this was the way she wanted it.
 
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As the others had said, there's a lot to consider:

- The cost of the printing, mounting and framing. This will vary depending on who you use
- Carriage costs associated with the above
- The time you have spent preparing the photographic print and arranging the work
- What it cost you to take that photograph - if you're a business owner then you'll know what your daily or hourly fixed overheads are, and there might be variable overheads attached to the outing as well such as travel, parking etc. Some of this will still apply to hobbyists.
- Your knowledge, skills and time as the photographer (whether you are amateur or professional) because this has value
- If the availability of this particular print will be limited due to its uniqueness

As you can see, the cost of 'a framed print' can vary hugely. I suspect if you charged something like £200 you wouldn't see any profit when the things on the above list are factored in. Remember that even if photography is your hobby, it is still costing you in equipment, depreciation, time, skill, computer and software expenses, petrol, and so on.

If it were me, as a professional, looking at my pricelist it would depend on the style of the finished product/which framing materials and options were chosen - but I would be looking at an average of around £650-£750.

I don't see the point of doing it if you don't intend to make some profit. Oh dear, I can see the old 'it's my hobby and I don't need/want to make money' argument kicking off now that I've mentioned it .....
 
Ah - I've just noticed that you've said you have the machines to make the frames? Well that's a fixed overhead to factor in - and just because you have the machinery to do this doesn't mean that you would charge any less. You are the one bearing the overhead for the equipment, and the time in doing the work yourself.

An interesting exercise is to factor in every minute you spend on any project - any part of that project. It's amazing how long things can actually take - and it's amazing how often we can run at a loss if we're not careful.
 
Hi Lindsay.
I'm not a professional by no means, my Hubby Barry and I go out to take certain pictures but never thought anyone would want to buy one of mine, what did you make of my picture? Is it good enough to ask for a high price? I was going to ask £86 for it all in or would you say that was too cheap?
Jackie x
 
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Hi Jackie

In regard to the image ~ IMO a nice evocative image of the newer London skyline with the Shard. The two obvious tower cranes positioned as if in salute to the building add a certain something and as for the reflection with the hotspot, well the eye is drawn straight to it and the nice light on the Thames all make for an eye catching wall hanger of a picture.

As for the pricing ~ it matters not whether you call your self a pro or not all quality imagery has a value to it and as said above it has cost you money to make the print and mount & frame it as well as the trip to London etc to capture it in the first place.

So whether you are working or retired your time alone has a cost, the printer you have printed it on cost you money as do the inks....the paper, your extra time to PP, print and mount etc. Is it not fair the customer pays for the final product enough to fully cover your costs and a profit that will contribute to anything you might have been saving for photography wise. I hope that gives you some context as how and why it is appropriate to sell it for more than the costs of production!

On that note how did you arrive at £86??? And to be blunt if the enquirer does not wish to pay "your price" for it then you do not have to sell it, afteral you have lost very little (so far) as you have not yet produced the final product ;)

Oh, as side note. Do you know much about the enquirer? The reason I ask is that London skyline images are not just of interest to individuals but also companies who want such good iconic prints on the office walls................thus whichever buyer category 'they' are in do not let yourself be taken advantage of!
 
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Box Brownie. I arrive at the price of £86.... £50 for the print & £36 for mount frame & glass, Mmm! It does sound to cheap doesn't it? LOL But don't want to go over the top in price.
I was looking in an art shop where we buy out framing & mounting gear and he had pics up on the wall A2 size mounted & framed from £55 up in price but some were in the hundreds.
 
To You All
Thank You so much for all your help it's been much appreciated, some I think a too high but would like to sell for the high amount LOL.
I will have to ask the person how much she is prepared to pay, she is a lady that comes to sort my elderly Mums feet out so I don't want to upset her.
xx Jackie xx
 
LadyEssex1 said:
Hi Lindsay.
I'm not a professional by no means, my Hubby Barry and I go out to take certain pictures but never thought anyone would want to buy one of mine, what did you make of my picture? Is it good enough to ask for a high price? I was going to ask £86 for it all in or would you say that was too cheap?
Jackie x
Click to expand...

Jackie, as myself and Box Brownie have said, it really doesn't matter what your photography status is - if you are producing photos which are good quality, and people want to buy them, then you should charge accordingly. You probably have lower overheads than a professional photographer but otherwise you are entitled to sell your work at whichever price you see fit. I too am wondering why you chose an initial figure of £86 - and yes I do think that is ridiculously cheap for a print framed at that size. Even the mass produced stuff you see on the high Street is more expensive than that most of the time..It's a very good photo as well.

But - I can see that the matter is slightly complicated by the relationship that you and your mum have with this lady. I do agree that some relationships are worth nurturing or rewarding, if that is the case. It's worth thinking about whether this lady has done you or your mother some favours in the past. But nevertheless we are talking about a large print here (would you say that when it's finished it's about 30 inches on its longest side?). Even with the favours taken into account the figure you mention is too low in my opinion, but obviously you need to be comfortable. I do feel you should build in a some profit.
 
Lovely looking shot i must say. How much would you pay for the picture framed? This is what i would ask myself. Have you done any research to see what similar framed pictures sell for?
 
If you were selling Jam it would be about twice the actual cost.
Photography tends to be different.

Non personal photographs do not sell that well to private buyers in this country.
As a friend supplying an acquaintance, Double all the costs involved would hardly make it worth while.
Find out what a local framer would charge, and what a professional print house would charge to make the print.
add on half again for your trouble and double the result.
That would be the minimum......
 
its one of those very tricky ones especially if you have never sold before too. my first sale was a greeting card when i started selling online that netted me a whole 18pence profit.. and i was over the moon that someone actually wanted to by one of my shots.
Now if a small ( 16 x 20 ) framed print or canvas sells for less than £200 online and privately less than £300. i just look at it as pocket money towards new gear or a day out for the kids.
it gets even harder when its to someone we know personally too as you almost feel guilty about asking them for anything over X amount ( i no longer do friends and family discount its really to much trouble and they always are the biggest complainers! )
only thing i would say is NEVER EVER ask someone how much they would be prepared to pay as it will in 99 cases out of a 100 be nowhere near what teh asking price is,
give them your price and if they say they cant afford it you then have to decide to either lose the sale or offer them a once time only small discount as for instance a first time order discount.
 
if you do sell it for X amount don't forget to pay the person for printing,mounting and framing of the photo as the finished article is what will show off the print to it's best advantage
 
Interesting image, the lighting/reflection makes it very dramatic indeed.
Not too sure how well it will print, I'm guessing there will be blown areas!
It sounds obvious but the value to the person/client who want's this image will be the deciding factor.
Consider your costs/time etc and the price of the image/framing etc and go from there.
Remember not to sell yourself short, you can always reduce the price if the buyer goes into cardiac arrest or faints, lol.
I've sold some images for way more than I ever hoped, don't be too modest with your estimate!
wish you luck
cheers
Tony
 
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The purchaser, she's never gone above and beyond for your mother? Not all transactions are monetary, if you can cover your costs perhaps it is payment in kind? The return of a favor, maybe even a good tip.
 
flavio said:
Interesting image, the lighting/reflection makes it very dramatic indeed.
Not too sure how well it will print, I'm guessing there will be blown areas!
It sounds obvious but the value to the person/client who want's this image will be the deciding factor.
Consider your costs/time etc and the price of the image/framing etc and go from there.
Remember not to sell yourself short, you can always reduce the price if the buyer goes into cardiac arrest or faints, lol.
I've sold some images for way more than I ever hoped, don't be too modest with your estimate!
wish you luck
cheers
Tony
Click to expand...
I have one printed, mounted, framed & hanging on the wall, this is where the lady saw it and said Wow! I wanted one LOL
 
flavio said:
Interesting image, the lighting/reflection makes it very dramatic indeed.
Not too sure how well it will print, I'm guessing there will be blown areas!
It sounds obvious but the value to the person/client who want's this image will be the deciding factor.
Consider your costs/time etc and the price of the image/framing etc and go from there.
Remember not to sell yourself short, you can always reduce the price if the buyer goes into cardiac arrest or faints, lol.
I've sold some images for way more than I ever hoped, don't be too modest with your estimate!
wish you luck
cheers
Tony
Click to expand...
Lucky, no blown out area's, I still wonder if I should bring some of the detail out in the shadows of the buildings?
 
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LadyEssex1 said:
Hi Freinds. Someone saw a picture I had taken and wants to buy an A2 one mounted & framed by us, any idea on how much one would charge? x
Click to expand...
2-5x the cost price to you for printing and framing.

Decide where you are on the scale - 2x - cheap (lacking confidence, doubting the value of your own work and not quite believing anyone else would want this rubbish) to 5x - premium (it's damn good and you know it is)
 
LadyEssex1 said:
Box Brownie. I arrive at the price of £86.... £50 for the print & £36 for mount frame & glass, Mmm! It does sound to cheap doesn't it? LOL But don't want to go over the top in price.
I was looking in an art shop where we buy out framing & mounting gear and he had pics up on the wall A2 size mounted & framed from £55 up in price but some were in the hundreds.
Click to expand...
You are not selling a print - you are selling the image! The picture has a value far far in excess of the materials used to print and frame it.
 
Jackie, I'm not sure what the overall size of this particular print would end up at once you've added the mount and the frame, but you could always quote the lady a couple of prices - one price for the size she has requested (and this would not be cheap by any means) and if she shudders at that then you can always offer her the print at a smaller size for a sum she might be more comfortable with.

Having said that, can I just say one thing. Just because an item might sound like a luxury purchase to us, that doesn't mean that the price is particularly expensive to somebody else. You might be surprised at how many people understand that nice things are not cheap. This lady may be expecting a high pricetag. This whole matter is complicated by the fact that she is well known to you, but you can present your price in a tactful way, perhaps along the lines of "I normally sell my prints framed at this size for £550 but for close friends the discount would make it £xxx." Dealing with people we know can feel horribly uncomfortable and political at times and I think we should only entertain pricing favours for people who genuinely deserve them - like best friends who have helped us out when we've needed them, or people we've known closely and have trusted for many years. If this lady has gone above and beyond her role in dealing with your mother and I would say she deserves a discount of some kind, but otherwise she might only fall into the category of 'acquaintance' in which case put your business hat on!

A good exercise is to walk into a high-street framer and ask them how much they will charge to frame and mount one of your xx" prints. At the size we are talking here it won't be cheap - and remember they are only charging for the materials, their time and overhead - don't forget you are the one who has invested the work and time in creating the image.
 
LadyEssex1 said:
Lucky, no blown out area's, I still wonder if I should bring some of the detail out in the shadows of the buildings?
Click to expand...
Jackie It's up to you if you bring out the shadows, actually I think it's a very striking photograph just the way it is, I'm guessing the potential purchaser also likes it the way it is here!

Tony
 
Hi Guys & Girls.
I'd just like to Thank You for All your help in the pricing of my picture of The Sun Hitting the Shard, I belong to Streetlife in my area and go for walks with Streetlife Photography Group, we discussed my picture & they said £95 would be a good price but the person who wanted it gave me £100 so I'm well pleased, my husband Barry has printed it off A3 size & will be mounting it for me, he will also be making the frame for it as he has all the equipment, then all we need is the glass & fitting to hang it.
Thanks Again for all your input.
xx Jackie xx
PS. I'll put a pic on here later of it all mounted & framed & ready to go x
 
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LadyEssex1 said:
Hi Guys & Girls.
I'd just like to Thank You for All your help in the pricing of my picture of The Sun Hitting the Shard, I belong to Streetlife in my area and go for walks with Streetlife Photography Group, we discussed my picture & they said £95 would be a good price but the person who wanted it gave me £100 so I'm well pleased, my husband Barry has printed it off A3 size & will be mounting it for me, he will also be making the frame for it as he has all the equipment, then all we need is the glass & fitting to hang it.
Thanks Again for all your input.
xx Jackie xx
PS. I'll put a pic on here later of it all mounted & framed & ready to go x
Click to expand...

Nice one. As long as you are happy with the price etc then thats all that matters!
 
Thank You Steve & Robert, I did take in all the advice but I knew It wouldn't go for the high prices, thats why I went for a safer option so It would sell, I'm happy with the price & so is the customer :o))
 
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