Selling prints and photo-related products is a gamble because you have to put money into producing the goods without the guarantee that someone will purchase it. But don’t stress! There are ways to determine buyer behavior and figure out what people are looking for (or not) by doing a bit of research and tracking your sales.
Whether you’re a first-time print seller or a longtime fine artist whose photo sales have slumped, these tips will help you sell your art at markets, fairs, galleries, coffee shops, and any place that will display your work for sale. By relying on some of the creativity that made you an artist in the first place, you can boost local print sales and keep revenue coming in. Plus, some of these tips can be used for online sales too, doubling your opportunity for revenue.
Do a weekly stop by local galleries that showcase similar artists and see what gets sold and what replaces the sold pieces. Nothing predicts future buyer behavior better than past buyer behavior, as long as it’s relatively recent. Keep an eye out for:
By noting what’s moving off the walls, you can look at your own work and see if it matches the photo aesthetic that is currently being bought. Take note of the different galleries, their types of customers, what’s being sold there, and the details listed above. Talk to the curators and gallery employees to figure out what people are drawn to and what they’re saying about it to maximize your chances. Wherever you’re selling, talk to the manager about what they’re looking for in terms of style and subject. Their insights into what people are buying will be invaluable to your overall revenue. The truth is they want to get sales just as much as you, so they’re likely willing and eager to share this information with artists in their communities.
Keep in mind this isn’t about copying another artist’s work—it’s about curating the art you’re already making to increase your chances of sales. For example, if you’re a landscape photographer, you might find that moody, dramatic scenes with epic weather sell better in your area than sunny, blue sky vistas. If you’re a wildlife photographer, you might find that baby animals always do better as small postcard-size prints versus a large framed canvas. Perhaps the current demand is for historic cityscapes and you’re featuring modern city views.
Believe it or not, the price you put on your work affects how potential buyers view it, too. Your prices might be too low to make it “fine art” or they might be too high for the current buyer base in your region, especially if the economy is in a downturn. This is where comparing your prices to others’ work will help your pieces stay competitive and not seem out of place for the gallery location.
Part of an interior designer’s job is to keep up with popular color palettes, style demands, and aesthetics, so they’re a great go-to resource for what type of art people are hanging on their walls and putting in their houses. Real estate agents are also aware of these trends, as they’re staging houses for sale, talking with buyers, and walking through a LOT of different homes.
Offer to take your local interior designers and agents out for lunch to chat about these topics and glean as much information as you can about the local market. They’ll know what styles and colors buyers are looking for and excited about. You might even develop a good enough working relationship where they’ll recommend you to home buyers who are looking to decorate, or feature your work in staged homes and leave a business card out for anyone who likes what they see to stay in touch.
Again, it’s not about changing the work you make as an artist, but if colors are trending cool and most of your tones are warm, your shots could be stunning but they will clash with the most common decor. You may prize yourself on your avant garde artwork, but if local consumers are looking for rustic or classic, your pieces will likely sit on the shelf. If you can adjust your existing work to fit, consider experimenting and curating so it matches the current aesthetic trends. Style and tastes change regularly and it’s okay to have a period where your favorite work doesn’t match up, but there’s a good chance you have something that will fit what the customer wants. You just have to know what to look for!
If you exhibit at art fairs, community events, and in-person festivals, take notes on what the crowds are looking at, pointing at, and stopping for. It could be holiday-themed, specific animals that are popular, or similar color palettes. Don’t be afraid to ask these buyers and other artists why they purchased what they did, focusing on what specifically (color, subject matter, size, etc.) drew them in to buy the exact product they did. Of course you don’t want to be pushy or rude, but be friendly, come from a place of curiosity, and share any insights you might have from purchases made at your booth.
Look at your product mix and see how it lines up with what’s selling at other vendors. A long exposure of fireworks from July 4th probably won’t sell in December, just as snow-covered trees and mountains won’t be flying off the shelves in midsummer. Consider the staging details of your booth and how it sets off your artwork (or distracts from it) and try to help potential customers imagine how it might look in their homes. You probably can’t bring in an entire room’s worth of furniture and decor, but bringing a few pieces here and there can really set your art apart.
By using these tips you should be able to tweak your current offerings so they match with what is being sold out in the world. Try to do some research every few months and check in with the gallery locations where art is being sold, as tastes and trends change regularly. Remember also that art is completely subjective and your work might just be the unique piece that’s different from everything else on the market and exactly what your customer is looking for! You can always take these learnings and modify your photography portfolio and see if you begin selling prints again through your own ecommerce site. And if you don’t have one yet, click here to try SmugMug free for 14 days.
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