RE: IS THIS TABOO? FW: PRICES FOR PT/PD PRINTS

Thanks to all for your suggestions! They are an enormous help!
                        CHEERS!
                                BOB
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Ferguson [mailto:tomf2468@pipeline.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 9:50 AM
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: IS THIS TABOO? FW: PRICES FOR PT/PD PRINTS

Here is a post of mine from about a month ago:

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This subject may have been over analyzed!

My $450US starting price is not for hand made paper work. But, your comment
does work as a perfect example of what the "selling" artists are up against,
and it is hardest on photographic artists. Just a few posts ago I said "You
can buy a Burkholder or Enfield or Arentz for the price of a new chair" and
you replied "No thanks, I have photographic memory of images I like :-)".

So, if my "new chair" price (about $600-900US in my estimation) is too much
for you to even consider, how is my $450 too low? Photographic work is a low
priced art medium. That is great for me as a collector, tough for me as an
artist. I recently did some checking on "mid career photo artist" prices, so
still had these links (all prices in US$):

Dan Burkholder is selling his newest work (platinum over ink) for $375 per
print (pre release to gallery prices) and then at $600 per print once
released. I note that his newest work is in standard editions of 50 prints.
Perhaps the galleries got to him as well ;-(
http://www.danburkholder.com/Pages/main_pages/pigmented_main_page.html

Dick Arentz is selling his platinum work "starting at $750".
http://www.dickarentz.com/gallery.htm

Ryuijie's small platinums are $400
http://www.peterfetterman.com/artists/ryuijie/ryuijie.html

Shelby Lee Adams prices start at $700 and raises to $2500 as the edition
sells out
Keith Carter's prices range from $800 to $2800 (depending on size and
edition)
Ruth Thorne-Thompson's start at $1000 and raises to $3000 (depending on size
and edition)
http://www.edelmangallery.com/

Kenro Izu's platinum range from $650 to $800
http://www.morehousegallery.com/gallery/inventory.asp?IsNewSearch=True&Uniqu
eURL=7%2F11%2F2004+1%3A55%3A47+PM

Bruce Barnbaum prints range from $900 to $1500
http://www.agallery.com/

That is the economic reality of the photo art world for living mid career
photographers. I could price my work at $2000, I might even sell one every
other year! But, if I want to move work on a semi regular basis (and thus
"have an audience"), I have to remember that everyone listed above is better
known than I am :-(

On Saturday, July 10, 2004, at 09:05 PM, Ryuji Suzuki wrote:

From: Tom Ferguson <tomf2468@pipeline.com>
Subject: Re: Editioning ... and Unique Works of Art
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 08:03:09 -0700

In the more general form, called "edition pricing" by most galleries,
the artist still limits the total number of prints.

This may help to slow down reaching to the hard limit (quota?), but
does not solve the ultimate dilemma that no more of the same image can
be printed. I don't have music background but if I am allowed to cook
only so many times out of recipes I devise, I'd be very discouraged.

I use this form of pricing, so my 11x14 platinum prints are limited
to 25, the first 5 are $450US, then next 5 (6th - 10th sold) are
$550US, the next 5 (#11th - 15th sold) are $650US, the next 5 (16th
- 20th sold) are $750US, and the last 5 (21st - 25th sold) are
$900US (double the starting price).

If I remember correctly, you make your own paper yet sell the work for
$450?

--
Ryuji Suzuki
"You have to realize that junk is not the problem in and of itself.
Junk is the symptom, not the problem."
(Bob Dylan 1971; source: No Direction Home by Robert Shelton)
--------------
Tom Ferguson
http://www.ferguson-photo-design.com