Sell Fine Art Photography Online: Pro Tips

Many talented fine art photographers struggle to make a living selling their work online despite pouring time and passion into their craft. However, there is a potential for earning money by selling photography online, especially with the growing demand for high-quality, unique images. In fact, online sales represented 68% of photography market sales in 2021. 

But there can be challenges for fine art photographers trying to sell their work online, such as standing out in a crowded market and effectively reaching their target audience. Using the right tools can provide you with the solution you need. FooGallery PRO Commerce, for example, is a powerful WordPress plugin that helps photographers successfully sell their fine art photography online. This tool is designed to be integrated into a WordPress website, making it an ideal solution for photographers looking to create their own online store, and take control of their photography business. 

In this article, we will provide practical tips and strategies for using FooGallery PRO Commerce to create a stunning online gallery, protect artwork, optimize for search engines, and streamline sales. With this, you will see that by implementing a few proven strategies for branding, pricing, marketing, and fulfillment, photographers can turn their passion into a profitable online business and achieve creative and financial freedom. 

First Steps to Selling Your Fine Art Photography 

Let’s get started by looking at what you need to do to sell your fine art photography prints online. While there is a lot of potential for creating a successful business, you first need a strategic approach. To that end, we’ll look at how to get your prints ready for selling, where you can sell them, and how to promote them online.

Make Sure Your Photos are Print Ready 

Your first step is ensuring that you have high-quality, high-resolution images for printing:

• Choose appropriate color profiles like Adobe RGB for a wider color range or sRGB for more consistency across devices. 
• You will also need to choose the correct file formats: use TIFF for lossless quality, or PNG for a good balance between quality and file size.
• Proper editing and retouching are equally important – adjust brightness, contrast, and color balance, and remove any blemishes or imperfections to enhance the photo’s appearance. Sharpen the image to ensure fine details are clear, and always check the image at 100% zoom to inspect for any flaws. 
• Finally, ensure the photo’s dimensions and resolution (300 DPI is standard for printing) match the desired print size to avoid any loss of quality.

Decide How You will Print Your Photos 

There are various options available to you when it comes to printing your photos. For instance, you could choose print-on-demand or local print labs. For each of your options you’ll need to weigh up cost, convenience and quality. 

Print-on-demand services, like Printify, offer the convenience of online ordering and delivery, a wide range of print products, and scalability for handling both large and small orders without worrying about inventory. However, they can lack quality control, have higher shipping costs and longer delivery times, and may offer less personalized customer service.

On the other hand, local print labs provide the advantage of personal interaction, quick turnaround times, and immediate quality assurance. Customers can communicate directly with staff for personalized advice and inspect prints on the spot. However, local labs may offer fewer printing options, potentially higher costs per print (thanks to lower volume and higher operational costs), and require physical visits, which may be less convenient for some.

Choose Your Paper and Materials 

Choosing the right paper for your photo prints can make a significant difference in how they turn out. Glossy paper enhances colors and provides a sharper finish, which would be better for more vibrant images. But it can show fingerprints and reflections. Matte paper doesn’t reflect light, making it great for prints displayed under direct light or behind glass, giving a more classic, understated look – ideal for portraits or black-and-white shots. Fine art papers, usually made from cotton or alpha-cellulose, offer more depth and last longer, keeping your prints looking great for years.

Paper thickness also matters. Around 300gsm is a good choice for high-quality prints, providing durability and a professional feel that resists bending and creasing. Thicker papers are also sturdier, making them a better option for mounting and framing. (When shipping, delivery tubes can help to protect your prints during transit, preventing creases and tears so they arrive in perfect condition.)

Canvas prints add a textured, artistic vibe and look great even without a frame. Aluminum prints are sleek, modern, and durable. Traditional frames can enhance your photo’s look, from simple to ornate styles, and protect them behind glass.

Finally, deciding how many editions of each print to make is important too. Limited editions can make your work feel exclusive and more valuable, which is a big plus for collectors.

Choose Where to Sell Your Fine Art Photography 

There are various platforms available for selling photography prints online. These include popular options like Etsy and Fine Art America. However, it’s worth noting that these platforms take a percentage of the profit and, depending on the platform, there may be other hidden costs. 

A better option is to make your own site. Creating a personal website using WordPress and WooCommerce as an integrated ecommerce solution comes with a number of benefits. You have more creative control over your brand and the presentation of your images. You don’t have to format your images to meet specific criteria or requirements. Plus you can avoid platform fees and other costs, so you get to keep your profits.

WordPress allows you to build your own site, using the core features and then adding functionality with the use of plugins. FooGallery is one such plugin, and allows you to create image galleries for your WordPress website. FooGallery PRO Commerce is the premium tier, and integrates with WooCommerce to allow you to showcase your ecommerce products in galleries. This way you can set up fine art photography as products and create galleries on your site through which visitors can instantly purchase your art. Similar to the demo gallery below…

FooGallery PRO Commerce includes several particularly useful features:

• There are various gallery template options to suit different use cases, along with a dedicated product gallery layout, which comes with buttons and filtering set up.
• Customizable galleries can be tailored to showcase your artwork beautifully. 
• WooCommerce integration offers seamless ecommerce functionality. This includes Add-to-cart buttons, sale ribbons, Out-of-Stock badges and more. 

• You can add galleries with purchase buttons directly on the homepage and key landing pages for better conversions.
• The Image protection features help safeguard the artwork from unauthorized use.

Having your own website allows you to benefit from more enhanced SEO, bringing in more direct traffic to your site. With this control, you will also have the flexibility to create a unique customer experience tailored to your art.

Post and Promote Your Photography Prints 

To help promote your prints, it’s important to create compelling product listings with high-quality images and detailed descriptions. This is a good way to optimize your listing for search engines and discoverability. Use clear and engaging descriptions for each print, with information about the subject, location, and any special techniques used. You could also mention the paper type, size, and any options for customization, if relevant. SEO-friendly titles are also a must – use descriptive and keyword-rich titles to improve search engine visibility. Think about what potential buyers might search for, such as “Sunset Beach Landscape Photography Print”.

Try for consistent branding and a cohesive photography portfolio. This will help establish your brand in the marketplace, and set you apart from the crowd. However, you should keep your listings updated with new prints, seasonal collections, or special promotions to ensure there is new, fresh and interesting content.

Social media and email marketing can play a pivotal role in promoting photography prints. These channels let you highlight limited-edition prints to create a sense of urgency or exclusivity. Social channels provide you with an opportunity to grow your audience, but can also help establish social proof, showing how many shares an image has received, for example. (FooBox Pro comes with social sharing, which you can implement in your gallery lightbox.)

Using image galleries can add visibility to your prints. With FooGallery you can create dedicated landing pages for specific collections, supplemented with SEO-friendly content. (Creating custom captions with details, EXIF data, pricing, and so on, is a great way to do this.) If you’re launching an exhibition, for example, you can use FooGallery to create a page where people can browse and purchase works directly from that page. This approach can both increase visibility and drive sales. 

Warning: Protect Artwork from Unauthorized Use 

Throughout the process of selling fine art photography online, you should take precautions to protect your work from being stolen or used somewhere without permission. This has the potential to cause financial and reputational damage as a result of artwork theft.

In fine art photography, copyright ensures that photographers have exclusive rights to their work upon creation, protecting against any unauthorized use. While copyright protection automatically applies once an artwork is created, registering your work offers additional benefits, such as the ability to sue for damages and statutory damages in case of infringement. 

Understanding and adhering to copyright laws, like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the United States, can help safeguard your rights. Familiarize yourself with the specific copyright laws in your country or region to ensure your work is properly protected and that you comply with legal requirements.

While understanding your rights is important, you can also take steps to prevent the misuse of your artwork. One such method is to implement watermarks or digital signatures to deter unauthorized use. FooGallery PRO Commerce offers both watermarking and right-click image protection, both of which can be set up for your gallery images. Photographers should also include clear copyright notices and terms of use on their websites.

How Much Should You Charge for Fine Art Photography? 

Setting the right price for your photography prints is another important factor, as your pricing can impact profitability and perceived value. There are several considerations when setting your costs:

• Cost of production including printing, materials, and shipping. You would also want to factor in your initial outlay for editing software and website costs. 
• Time and effort that you have invested in creating the artwork.
• Competitive pricing – you will need to look at your target market to understand what they would be willing to pay, as well as your competition, to see what they are charging.
• Perceived value is what someone would be willing to pay, based on the artist’s reputation and the exclusivity of a print. The more renowned the brand, the more someone will pay. Plus, with fine art photography it is standard practice to sell prints as limited editions (for example, a total of 50 prints per work), and this is a valid reason to charge more. 

“As a fine art photographer, limiting the edition size of your prints is crucial for maintaining the value and collectibility of your work. By restricting the number of prints available for each image, you create a sense of scarcity and exclusivity that appeals to serious collectors. Limited editions allow you to price your work higher, as the limited supply increases the perceived value in the eyes of buyers.”

Tam Vincent from FooPlugins

Common pricing strategies for fine art photography include cost-plus pricing (adding a markup to production costs), market-based pricing (setting prices based on competitor rates), and value-based pricing (pricing based on perceived value to the customer). Using a combination of these strategies can help you find the optimal price point. But you should also regularly review your prices based on market trends and feedback – this is essential for staying competitive and maximizing sales.

Conclusion: Your Next Steps to Monetizing Your Fine Art Photography 

In this article, we’ve looked at some key strategies for selling your fine art photography online. This includes setting up a website, protecting your artwork, optimizing your prints for SEO, and diversifying your portfolio.

While third party sites can provide additional sales opportunities and increase recognition of you as an artist, there are several downsides to using these platforms. Instead, it is preferable to use a combination of WordPress and FooGallery to sell your work online. This can give you more creative control, with higher profit margins. 

Monetizing your fine art photography is therefore achievable with the right approach and tools. For a comprehensive solution for selling fine art photography online, explore FooGallery PRO Commerce, which provides you with a versatile set of features for building your online store. 

Are you eager to expand your reach and boost your sales? Selling fine art photography online can be a profitable pursuit with the right tools. Don’t wait … start your journey now towards monetizing your passion with the help of FooGallery PRO Commerce.