Pro Photo Show

How often do you go to a gallery and see a quality masterpiece that’s not signed?

by Gavin Seim: If your name is not on your art you’re missing the marketing boat. The hard reality is that “selling” photography is not about having a passion for photography, but about marketing. Is your work just piece of paper, or is it a piece if art? I usually find that people who don’t brand their images, do it under the guise of giving a higher level of quality. In reality it’s often because they’re inexperienced, lack confidence and don’t consider their images of high enough value to hang equal next to other art.

It’s no insult to have classy branding on an image. In fact it usually adds value. Heck, even the cars we buy have a logo on them. If you bought a Ferrari would you want it without the emblem? I think not. Why then should the art you make be unmarked? Are there exceptions? Sure, but not many. For example a commercial client will often require unbranded images, but they should also expect to pay a premium for that.

Should I? How big? Where at? What color?
This whole topic is distraught with debate and uncertainty, especially among newer photographers. No doubt some people will disagree with me, but I’ve probably slaved more than most on this and I’ve come to a place where I have understanding of my brand and feel I’ve finally made this work, so here are my thoughts.

Blogs, Facebook, Flickr etc:
I post these at around 800px wide. I don’t want huge files, but this is not 1995. Sometimes viewers have to click the image to see it large because I want those with smaller browser windows to have a good experience, but 800px files are nearly always there.

My web images are usually heavily branded. I’ve been placing an overlay bar on the bottom with my logo. It’s clear and bold. Some may think it too much, but I look at it from a marketing perspective. These images are often found in Google image search, seen on flickr, Facebook etc. These are not meant for viewers to print and hang. This is a business for me and I want people to know who took the photo so they can easily find me.

Portfolio Galleries:
Treated a little differently. I’ve learned to make galleries on the site (usually flash) to be clean and classy like an art gallery. I want branding of some kind because building a brand is valuable, but instead of placing a big logo these images  have my signature in the corner (as below).

High Res Disks:
My wedding and portrait clients can get a disk at certain package levels (usually after an album or wall portrait) This is meant for them to make their own prints up to 8×12. The files are 2000px wide and yes I absolutely brand these. I have seen large groups of them appear on FB and clients may print them and send them to friends. I’m not ashamed of my work and people should know who made it. How do I keep it classy? There’s no rule here, but lately I’ve been overlaying my signature in the corner rather than placing a logo. This method has been around for decades. I feel a signature is more timeless. It’s subtle and gives images class while letting people know who I am.

Small Studio Prints up to 16×20.
These are made similar to the way I do high res files. I don’t hand sign them. That’s reserved for my large signature pieces. My signature is overlayed in the corner as a batch on export from LR to send to my lab. Not too big, but easily readable and still classy. As long as you don’t overdo it, a client is not going to complain about your name on the corner of your images. In fact from my experience clients usually expect and even appreciated some identification. It’s professional.

Signature Wall Portraits:

These are what I focus on with nearly every job. These pieces (usually canvas) start at 24 inches wide, are extremely high quality, and start at a little over $500. I look to place at least a 24″ canvas on the wall of every new client (and usually do). I’m fine with them buying the disk and making their own 5×7’s as long as the real art is prepared to perfection by me and on their wall.

I treat signature series images like a painter would treat a piece. Their my best, they go out the door hand signed, with a certificate of authenticity, a title and with a lifetime guarantee. Not placing my signature on these would be to devalue them. It would be like a fine painting that had no name.

Size & position:
Size matters. You want your name seen, without looking like a narcissistic jerk and without the mark being too distracting. As you can see I generally place markings in a corner. For prints I place it at around 15% of image size. Just use common sense. Experiment and see how things look at full size on your screen. Also I’m not a big fan of the large “PROOF” mark across a whole image. While it may work to protect images it does not promote your brand and can look tacky. You’ll never see it in my portfolio, though sometimes in my online proof galleries where an entire image collection is posted I do use it. Just be careful.

Not Branding at all:
After all this. You’re kidding right? Whether images are on your blog or prints on clients wall. Not branding is like giving away your free advertising so you can pay for less effective ads elsewhere. As I’ve said, there are exceptions. I’m speaking mainly of portraiture and art here. If you’re shooting commercial work the client will often require unmarked images. That’s OK, but they should be paying accordingly (and these images should still be branded in your portfolio).

Marking and signature tools:
Batch marking. Nearly all logos and branding I do are batch applied from Lightroom on export using Mogrify. It’s  fast, flexible and effective. I can mark hundreds of images without so much as a sore index finger.

Hand made signatures. Oh I’ve tried plenty of pens. In the end I usually stick with metallic paint pens, because they overlay a heavy opaque stroke and the metallic stands out while still looking professional. Gel and ballpoint ink pens can work, but often are too subtle to see clearly. They also don’t work on all surfaces and sometimes fizzle out in the middle of a signature.

Currently my favorite for signing photos is the Sakura Pen Touch .7mm extra fine point paint pens. They come in White, Gold  and Silver (my favorite). I’m sure lots of places have them, but I got mine from Blick Art Supply. They work on paper, canvas and metal alike.

Watch for spatters with paint pens. I have yet to find one that is completely free from them. Before you sign shake it up and get it flowing. If it seems drippy dab the tip gently with a cloth. Run a few practice signatures to warm up your pen and your hand before signing the corner of a large print.

Don’t over stress when signing. Practice so you can consistently make a good signature but remember it’s a real signature and does not have to be perfect every time. When ready, place your image on a solid surfaced where you can get a comfortable hand position. If you mess it up a little, it’s usually better to leave it unique then try to remove or add to it. That usually leads to a big mess that might end up with you needing a new print.

Other things I’ve tried:
I’m not kidding when I say I’ve slaved over this topic. I’ve tried so many things. Some were awful, some just didn’t suit me. Here’s  just a few of the things I tried and then retired.

Closing thoughts for good branding:

• You CAN overdo it. Stay balanced.
• Not knowing what to do is no excuse. Work it out.
• Keep is classy (simple is always a good place to start).
• Think like a client buying art (what do they see?).

I’m not the final word on this, but I think my experiences have taught me a lot. My ideas may change in the future as I’m always analyzing, listening and trying things. I still have plenty to learn. What does not change however is that branding and name recognition is critical and if you ignore it you’re just wasting precious time because you’ll have to catch up sooner or later. Don’t panic about it. Finding your brand takes time. Just start thinking it thru and find a way that works for you.

Finally. I sell all my work as art. An 8×10 does not compete with a beautiful painting. But try that great image on a 30×40 canvas and the whole game changes. They’re in a whole other league and yes, clients will buy them. You can learn lots more about wall portrait selling and concepts in this article.

Good luck… Gav
Twitter