Posted by James Walley on February 23, 2010 at 8:06 PM
I'm about to make another round of (commercial, obviously) art galleries in my area, trying to see if they're interested in carrying my work.
In the past, I've just gone very basic, and presented a portfolio consisting of letter-sized prints in sheet protectors in an upscale-looking binder. My sales results were rather mediocre and, before I start again, I was wondering if I should be looking at upgrading my presentation quality -- in particular, whether the portfolio binder is a good idea, or whether I should be going for displaying larger, matted prints. (FWIW, I can print at home at high quality up to 13"x19".)
So, I'm curious: when doing similar gallery presentations, what do you find more effective: Prints in a binder (and, if so, what size)? Matted prints in a portfolio box (likewise)? Or some other approach I haven't thought of yet? Thanks for any advice you can give.
I don't play the gallery game any more, but several friends are gallery owners and we've talked about submissions. Universally they make the same point: They HATE binders. They have a more favorable reaction to photographers who go to the trouble to mount their photos on photoboard, then present them in a portfolio case. To them it gives a better impression of how much care you take with both printing and mounting, and you look more professional in the process. Second hand, but they're good hands.
Posted by Jim Sabiston on February 24, 2010 at 1:45 PM
James,
I'm in a somewhat similar position - but a year or so ahead of you. I did my first round of gallery cold marketing about a year ago. My success rate has been around 50% so far.
First, the more professional your presentation, the better. I've gone both ways - 8X10 prints in an Itoya binder, and matted 8X10 prints in a presentation briefcase. The notebook is easier to travel with and carries more prints, the briefcase looks MUCH more professional.
I have a very carefully set up marketing approach.
1 - I set up a web page that gives a very good forum for displaying my work. I make occasional sales thru the web site, but it is mostly about presence and presentation. In todays world, it is the first sign that you take your photography seriously.
2 - Research the galleries in your area. Certain galleries are more compatible with photographers than others. I look for galleries that seem more open to new artists and photographers for obvious reasons.
3 - Once I locate a gallery that seems to have potential, I email them a letter of introduction with the link to my web site. The letter gives a little background information such as prior shows and awards and why I am interested in them. Anything that will make you stand out a bit is useful here. You want them to remember you. Professionalism counts just as much as the quality of your work.
4 - Wait a few days or so. You have to follow up with a friendly phone call. Only one gallery ever responded to the initial email, and that was a rejection. I use the phone call to determine level of interest, if any, and then set up an appointment to bring in prints and a face to face meeting. I will prefer my briefcase presentation for the first meeting, but may tuck my Itoya notebook inside to have handy if things go really well.
I am presently the best selling artist in one gallery and a reliable seller in the other. One gallery is making active suggestions for images that they think will sell based on their experience and we are building a mutually beneficial relationship to this end. I've supplied the suggested images and they've sold them! They just put one of the requested images in their front window with their framing (their expense) to promote my work. It takes time to build this up, and you have to deliver, but this is how to build these relationships.
I'll be doing another round of contacts over the next couple of months myself. Having a marketing base established will give me even more credibility and should, hopefully, result in more positive returns.
Additional comments:
Cold calls in person: Usually not a good idea. I've done them when I happen to be in an area near a gallery with potential, but without success. Mostly because the owner/manager was not there! The staff loved the work, but they can't do anything with it. Call first and make an appointment. It is much more professional and at least the proper person will be there to see your work. This will be especially critical if you do not have a web page as a marketing lead-in.
A manager from the gallery that first rejected me happened to visit my booth at one of my outdoor shows. She raved about my work. Being unaware of my prior contact, she insisted I contact them to sell my work! She was stunned when I told her about my prior contact and the rejection. I will be running by them again this spring to see what happens. The issue is that there may be a flood of photographers and the gallery simply may not be hungry for another. This can result in a rejection based on no other grounds. On the other hand, one gallery that accepted my work told my wife as an aside that they really didn't need another photographer, but once they saw my work they had to 'grab me before someone else did!'
The second gallery rejection actually loved my work, especially the monochromes - even made a bit of a fuss over them. However, their sales followed a certain type of work and my images were not compatible with that market. This latter point is very important and why gallery research is relevent. A rejection may have nothing to do with the quality of your work - it may well be driven by the gallery's market.
Hope this helps. Good luck out there!
Posted by Lydia Dotto on February 28, 2010 at 12:55 AM
I'm curious whether anyone has had success showing images on a laptop. I have used this method successfully with clients interested in buying images or in commissioning photo projects, but haven't tried it with galleries yet.
No experience, but I asked my friends with galleries. They really wanted to see your best foot forward with mounted prints. They can look at additional of your images online any time without the distraction of you sitting there and fidgeting, but they wanted a firsthand look at prints. That's certainly not a universal survey of galleries, but these folks talk to other gallery owners....
Jim has some great points. You might also consider a spiral bound portifolio book on black glossy paper through somewhere like MPIX.com or MPIXPro. You can fit 6 or more images per page, it's very professional looking, and might only cost around $50-75. The owner of the gallery I worked with just loved it.
Discussion
6 repliesIn the past, I've just gone very basic, and presented a portfolio consisting of letter-sized prints in sheet protectors in an upscale-looking binder. My sales results were rather mediocre and, before I start again, I was wondering if I should be looking at upgrading my presentation quality -- in particular, whether the portfolio binder is a good idea, or whether I should be going for displaying larger, matted prints. (FWIW, I can print at home at high quality up to 13"x19".)
So, I'm curious: when doing similar gallery presentations, what do you find more effective: Prints in a binder (and, if so, what size)? Matted prints in a portfolio box (likewise)? Or some other approach I haven't thought of yet? Thanks for any advice you can give.
I'm in a somewhat similar position - but a year or so ahead of you. I did my first round of gallery cold marketing about a year ago. My success rate has been around 50% so far.
First, the more professional your presentation, the better. I've gone both ways - 8X10 prints in an Itoya binder, and matted 8X10 prints in a presentation briefcase. The notebook is easier to travel with and carries more prints, the briefcase looks MUCH more professional.
I have a very carefully set up marketing approach.
1 - I set up a web page that gives a very good forum for displaying my work. I make occasional sales thru the web site, but it is mostly about presence and presentation. In todays world, it is the first sign that you take your photography seriously.
2 - Research the galleries in your area. Certain galleries are more compatible with photographers than others. I look for galleries that seem more open to new artists and photographers for obvious reasons.
3 - Once I locate a gallery that seems to have potential, I email them a letter of introduction with the link to my web site. The letter gives a little background information such as prior shows and awards and why I am interested in them. Anything that will make you stand out a bit is useful here. You want them to remember you. Professionalism counts just as much as the quality of your work.
4 - Wait a few days or so. You have to follow up with a friendly phone call. Only one gallery ever responded to the initial email, and that was a rejection. I use the phone call to determine level of interest, if any, and then set up an appointment to bring in prints and a face to face meeting. I will prefer my briefcase presentation for the first meeting, but may tuck my Itoya notebook inside to have handy if things go really well.
I am presently the best selling artist in one gallery and a reliable seller in the other. One gallery is making active suggestions for images that they think will sell based on their experience and we are building a mutually beneficial relationship to this end. I've supplied the suggested images and they've sold them! They just put one of the requested images in their front window with their framing (their expense) to promote my work. It takes time to build this up, and you have to deliver, but this is how to build these relationships.
I'll be doing another round of contacts over the next couple of months myself. Having a marketing base established will give me even more credibility and should, hopefully, result in more positive returns.
Additional comments:
Cold calls in person: Usually not a good idea. I've done them when I happen to be in an area near a gallery with potential, but without success. Mostly because the owner/manager was not there! The staff loved the work, but they can't do anything with it. Call first and make an appointment. It is much more professional and at least the proper person will be there to see your work. This will be especially critical if you do not have a web page as a marketing lead-in.
A manager from the gallery that first rejected me happened to visit my booth at one of my outdoor shows. She raved about my work. Being unaware of my prior contact, she insisted I contact them to sell my work! She was stunned when I told her about my prior contact and the rejection. I will be running by them again this spring to see what happens. The issue is that there may be a flood of photographers and the gallery simply may not be hungry for another. This can result in a rejection based on no other grounds. On the other hand, one gallery that accepted my work told my wife as an aside that they really didn't need another photographer, but once they saw my work they had to 'grab me before someone else did!'
The second gallery rejection actually loved my work, especially the monochromes - even made a bit of a fuss over them. However, their sales followed a certain type of work and my images were not compatible with that market. This latter point is very important and why gallery research is relevent. A rejection may have nothing to do with the quality of your work - it may well be driven by the gallery's market.
Hope this helps. Good luck out there!