Need advice from photographers who have exhibited at art shows...!
Is there a significant advantage (or, an unspoken expectation?) to provide giclee instead of photographic prints in an art show environment? I've been selling my work as mounted/matted photographic prints, in a variety of finishes, for about a year now; next month (January 2011) my work debuts at a professional art show (my first!). I'm inclined to stick with what I've been doing since I have my color profiles all dialed in and my output is consistently dead on... but, being new to the art show circuit - I just don't know the expectations in the Photography category. Thanks in advance for your advice!
Replies
There are so many different definitions and misunderstandings about the word giclee that I hesitate to use it. I will say that it means something printed on an ink jet printer. Others here will disagree with me. The only positive about it is it sounds fancy.
Then there's the Chromira process, which is also a wet chemical silver removal process, but it uses a laser light to sensitize the paper rather than the traditional halogen darkroom light. It's probably the most expensive of the processes.
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Hi Gents, Thanks for the heads up regarding the Yahoo forum. I guess should have been more specific with my question. What I'm looking for is some insight into expectations (if there indeed are any) for someone in my situation. Please remember, I'm new to this and have been encouraged on this forum to ask such questions. I am indeed aware that a giclee is a photographic print; I should have asked my question differently: do experienced art show photographers find an advantage to offering giclee on oversized fine art paper, signed in the margin between the print and the mat, over more (standard? mainstream? conventional?) photographic prints, matted to subject, and signed on the back? I'm probably still not asking the questions properly. Bottom line, what I have is a sizable inventory of what I have to call "conventional" photographic prints, mounted with 1/4" overlapping mats, and I'm inclined to show these prints unless someone can advise me of other expectations I'm not aware of yet. I will explore posts on the other forum to see if someone has addressed this. Thanks again for your replies.
Welcome to Art Fair Insiders!
To take a business perspective: No reason to bail out on existing inventory. I'd put what you have out there and see how it sells to the target market you're putting your work in front of. If it sells, stick with it. If it doesn't, consider an alternative way to mat and sign it.
I hope it sells well! If it doesn't, don't expect customers to tell you the reasons why. Example: When I started, I matted my work in a way that I thought best showed it off (read: lots of odd sizes). After a year or so, I noticed that my odd-sized pieces hardly sold, and my standard sizes did. I had very few customers, if any, voice their objection to the odd sizes: They just didn't buy 'em.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artshow_photo/
All photographers here should be a member also as should everyone on my forum should register here. The forums compliment each other.
But there are too many inaccuracies in that thread also. Photographers are their own worst enemies when trying to define what they do and some seem to make up definitions to make their workflow more important than their competition's workflow. There was a thread on the Sunshine Artist forum a few weeks ago started by a photographer who claimed that everyone not using archival materials up to the standards of what he was using should be juried out of shows, or even not allowed to apply.
Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I was being mostly sarcastic anyway.
I agree that both forums go well together.
-Evan
www.EvanReinheimer.com
Larry...any way you can copy/paste the yahoo discussion here? That could save some time and debate.
A Giclee is a photographic print.
Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100