I have been running a business selling photos I take for the last 3
years. A lot of my work is of landscapes and wildlife of Georgian Bay,
boats, and some architectural photos as well. I'm usually classified
at shows as 'fine art photography'. To get an idea, you can go to
www.ducttapedesigns.com. I do commissions very rarely, and I do not do
weddings, etc.

I have sold over 2000 prints (@$35-$45ea) in the last two years. I
have been selling only at art/craft exhibits across Ontario, usually
around April to End of December. Last year(2003) I was in 35 shows
between May and mid-December.

I would like to cut down the number of shows and increase my sales in a
retail market or elsewhere. Basically, I want several people across
Canada(for now) selling pictures instead of me, so that I can go back
to taking and working on the pictures.

I have looked at stock agencies a fair amount, and most want their
clients to submit hundreds or thousands of image on a quarterly
basis... I have been making my living on all the images that are on
that site, and maybe a dozen new ones in the last six months. So I
can't meet that kind of volume demand.

I know my pictures sell, and sell consistently, and I just want to
find someone else to sell my work. If you need to ask me questions to
focus your research, go for it.

Michael
Toronto, Canada

PS - I did read Question ID: 382385, but it's not the same direction I
want to go in.

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Request for Question Clarification by belindalevez-ga on 06 Oct 2004 23:02 PDT

<Would you be interested in pursuing a career as a fine art
photographer and finding galleries to sell your work?

If this is the case, I could advise you how to raise your profile and
make contacts.>

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Clarification of Question by hekwaw-ga on 07 Oct 2004 13:43 PDT

Well, galleries could interest me, but I seem them as low volume, high
priced kind of spot. My prices range from $25 to $150, at the moment.
What I am looking for is a method to get my work into retail stores
that perhaps specialise in home design, decor, etc... Since a lot of
my work is 'cottagey' how do i access that enormous, affluent market,
while doing a minimum of shows?

Your website and your art are impressive, however I think you're
overlooking something obvious.  For the people that can only see your
work on line, they do not have an option to purchase your work.
Just set a page aside for prices sizes etc. and set up a paypal
account(www.paypal.com) , it's really easy and anyone with an e-mail
can send you money. Good luck!

Hi there,

Just saw this question. I recommend reading www.danheller.com, a
photographer who was in similar circumstances and with similar goals.
His site has pages and pages of details about how he set up his
operation and what he recommends for others.  He sells a book too, but
there's more than enough useful advice for free.  His most emphasized
point is have a website designed so its photos can be found by the
major search engines.

He emphasizes self-reliance though. However, there's a small operation
in NYC, www.backofficenyc.com which might be able to fulfill your
orders for a fee if you don't want to. It's worth a call to talk to
the boss over there.

Also, reading up on the stockphoto group on yahoo is worth it. There's
a lot of debate about the value of a retail web site.  Dan Heller
posts a lot there, and of course, his critics in response.

Look at www.nancyscans.com also. They have something called their
digital fulfillment module (DFM). I don't know anyone using it, but
nancyscans has been around for a while. Their wholesale prices are
pretty high compared to your current price point though.

I hope business is going well.