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Buying Photography
LOOK INSIDE:
A GUIDE TO BUYING PHOTOGRAPHY
LOOK INSIDE is a significant resource for both the new and seasoned photography collector. The guide offers tips on buying art at commercial retail venues and auctions, as well as archiving and framing your collection. Further, the guide outlines photography terminology and a selected bibliography for additional reading. Easily downloaded to your computer desktop or phone device, the guide is a quick and in depth resource when buying photography.
PART ONE:
NUTS AND BOLTS
KEEP A JOURNAL
Instant and raw reactions to photos can often be significant, so keep a copious journal of titles, venues, terms, resources, etc. When viewing the art, note your first impressions, its venue and its price. Perhaps sketch or print an image as a visual record.
CONFIDENCE: ANYONE CAN BUY ART
Purchasing art can be daunting with so many mediums, artists, and genres available. There is no right or wrong. When buying, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Everyone can buy art and collect intelligently. With a willingness to learn while visiting various galleries and museums, one can develop a connoisseurship that will parlay into solid investments.
DEFINE WHAT YOU LIKE; DEVELOP YOUR EYE
Be curious. Visit various museums and galleries and think about the following: composition, light, color, texture, subject matter, theme, balance and line. Also, consider the artist’s intention, timing in his/her career and how that photo relates to others during that time frame.
Collectors tend to create a framework, buying a series of photographs based on a general idea, genre, time frame (19th century, 20th century, contemporary…), one artist or a school of artists. Quality, condition, and rarity are very important.
BUILD A BUDGET
Take your time and buy what you like. Set a budget based on a % of your income and savings. Art is a long-term investment, not a liquid asset. Start on a small budget until you develop a connoisseurship and network of resources. Avoid trends and buy for the long haul. Remember to calculate any buyer’s premiums and shipping costs when buying from auction houses.
AUTHENTICATION
Going through a dealer is a filtering system to discern what is an original or a fake. Ask the dealer to provide paperwork and a letter of authentication, especially if there is any doubt. When purchasing an art work through an online auction or alternative market, you may authenticate the art work through an expert (dealer, curator, etc).
CONDITION
Check the work for its condition. If one buys a photograph in a frame, ask the dealer to remove the frame, allowing the buyer to see the piece with a naked eye. If the photo is worn, torn, foxing, etc., take that into consideration. Minimal damage may not affect the overall value if the piece is exceptionally rare. Also, minimal damage can often be repaired by an art conservator.
THE ARTIST
A collector should always research the artist through the internet, literature and oral discussions with dealers, scholars, and museum curators. Typically the gallery will provide information on the artist from a plethora of resources: art reference books, gallery/museum catalogues, resumes, exhibition reviews, and art reference books like dictionaries of artists, art indexes, art or artist encyclopedias, and monographs on artists. If possible, meet the artist and ask him/her questions about the work. The artist and/or a school of artists are a significant component of purchasing art, so consider the following: the artist’s exhibition list, publications, interests of collectors; museum exhibitions; and repertoire of works. Beware of emerging talent.
SIGNATURE
Check for a signature. Not all photographers have signed their works and dealers but the gallery can authenticate the work through other documents. Signatures can often appear on the front, on verso, and even on the mat.
PROVENANCE
Where was the art purchased? Who owned it? What museum or gallery has exhibited the art work? Has the art work been included in publications (articles, books, magazines, etc)? If so, which ones? Did the art appear on a secondary market? If so, which ones?
PART TWO:
RESOURCES
Utilize a variety of resources to build your collection: commercial galleries, internet auctions, and auction houses.
AUCTIONS HOUSES
Note that auction houses establish buyer’s premiums that are typically structured in tiers: 25% for $50,000/ 20% for $50,000-$1,000,000/ 12-15% for over $1,000,000. Seller typically pays for shipping.
• Sotheby’s
• Christie’s
• Phillip’s de Luxemberg
• Swann’s
• Bonhams and Butterfields
SELECTED ART FAIRS
• AIPAD
• Armory, NYC
• Affordable Art Fair, NYC
• Art Chicago
• Artfairs, Inc: Photo Miami, Photo Los Angeles
• Paris Photo
• Fotofest
COMMERCIAL GALLERIES
Collectors should rely heavily on reputable dealers. Trust their judgment, their expertise. Add your name to the mailing list and visit the gallery’s retail venue or website frequently. Know that the artist receives 50% of the sale and has certain discount agreements with the gallery. For example, discounts are sometimes available (especially when buying more than one art work) but the discount agreed upon may be 5-20%. Ask galleries about their return policy; many galleries offer store credit only. There are many reasons to work with a reputable dealer, including the following: Dealers are held accountable for certain standards within the industry, including quality of the work and fair market values; they understand market trends; they are motion-makers of the market, driving prices and placing works in significant corporate and private collections, they have immediate access to experts and curators who are resourceful in various ways—artists to watch, authentication, developing scholarship on the artist; they have access to a variety of resources for reselling your art work if the owner wishes to place it on a secondary market.
MUSEUMS AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Become involved in museum and community non-profit programs. Visit current exhibitions and join the mailing list.
FOR THE LOVE OF ART, GIVE BACK. BUY ART!
PART THREE:
MAINTENANCE & INVENTORY
Know the Enemy
The biggest threats to photographs are sunlight, fluctuations in temperature, and fluctuations in humidity. When displaying photographs,
be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight. Even those not exposed to direct sunlight are susceptible to fading over time. It is best to rotate your photographs on view, to allow periodic breaks from light exposure. Maintaining a stable environment is the best way to protect your photographs. For museum standards, this means a temperature between 68 to 72 degrees with a relative humidity between 45 to 55 percent. Most of our homes are a bit warmer than 72 degrees, and that is okay. The key is maintaining a stable temperature. And who knows the relative humidity of their home? Again, the key is a stable, climate-controlled environment. This means no photographs in the attic, basement, or stuffy closets.
Give Them a Good Home
The second key to preserving photographs is proper storage. All too often, photographs sustain damage due to storage in acidic materials. If you purchase a vintage photograph in an old mat, remove the mat right away. Go to a reputable frame shop and have the photograph re-matted using acid-free materials. When storing photographs in boxes, folders, or sleeves, make sure all materials are acid-free. If stacking photographs in a box, layer acid-free tissue paper between each photograph. Also, exercise care when handling photographs. It is best to wear white cotton gloves to prevent the transfer of oils from your hands to the photograph. If
gloves are not available, be sure to wash and thoroughly dry your hands before handling photographs. One may purchase supplies from Light Impressions, Sam Flax, or any other art supply store. It is also a good idea to identify your photographs. For fine art photography, record as much information as possible including the
title, date, photographer, location, provenance (a record of previous owners), and any other information relevant to the work. For family photos, list the names, location, and date on the reverse of the image using a soft lead pencil.
Use Your Resources
When in doubt, seek the advice of an expert. Museums, galleries, and historical societies are your best resources for the proper care and storage of photographs. These people are experts, and most are very willing to offer guidance to collectors. If you own a photograph that has sustained damage, they can refer you to a paper conservator qualified to treat your photograph. But if you follow these guidelines, hopefully you will never find yourself in that situation!
PART FOUR:
CLASSIFYING THE AGE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH
VINTAGE
The photograph is contemporary with the negative.
PERIOD
The photograph was printed approximately 3-10 years later than the original negative.
MODERN
The photograph was printed recently from the original negative.
POSTHUMOUS/ESTATE
The photograph was printed from the original negative after the death of the photographer. Also referred to as an “estate print.”
PART FIVE:
A NOTE ON EDITIONS
Before 1990, photographers were less likely to edition their photographs. Editions of 25 or under are preferred; over 25 are superfluous and hurt the overall buyer’s market. No collector wants 100 prints “out there” to be bought and traded; rarity and limited numbers are best. Typically, retail prices escalate as the edition sells out. For example, 1-5 are $1500, 6-10 are $2000, etc. Now with the digital process as a main format, editions are almost necessary. Artists are more likely to number and sign their photos.
Photographers may choose to not organize their prints in editions, and instead, limit availability through time and/or price structure. Often, photographers only reprint after the photograph is sold and is no longer available on the market.
PART SIX:
SELECTED APPLICATIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ADVERTISING AND FASHION
Commercial photography is used for businesses to entice customers to buy their products. By the 1950s, fashion photography had become a common use of the medium, spurring big career for artists such as Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. More recent commercial photographers include David Baily and Annie Leibowitz.
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographic social documentation concern the living and working conditions of a particular subject and place. Often, the work goes deeper than the mere recordings of people and places, becoming vivid reminders to society of its obligations. The pictures are often highly dramatic, expressing better than “words” the hardships endured.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
The landscape photographer’s mission is to make objective images of virgin lands. Landscape photography brought viewers authentic scenes of exotic lands where few could travel: the American West, the Far East, Egypt, and beyond. While photographing these pure landscapes, photographers were often challenged by rugged terrain, hauling large, heavy equipment up mountains and along rivers.
MODERNISM
Beginning in the 1900s, photographers sought to manipulate the image, abandoning commitment to a literal recording and experimenting by abstracting the surface, focusing on texture, manipulating light, fragmenting the surface by close up perspectives, and breaking up the surface’s planes. To alter the literal appearance, artists would often stack negatives and collage surfaces. Submovements of Modernism include: Dadaism, Surrealism, Futurism, and Cubism.
NAURALISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY
In the late 1900s, a new school of landscape photography was spearheaded by Dr. Peter Henry Emerson, an amateur photographer. Dr. Emerson called for a return to nature, outlined in his book Naturalistic Photography (1889). The photography book advocated and portrayed a certain degree of softness in the negative, achieving an “impressionistic result.”
PICTORIALISM
The pictorialist movement thrived between 1889 and the start of World War II by stressing beauty over fact. Sharpness and exact replication of subjects were inhibiting to artistic expression so artists began to hand manipulate the print. Pictorialists favored carbon, gum-biochromate, platinum—all of which allowed for manipulation of the negative.
PORTRAITURE
From the earliest days of photography, the taking of portraits has been the most common use of the medium. Portraits provide the viewer with a record of someone’s appearance, as well as social status (clothes, posture, etc.)
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOJOURNALISM
The intention of half-toned block made possible the reproduction of photos together with text in newspapers and magazines. News photographers have to be topical, recording current events for magazines and newspapers.
WAR PHOTOGRAPHY
Since the 1850s, the camera has recorded tragedy and war all over the world. Because most of the photographer’s work is primarily for news purposes, harsh subject matter—dead bodies, wounded soldiers, and other devastating situations—become the artist’s focus.
PART SEVEN:
RESEARCH TOOLS & RESOURCES
THE INTERNET
• artfacts.net
• artline.com
• artnet.com
• askart.com
• artprice.com
• artresources.com (Internet Art Resources)
• fotobibliografica
• photogravure.com
• photocentral.com
• photoawesome.com (blog)
• photosecession.com
• creativephotography.org The Center for Creative Photography, Tuscon, AZ
• Duke University
• libraryofphotography.com Library of Photography
MAGAZINES AND THEIR WEBSITES
• Aperture
• Art and Auction
• Art in America
• Art papers
• Black and White
• Focus
PHOTOGRAHY/RARE BOOK DEALERS:
Henry Feldstein
PO Box 398/ 107-40 Queens Blvd. No. 6
Forest Hills Station
New York, NY 11375
p: 718.544.3002
Fed and Elizabeth Pajerski
250 West 24th Street
Apt 4GE
New York, New York 10011
p: 212.214.3533
Steve Rose
344 West 44th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
p: 317.266.2412
Jim O’Neil
PO Box 362/ Charles Street Station
Boston, MA 02114
p: 617.266.2412
Andy Cahan
3000 Blueberr Lane
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
p: 919.968.0538
Claudio Vanin
fotobibliografica
foto@bookstofind.com
www.fotobibliografica.ca 877.228.8657
PART EIGHT:
SUGGESTED PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
Badger, Gerry. Collecting Photography. London: Mitchell Beazley,2003.
Witkin, Lee and London, Barbara. The Photographic Collector’s Guide. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1979. (Long out of print, but still the best)
Biographical Dictionaries
Browne, Turner and Partnow, Elaine. Macmillan Biographical Encyclopedia of Photographic Artists & Innovators. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1983.
Auer, Michele and Auer, Michel. Photographers Encyclopaedia International 1839 to the Present. A-K. Editions Camera Obscura, 1985. (There may be an update for this set on CD, check with Andy Cahan, his number is at the bottom of this page)
Auer, Michele and Auer, Michel. Photographers Encyclopaedia International 1839 to the Present. L-Z. Editions Camera Obscura, 1985.
History
Davis, Keith. An American Century of Photography, From Dry-Plate to Digital. Kansas City: Hallmark Cards, Inc., 1999.
Goldberg, Vicki, Robert Silberman and Garrett Wilke. American Photography: A Century of Images. San Francisco Chronicle Books, 1999.
Hambourg, Maria Morris. The Waking Dream: Photography’s First Century. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1993.
Rosenblum, Naomi. A History of Women Photographers. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1994.
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History or Photography. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1984.
Sandweiss, Martha. Photography in Nineteenth-Century America. Texas: Amon Carter Museum and New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1991.
PART NINE:
PHOTOGRAPHY TERMS
Archival pigment prints (Archival digital prints)
Archival pigment/digital prints are generally printed using light jet technology which uses laser light. The papers can produce great color and sharpness, and are archival for 70-100 years.
Artist Proof
A photograph segregated from the artist’s editioned prints. The artist usually archives an A/P print in his/her private collection
C-print
A c-print, such as Ektachrome, is a color print. The print material has at least three emulsion layers of light sensitive silver salts. Each layer is sensitized to a different primary color, such as red, green or blue. During printing, chemicals are added which form dyes of the proper color in the emulsion layers.
Collaged Photograph
Image made by combining photography and perhaps other materials to one surface.
Contact Sheet
A contact print is made for proofing or record keeping purposes in which the original is pressed flat against the printing paper—either directly or through a transparent holing sheet—for the exposure.
Contact Print
A contact print is a print made by exposing a photosensitive surface to direct contact with a photographic negative
Spotting (photography)
In the production of photographic prints, spotting is a type of retouching concerned with correcting minor flaws in the finished print with specially made paints, dyes, pencils and pens.
Dye transfer
Dye transfer is a continuous-tone color photographic printing process, popularized by the Eastman Kodak Company in the 1940s. It is sometimes referred to by such generic names as wash-off relief printing and dye imbibition printing. The process requires making three printing matrices (one for each subtractive primary color) which absorb dye in proportion to the density of a gelatin relief image. Successive placement of the dyed film matrices, one at a time, “transfers” each primary dye by physical contact from the matrix to a mordanted, gelatin-coated paper.
Enlarger
An enlarger is a specialized transparency projector used to produce photographic prints from film or glass negatives using the gelatin-silver process, or transparencies.
Exposure
Process of allowing light to reach a light-sensitive material to create latent images by opening a shutter or illuminating dark subjects with a flash.
Gelatin Silver Print
A traditional photographic print in which the final imaging material is metallic silver suspended in a gelatin binder.
Hand-colored Photograph
By hand, the artist “paints” the photograph with colored pigments: dyes, oils, watercolors, etc.
Mounting
A mount is a board upon which a photo adheres. If the board is not acid free, the photo will face and deteriorate over time.
Sepia
The term ‘sepia’ comes from the name of an artists’ pigment made from the Sepia cuttlefish, found in the English Channel. In sepia toning, chemicals convert the metallic silver in the print to a sulfide compound, which is much more resistant to the effects of environmental pollutants such as atmospheric sulfur compounds. This is why many old photographs are sepia toned.
