The mega online retailer Amazon just launched a beta version of it's new online photographic print marketplace.
The website is in beta and is currently selling over 5,000 photo prints through Amazon.com. A signed Silver Gelatin Print of Rauchender Mann by Dieter Blum is fetching whopping $120,000.
Like the rest of Amazon, the products are delivered through a 3rd party which happen to be art galleries. Along with the high price tags of some of the pieces, there are a slew of upper echelon photographers being sold through Amazon. Names like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harry Benson, Edward Weston, Andy Warhol, Peter Lindbergh, David LaChapelle to name a few.
The categories, subject, style and price can be arranged to narrow down search results. I ran across a lot of different work that I have never seen before while cross referencing the categories. One interesting aspect of the new website is that people can leave comments about the product. Feeling somber about purchasing that $10,000 photo? Leave a comment and let the world know about your purchase. It will be interesting to see what grows out of that feature.
It is good to see this happening though it is a very exclusive marketplace. Who knows what is going to happen down the road, maybe it paves a way for photographers to begin selling work online through Amazon.com?
Via pdnpulse.com
For the record, several of my previous posts at Fstoppers have been about how the profession of commercial photography is disappearing. A lot of people get angry when I post about it. However, there will still be ways to make money with a camera. One of the methods to do this is by producing content on "speculation." The new feature at Amazon is a perfect way for photographers to make money this way.
Obviously, professional photographers get paid to produce content. But photographers working on "spec" get paid for content that has already been produced. In other words, the order of production is completely reversed between professional photographers and speculative photographers.
For example, a professional gets an assignment and gets paid according to how well he fits the need of an individual client. On the contrary, a photographer working on spec creates his own assignment, produces his own content, and becomes his own client. Then he searches for a market that will buy his work.
What does this mean? Photographers must start shooting and producing their own content. Photographers must become their own clients. Then, they can sell their content directly to the consumer market (through services like Amazon) in the form of a print.
Folks, this news from Amazon is potentially a huge big deal :-)
Mike, I agree 100% with you on your statement and have to add on top of what you wrote that to sustain a professional photographic business I believe you need a blend of self created work that can be marketed as well as client work.
I do feel that this Amazon thing is larger that what it seems at the moment, harnessing it will be the next step.
I think he's being sarcastic, I think he's saying umm....that's what fine art photographers do.....
Oh great... just another way for me to blow my money...as if buying expensive photo books wasn't enough. *sigh*
Lindbergh prints here I come!!!
I'd rather see Amazon create a fine art market ANYONE can sell their work through. Their reach would make ideal not only to sell your work on a print-on-demand basis such as Xlibris does for writers, but the exposure made available to anyone change the landscape fine art photographic scene away from the 'ol boy network.
You can find some people here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/20four7va that will guide you to some online merchants or products.