Have you ever (and you have) ordered something online, opened the package, and been greatly disappointed because it wasn’t what you thought you ordered? Much smaller? Different color? Flimsier? Just plain wrong?
Have you been on a date where the pictures online didn’t accurately describe the person sitting next to you at the bar?
You are assuming the experience of the image to be accurate and being incredibly disappointed by the actual experience of the object.
I have been looking at many artists’ websites recently and have been disappointed to see many images and very few objects.
At the gallery, I sell objects. I have images of those objects online, and I frequently send jpeg images to prospective buyers. But the transaction is object-oriented, and if the object disappoints, it will get returned. But in most cases, there is no transaction and no sale…because I failed to present the image as an object. And, unless you are shilling NFTs, there is an object to offer and sell.
Why then do I rarely see photographs on artists’ websites that are in situ, have a frame, or are a part of an installation?
On sites such as Artsy (for galleries) and Saatchi (for artists), there are ways to present those images as objects with some nifty software.
In the absence of technology, there is the installation view or, with just a little Photoshop, the ability to drop in the art above the client’s couch, desk, or bed.
I am no PhotoShop pro, but you can see my first attempt to drop in a Martin Klimas framed print into a space that needed filling for a client (I have since given over these duties to those more skilled).
Potential clients love to see work in situ. It moves them one step closer to the sale…or one step further away, depending on the look and fit. Either way, it moves things forward, and that’s what you want to do. I promise you that it will increase your chances of making that sale.
I often use the artist James Miillee’s website as an example of some things done well. And one thing is that he shows how his work will look on your wall. I think it’s a great selling point and one characteristic I would like to see on all artist’s websites.
He also has excellent e-commerce capabilities…which will be detailed in a future post.
I am sure there are different software options to make this “home positioning” much more manageable.
For those wanting to move a jpeg image into a frame without framing it, I use Frame Builder App. I am sure there are a dozen others, but this is an excellent place to start.
If you haven’t already, think about your work less like an image on your website/feed and more like an object ready to get hung in someone’s home.
Let’s fill some empty spaces.
Classes & Notes
Applications for the 2023 edition of the Exhibition Lab are now open! JoinElinor Carucci and me in deep dive critique sessions and work toward an exhibition at Foley Gallery in the summer of 2023.
Deadline: December 4 | thephotocommunity.org
The Chico Review is a juried photobook retreat that is not to be missed if you have a finished or near-finished project that you are looking to publish. It’s one of the best “reviews” out there. One grand prize winner will have a book published by Charcoal Book Club.
Deadline: November 27 | chicoreview.com
The Lucie Foundation $3,000 Fine Art Scholarship winners have been announced. If you missed applying this year, look out for the 2023 application.
Deadline: past | luciefoundation.orgThe Hopper Prize is back and offers two unrestricted grants of $3,500 (2) and $1,000 (4) for artists of all disciplines.
Deadline: November 15 | hopperprize.org
Michael Foley opened his gallery in the fall of 2004 after fourteen years of working with notable photography galleries, including the Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Yancey Richardson Gallery.
In 2002, Foley continued his interest in educating and working with artists by serving on the School of Visual Arts and International Center of Photography faculty. He teaches and lectures on contemporary photography issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In 2020, he founded The Photo Community, which offers classes and commentary on contemporary photography.
Foley lives and works on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with his wife, Maya, and son, Jack.
Time and energy?...photo is intensely visual and technical already. How much tech software and financial resources does one need for this? Nothing replaces real shows and relationships. These virtual installations are neat, yet a photographer is going to need to cooperate with someone doing that work or take even more time that may or may not return value to creating.