I have bought some original art over the years (oil paintings) but never really considered any photographs, until now. Problem is, I am a total novice, so I will share the situation in hopes of getting some tips.
I saw this print in a fine dining restaurant in Las Vegas a few weeks ago- a stunning b&w landscape of a mountain in the southwestern US. Loved it would be a huge understatement. I got the photographer's name and started checking out his site- very cool stuff. I also googled him and he has prints in several galleries on the coasts, and also Japan. The print is large- 36x89 I believe, and is listed in his site as a limited edition of 25. He has a limited body of work, only offers 50 or so prints over a long career. The gallery price was beyond what I would ever consider paying, but I emailed him and to my surprise he was willing to sell it direct, unframed for half the listed price. While still steep, I could swing it.
The problem is, I have no concept of placing value on something like this, or how buying prints works. Yes, value is in the eye of the beholder, and I would be buying it for enjoyment and not as an investment. By the same token, I am looking at spending 4k for a photograph, and while it could have taken as much time and effort as a painting, it just feels very different from a cost/value perspective. It sounds like the process/final product is in keeping with the higher end standards of the field as it relates to preservation. I can provide more specifics there.
And, this is not an artists' proof, which I assume means you own the photograph/negative and the artist won't be making any more of that picture. In this instance, I assume the wording he uses means he is printing 25 of these.
I plan on getting these kind of specifics answered by him, but wanted to see what anyone else thought. It is rare for something to catch my eye like this, so I am very interested, but I can't get past the price at this stage (and I realize a quality photo of that size is not going to be cheap).
Any thoughts appreciated.
I saw this print in a fine dining restaurant in Las Vegas a few weeks ago- a stunning b&w landscape of a mountain in the southwestern US. Loved it would be a huge understatement. I got the photographer's name and started checking out his site- very cool stuff. I also googled him and he has prints in several galleries on the coasts, and also Japan. The print is large- 36x89 I believe, and is listed in his site as a limited edition of 25. He has a limited body of work, only offers 50 or so prints over a long career. The gallery price was beyond what I would ever consider paying, but I emailed him and to my surprise he was willing to sell it direct, unframed for half the listed price. While still steep, I could swing it.
The problem is, I have no concept of placing value on something like this, or how buying prints works. Yes, value is in the eye of the beholder, and I would be buying it for enjoyment and not as an investment. By the same token, I am looking at spending 4k for a photograph, and while it could have taken as much time and effort as a painting, it just feels very different from a cost/value perspective. It sounds like the process/final product is in keeping with the higher end standards of the field as it relates to preservation. I can provide more specifics there.
And, this is not an artists' proof, which I assume means you own the photograph/negative and the artist won't be making any more of that picture. In this instance, I assume the wording he uses means he is printing 25 of these.
I plan on getting these kind of specifics answered by him, but wanted to see what anyone else thought. It is rare for something to catch my eye like this, so I am very interested, but I can't get past the price at this stage (and I realize a quality photo of that size is not going to be cheap).
Any thoughts appreciated.
