Everyone who takes their passion for photography seriously will, sooner or later, come to ponder over the following question; “should I sell my photographs?”
During these past few months, this was exactly what I have been secretly doing in the depths of my mind; mulling over whether or not I should sell some of the photographs I have taken over the years. This wasn’t an issue of whether or not I like my own work or even whether or not I am afraid other people might not see what I see in my photographs. Instead, the issue at the heart of this question was more along the lines of should I sell my work, or more specifically, will selling my work begin to change my photography in a negative way.
Yes, that was not a typo. I really was/am worried that once I start actively selling or promoting my work, market forces will, sooner or later, push me creatively away from my “natural” development curve as a photographer/artist. These days that is a very dangerous thing, since we are surrounded 24/7 by images and there are very clear styles that are indeed doing better than others. So it is imperative that besides acknowledging the potential detrimental effect this might have, I needed to ask myself some hard questions.
If none of my work sells, should I change my style, should I change subject matter, or should I simply just ignore the lackluster sales and keep taking photographs just as before. Of course, when an artist/photographer enters the market bringing along his or her vision, perhaps even something different and new, he or she is always welcomed in. However, one must remain aware that when push comes to shove, people will always be more inclined to choose something/someone already successful, with an established track-record, instead of trying to experiment with something new.
To him that hath, more shall be given; and from him that hath not, the little that he hath shall be taken away - Shelley “In Defense of Poetry” 1840
This holds true for almost every type of photography, whether that be commercial photography or even landscape and “fine art” photography. That doesn’t leave much wiggle room for the rest of us now does it. Well, that’s what I was thinking for quite some time, in fact I almost put the matter to rest. Nevertheless, a few weeks ago, I was smoking a good cigar and decided to give this issue some more deliberation. This time however, after having thought it over for the better part of an hour, I came to the realization that when setting out on an endeavor such as this, what the market might eventually think of my work isn’t really all that important.
As long as I am 100% certain that my work is up to the kind of standards that I would be comfortable placing it alongside other photographer’s work, some of which I look up to with great esteem, then I should in fact not hesitate and forge ahead. After all, people can say what they want but when someone actually exchanges their hard earned money for your photograph, whether it be a print or a commission, that in and of itself is greater praise than the most laudatory remark by an acclaimed critic could ever be.
At the end of the day, sales are going to be the indicator of your success and there are a myriad of factors that play into what does and what doesn’t get people to buy your work. There are ways to improve your chances but perhaps that is a good topic for a future post….