Selling Street Photography at Art Shows

[@VivianInTheOC]

Could you please do a video about everything involved in doing a show? Costs to print, mat & frame, costs for the booth and how to transport everything and set it up? And your profits after incurring all the expense & time for the whole endeavor? I think a lot of photographers like myself would really appreciate a video like that. Thanks!

[@streetlifeinappleton]

Thanks for the idea! I'm always trying to come up with new ideas for videos and that sounds like a good one... I could even do a two-parter or something like that. I will definitely consider that for the near future.

[@jimmigizi]

I'm not a real people person unless it's talking about photography, especially night photography! You have me thinking about art shows! My artwork is in a few galleries here, yet I don't sell much due to gallery prices . Thanks for the info!

[@streetlifeinappleton]

I have yet to be in any galleries really. The commissions are tough so it can be difficult to get sales that lead to any real profits.

[@retropixer]

Great video, very helpful and encouraging Glad to have found your channel as I am also a small town street photographer (Durham NC). Question: what are the print sizes you’d recommend as better sellers? Thanks!

[@streetlifeinappleton]

Very cool...glad you found the channel. I often feel there is not enough time or energy given to us small city street shooters...hence this channel. By far my best sellers are 8x10 prints matted to 11x14 white mats. Anything bigger than that and people really have to think about wall space and price as the cost of those larger pieces is definitely more of an investment for a buyer.

[@b991228]

Your work seems to have taken bits of inspiration by Saul Leiter and I’m sure others as well such as work by Fan Ho. Not imitations but rather your own original works. Well done!

[@streetlifeinappleton]

Thanks much...that's the ultimate compliment for me to be compared to Saul. I have yet to really dig into Fan Ho's work but from what I've seen I really like it.

[@cameraman655]

Glad to be here. I enjoy any number of ‘street’ photography channels that focus (no pun intended ) on this genre of photography from smaller cities an towns, yours is the most recent. I too am a huge fan of Leiter, I also enjoy the work of Fred Herzog, Eggleston, Hass and others who dare to go against the narrative that “street” photography was the strict domain of B&W shooters. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Bresson actually told Eggleston that color was bullshit.

[@streetlifeinappleton]

I have to look into Eggleston more...I love Haas and just did a two-part vid on Herzog's book. Saul thought the idea of color as "obscene" was idiotic, especially if you look at the history of art. I love BW when it's appropriate but color is fantastic too.

[@martingreenberg870]

This is an inspiring video. I have 1000’s of images on my drives. Sometimes I delete the images to make room for new images. I enjoy the process of making images. When I’ve brought images in to work to show my co-workers what I do I can see they are polite but don’t get it. I’ve been told I have to find my own tribe. I don’t want to do a Saul Leiter and be appreciated at the end of my life or like Vivian Maier after her life. Make money from my hobby? Street photography? Unheard of for anyone other than one of the greats. Maybe not. How much do you charge for your 8.5x11 prints? And your other sized images? Mask On Nurse Marty

[@streetlifeinappleton]

You can definitely make some money but you have to be selective and remember people will be displaying this in their home so lots of recognizable faces in an image probably won't sell. My 8x10s I mat to 11x14 and sell for $30/piece which, in Wisconsin, is fairly competitive. Larger pieces vary depending on size, mat, type of frame, etc.

[@cameraman655]

6:54 Very reminiscent of Saul Leiter, kudos...

[@streetlifeinappleton]

Thanks much! For me that's the ultimate compliment...thanks for watching :)

[@jimmigizi]

What's your thoughts about artificial intelligence art? Am curious. Am starting to see it for sale online. Yikes!

[@streetlifeinappleton]

You mean like the stuff on Opensea? It was hot earlier but I think it's beginning to cool off...

[@jimmigizi]

@@streetlifeinappleton beyond nft, it's AI created art. It's just beginning.. They take other artists work and create a digital form. Something like that. In other news, Spring is around the corner! 😎

[@thomasd6592]

What about model releases? Not needed because you are selling art? How do you price your images?

[@streetlifeinappleton]

In the US I do not think model releases are necessary. Part of that could be due to the fact these people are in public. The other thing to keep in mind is that in a vast majority of my street images that I choose to sell at shows the person in the image is not recognizable. Most of my sales come from 8x10 matted prints which I sell for $30 which, in Wisconsin anyway, if fairly competitive with other photographers doing shows. My larger pieces and/or framed pieces vary in price.

[@thomasd6592]

@@streetlifeinappleton Thank you

[@d.r.martin6301]

I'm no attorney, but my understanding is that people in public places are fair game to be photographed. Their images can be used editorially (books, online, magazines) or for artistic expression, as in an art show or online. You can sell images editorially or for art prints. However, you cannot sell those images for commercial use. For example, you could get sued if you sell a candid shot of someone for an advertising campaign. That's when you need a model release.

[@streetlifeinappleton]

@@d.r.martin6301 correct that is my exact understanding as well.

[@stevenmeansphotography3861]

The person is in his pic it was not a model shoot so no release needed