Amateur photographer question

jhinkel

jhinkel

Super Member
Hi everyone!

I'm an amateur photographer who has just recently been asked to participate in his first art auction!!!!

Since I've never sold my work at an auction before, I have a few questions. The auction wants me to submit a number for retail value, a number for the starting bid, and a number for the reserve price. What should someone like me set as the retail value, starting bid, and reserve price of my pictures?

I'll be submitting mostly beautiful flower pictures, beautiful sunsets, etc.

Thanks for any help anyone might be able to give me!

EDIT: oh, and I forgot to mention that this is an auction for charity.
 
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What size are the prints? Are they matted and/ or framed?

I would just go by your own instincts. That is, if you were a buyer in the crowd, what would you pay for any given picture? The pictures you take of the very same things that Ansel Adams took would of course not bring the same money.

People pay what they pay depending on how much emotion an image creates within them. And, in this case, you can assume many will be inclined to pay a little more considering it is a charity auction. An 8X10 image matted 11X14 and not framed I see at art shows for $15-$25.

Good on you. This should be a lot of fun.
 
IMO you would be better off matting your prints but leaving them unframed. I have always preferred a nice white rag board for both color and black and white photographs but some colored mats go very well with color prints.

I would never think of framing a photograph without a mat for a couple reasons. First reason is because it looks cheesy and cheap and the second reason is because a properly mounted print with a nice mat will keep the photo from sticking to the glass. This is especially true if you live in an area with a fair amount of humidity.

Forget the framing (let the buyer decided on frame style) and go with the matting. Don't ever use scotch tape, masking tape, or any other adhesive with a high acid content as this will attack the print.

I generally dry mount most of my traditional photographs but I use acid free photo corners to attach my digital prints onto the mounting board and then cut a custom mat to fit the photograph. The mat can be cut to "float" around the print border or it can be cut to slightly cut into the print about 1/4" on all four sides.

There are many different ways to give your prints a very clean looking and professional presentation. I know that most people don't have a professional mat cutter laying around but you can get excellent results with a Dexter mat cutter with a little practice and patience. You can also go to an art supply store and buy mats that are already cut to standard sizes but generally the mat is of a lesser quality.

Good luck with your sales.
 
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