Mike Johnston (The Online Photographer) and George Barr (Behind the Lens) are trying a new approach to online print sales. The details differ, but they both offer essentially a “print of the week” (or month) – an unmounted, modest sized version of a selected print sold at a very reasonable price.

There are a lot of interesting aspects to this, and benefits for both photographers and buyers, including:

• The costs of producing a single print on demand are greater than some purchasers might imagine. These costs are less burdensome when multiple copies of a print are sold, meaning that a lower price is possible.
• Potential buyers who have only seen the photographer’s work on the web can obtain a sample print at a reasonable cost before purchasing larger and more expensive prints.
• This approach could be particularly workable with web sales, connecting the online gallery to interested buyers.
• This bypasses gallery sales (and the benefits and costs of that approach), but it could actually increase recognition (and sales) of a photographer’s works there as well.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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