Or….. Is it time to start curating your own Photography Collection
Being a Photographer, it is kind of strange that most of the walls in my apartment have nothing on them other then a couple pictures of my kids and one wall full of pictures I have taken and have had autographed over the years. One of the perks of being a concert photographer, but thats a post for another day.
One of the thoughts and ambitions behind the camera…
At least for me, is to see my vision on the walls of someone else and to make a few dollars selling prints of my work to other people. I think tho, as a photographer, I need to be more aware of what is popular and what images of mine would be desireable to someone else and being a collector is one way that I might be able to do that. All tho, personally, I tend to collect photographs of my favorite Musicians and most of the time, not only are they taken by photographers whose work I admire, but also signed by the subjects of the photographs I have collected.
This is the mish mash of stuff on a wall in my apartment. Photos from a couple of other photographers of some of my favorite Musical Artists and a few signed promo materials.
There are things to consider when you do start collecting
One of the first and most important things to remember is to collect what you enjoy. If it is going to go on your wall, I am sure you want it to be something you will enjoy seeing there. Then there is how much are you going to spend. Are you just going to buy a print or a signed print or even a limited edition print? All of that determines how much your going to spend on the print. Then there is displaying it…. You will have to choose a frame and the glass for it. That can be expensive. Lets talk about the prints first.
Just like any other type of collectible there are terms and things that you will need to get familiar with, not only will they help you build your collection, but as a photographer they will help you (I know, I mean Me lol) know what to do when it comes to selling your prints. terms like, A Vintage print, which is a print that was printed around the time the image was captured. To me this seems to be geared more toward the film/analog age of Photography. Prints made while the Photographer is alive, are usually called Modern prints and I am sure you can deduce what a Posthumous print is. Then it starts getting more confusing when you start bringing in Editons. You have Artist Proofs, usually 1 or 2 prints that a photographer will get to approve the way it looks before an edition is printed. Then what we all know, the limited edition. It can be anything from 5 to 50. Some will print 5 of one size like 16×20 and 20 more at 8×10. Then to make it even more exciting, the artist/photographer can then also sign the print as another edition! You could also do editions with different papers and printing techniques. It can be overwhelming.
If your going to collect photographs, your going to want to display them. You can go to Michaels or Walmart even Amazon and pick up frames and mattes that you can use to frame them yourself. Depending on how much you spent on the print or how much you love that print. Getting it done professionally will also give you ALOT more options on frame type and matte. You will want material that is Archival or Museum Quality especially with the matte and backing board, acids in the materials you buy cheaply can destroy your print over time, just like not having the right glass in your frame. UV Light not only can cause Cancer but fade prints really fast.
Alright, lets talk about where I got some of the work on my walls…….
I have purchased prints from a few Photographers that I follow, but the one I have bought the most from is a Music/Concert Phtographer from Massachussetts. His studio work with Performers such as Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, ALice Cooper, Doug Bradley (Pinhead from Hellraiser) and as editor of Outburn magazine has also been an inspiration! I have many prints of images created by Jeremy Saffer
In the early to mid 80s, there so many posters and pin ups on my bedroom wall of Motley Crue and so many copies of Rip, Circus, Hit Parader, Metal Edge and so many metal band albums laying around, so many had one thing in common, pictures credited to a photographer named Mark Weiss. I wanted to be like him (still do lol) I bought the book and it is GREAT! Click on the link and take a look thru his stuff!
The Decade That Rocked! The Photography of Mark Weiss
I actually found this next photographer on Facebook when I started back into Photography and hung out on the Olympus Facebook page all the time. Cheyenne Rouse is an amazing Landscape and Nature (and so much more) Photographer who lives a nomadic life in the Southwest. Wish I could do that. Not only s she creative with her photography, but the way they are printed and put together is so cool! I do recommend adding her work to your walls! I plan on buying more soon.
Ancient Light Gallery Fine Art Photography by Cheyenne L Rouse
I am going to stop for now. But this is just a few thoughts of mine on collecting photographs. This is something I am wanting to do more of and I will share more of my journey as I go along. At least it isnt stamp collecting we are talking about LOL
Who are your favorite photographers and who are you collecting? Let Me know!
