[Don Schaeffer]

I have the theory that one of the great problems of art (at my level anyway) is there nothing to do with the product. My prints just accumulate. The pictures I put up on the wall are seen for a week or so by my family (which is mostly me and Joyce) and then get stored. The photos I put on the net are seen by a few dedicated people then slip into limbo. It's a philosophical problem.

--Don

[Cailean]

Funny you should ask this question at this moment -- I just popped into ST to post a link to an interesting service I found that makes coffee table books from your digital photos - it ain't free but it seems reasonably priced... I might as well post it in answer to your question...

http://www.mypublisher.com/default.php

[shuttertalk]

Good idea Colin!

Our prints just go in frames on the top shelf of our bookcase. We tend to cycle them every 6 to 12 months, so they get a bit more display time. We're using all digital prints this time, so once they've finished their tour of duty, there's no problem turfing them out as we have the originals on file.

But yeah Don, it is a problem isn't it?

My dream in my future home would be to have a gallery room dedicated to photos.. hehe... (oh yeah, another for computer, and another for music). Whoops, out of rooms..


Hm... I wonder whether digital frames would help? They can cycle through your collection...

[Toad]

The digital frames thing is an intriguing idea (for cycling through your work) - but ignores the fact that a room has a design (in a perfect world) and the art complements the color and style of the room (or visa versa).

My own stuff tends to do nothing - it has a brief life here or similar - sometimes hangs around for a while in my pbase galleries - occasionally recieving a comment from a stranger - and then...sweet oblivion.

I am working on some publishing projects now that may extend the life and exposure for certain pieces. Nothing too grandiose - the life of a postcard - hopefully purchased a few hundred times and viewed by thousands - maybe migrating to a new life on refrigertator doors everywhere. Is this a worse fate for a photo then what I do now? I think maybe it is better.

[Don Schaeffer]

I'm glad to see there are some creative suggestions out there. I guess the process is the most important thing for photography. I am intrigued about the book project. I find photos are better viewed as individual pieces than in a frame. You can see them better up close. I have a big folding file labelled "Photos," my burial ground. I look through them once in a while. I also make video CD slide shows which I look at once in a while. The internet (you guys) give me a sense of sharing and communication. That's it.

--Don

[Cailean]

I think we've covered WiFi frames before, but it would be so cool if you could get cheap (relatively) WiFi frames of various sizes all over your house with a PC-based control system - certain set of photos in certain frames - changing hourly/daily/monthly. Man, I'm a techno-geek!!

[Petographer]

I'm pretty much in the same situation as everyone else. My images don't get very far. Except the Studio pet portraits I do. I keep a portfolio and also am hanging each as 8x10 on the wall of my studio. When it gets to be too much I suppose I'll have to reduce the size of the prints.

[EnglishBob]

I have a a 6 album box with 144 6*4's in it that is slowly filling up with my favorites, 8*10's tend to get mailed to various relatives and family members back in England when I am done with them.

[jericho]

The coffee shop business is flourishing for me. I ask the owner if I can post a few pictures on their walls, with a write up of me of course. They get some interesting art on the walls for a few months, I get heaps of calls about work I can do for other people and its all free advertising. I rotate the pictures every month or so to keep it fresh.

So far I have sold 6 framed 16x20s, ten framed 11x14s, have done four weddings and been asked to shoot a half a dozen outside family portraits (I don't like the inside stuff). Is it my calling? Not likely, but it pays for the extra lenses and camera gear. Newly acquired = Nikon 17-55 2.8 and a Nikon 12-24 f4.

Besides, its nice to hear people talking about your stuff when you are having coffee and they don't know its you. Fortunately its all been good, otherwise I would have to slink out of there with my tail between my legs.

Horrendously long story short.... its a great place to hang some of your more interesting work. Beats being stored away in a time capsule...

[shuttertalk]

Awesome, Jerry!

Mind if I ask whether you stuck to a particular theme? e.g. B/W, or photos of your city, etc.?

[jericho]

No particular theme. What I found works best is a variety of stuff. Street shots, landscape, portraits, wedding, black and white etc etc. The landscape stuff sells because people know where it is and it generally means something to them. The other stuff (portrait, wedding, etc) is merely put up to illustrate "my style" of photography. I am not a big cookie cutter photo kind a' guy, rather I like the candid shots. People seem to gravitate to these and its worked especially well for my wedding portfolio.

If you are like Pet/Colin and can take a dang good shot of a pet, you will be swimming in cash. People who have pets ... LOVEY... LOVE... LOVE their pets and will pay cash to have them photographed. In fact I am always getting asked if I will photograph someone's horse, dog, cat, get this... a rat!

My advice, ask a coffee shop with some decorating style if you can post there. It immediately adds to your work.

Lastly, I went through a lot of frames and mattes. What I found works best is the standard frame and white matte. At this one shop, I have 30 photos up. Having them all in matching black frames and crisp white mattes looks awesome! When I had them mish mashed, it wasn't as nice a look. Just my .02.

Hope that helps Julian.

Jerry

[shuttertalk]

Hey cool stuff! Thanks for the info.

Now, to hunt for a chic cafe...

[Don Schaeffer]

Congratulations Jerry. I suspected you were a pro. If I didn't hate business and if I had the where-with-all to buy frames and burn shoe leather, I'd do that too. Good idea.

--Don

[Rufus]

Message

[Atlas]

Hiya Jericho,

Just reading old threads.... How is the coofee shop business going ?? Looks like you have had good success

You mention 'matting', what does this mean ? And what size do you actually hang in the shop ?

I see it's been nearly 12 months since this posting, trust all is still going well.

Cheers,

Atlas