2024 12 12
I often wonder how my life would be today had a few things played out slightly differently. Specifically, had I decided early on in my photography career to pursuit the path of art instead of (selling out and focusing on) commercial work. Selling prints was always wildly intimidating and confusing to me, so I much preferred to do an assignment, deliver the images, and be done with it. Figuring out how to print images, ship images, price images, sell imagesā¦ that wasnāt for me. The art world was a scary place and I felt like I was an imposter being in it.
Flash forward a few decades and here I am now, figuring out how to print images, ship images, price imagesā¦ and sell images? I am learning to become an art photographer, in addition to my main gig as commercial photographer, and let me tell you: it is not easy!
I have many more thoughts and takeaways I plan to put into a larger blog piece at some point, however, wanted to share a few quick insights while they are fresh on my mind, having just participated in a holiday market with my table full of prints for sale over the weekend (I sold three prints!).
The biggest challenge is: people do not like to spend money on photography! Of course, there are exceptions, however, I think photography has always been sort of the ugly step child of the art world. Paying for a picture seems weird to most people compared to say, paying for a drawing someone made, then photographed, then reprinted a bunch of copies of to sell. Iāve been focusing on a limited-edition series Iāve dubbed The Camera You Have and the three main goals are:
Keep the images fun, light, and loose. Things that people might want to hang on a wall in their home opposed to tucking away in some drawer to save as an āinvestmentā. Conversation pieces. Images with a story. Put out new images fairly regularly. There are now sixteen in the series.
Make the images affordable ā without compromising quality! Iāve bought some prints from galleries in the past and have been immediately turned off by the clear indication they were bought en masse from Costco. Iām now printing all the images I sell myself, to ensure the quality is where I want it to be. Of course, this takes time. I think, as photographers, we really need to go above and beyond to differentiate ourselves as worthy artists.
Do small runs and make them limited edition to give them a bit more of a special appeal (I still do feel like limited editions are a bit of a gimmick, but I reluctantly also like that at adds some quantity control). I love the idea of dropping a new image and having it sell out, then moving on to something new (none of the sixteen are sold out yet, however, one of them has just one measly print remaining!). I donāt want to be pumping out the same few images for the rest of my life.
While I think I have succeeded in the first objective, Iām getting pushback on the second and therefore failing at the third.
The consistent pushback I got at the market, either directly or through facial expressions, was that even my most affordable option of $99 is out the many peopleās price range. Of course, the most obvious remedy is to focus on a different target market. Go big, limit where Iām showing to ālegitā galleries not holiday markets and coffee shops, become a mysterious with a big following, and sell to collectors who have money. This is kinda-sorta-maybe my longer term plan, however, right now Iām in the have-fun-and-figure-this-out phase and I honestly love the idea of selling more work to more people for less money, while also making sure I am benefiting enough financially to keep the whole effort worthwhile. This is the hard part!
This morning, I woke up from a stress dream with a new idea on how to make the smaller 8x10 editions even more affordable. Previously, Iād been using $99 as my lowest offering, but I may increase the number of prints offered and lower the price on those for future editions. Really, I just want to move more prints!
Iāve been joking with people lately that booking $100k+ budget commercial projects is far easier than selling $99 photography prints to strangers. Thereās a lot of truth to this, but itās also a world I am not yet versed in and learning from the ground up. Finding any audience at all is a big part of the challenge and I donāt have massive social audiences to tap into like many photographers who successfully sell prints do. Every single one of my sales so far has taken place from an interaction in the real world, either directly or via my prints hanging in a physical location.
One of the biggest motivating forces pushing me ahead is that I really just want to print more! Iāve really been enjoying it, however, Iām now also developing an inventory, which gets expensive, and Iād love to move some of these things before adding more and more to the pile.
After a year (or two?) of casually pushing my prints, I just added up my total sales for the first time, and I gotta say Iām rather impressed!
Twenty-Six (26) total prints totaling roughly $5,200
On the flip side, Iāve spent well over $10,000 at this point on getting prints made and framed, followed by purchasing a nice printer and lots of paper and ink. So yeah, weāre still not turning a profit, but itās been an enjoyable side hustle. Buy a print of mine, wonāt you? Iāve still yet to sell one to a stranger on the internet. It could be you!
-Clayton
My future photography store? Ocean City, Maryland. August, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
I often wonder how my life would be today had a few things played out slightly differently. Specifically, had I decided early on in my photography career to pursuit the path of art instead of (selling out and focusing on) commercial work. Selling prints was always wildly intimidating and confusing to me, so I much preferred to do an assignment, deliver the images, and be done with it. Figuring out how to print images, ship images, price images, sell imagesā¦ that wasnāt for me. The art world was a scary place and I felt like I was an imposter being in it.
Flash forward a few decades and here I am now, figuring out how to print images, ship images, price imagesā¦ and sell images? I am learning to become an art photographer, in addition to my main gig as commercial photographer, and let me tell you: it is not easy!
The biggest challenge is: people do not like to spend money on photography! Of course, there are exceptions, however, I think photography has always been sort of the ugly step child of the art world. Paying for a picture seems weird to most people compared to say, paying for a drawing someone made, then photographed, then reprinted a bunch of copies of to sell. Iāve been focusing on a limited-edition series Iāve dubbed The Camera You Have and the three main goals are:
Keep the images fun, light, and loose. Things that people might want to hang on a wall in their home opposed to tucking away in some drawer to save as an āinvestmentā. Conversation pieces. Images with a story. Put out new images fairly regularly. There are now sixteen in the series.
Make the images affordable ā without compromising quality! Iāve bought some prints from galleries in the past and have been immediately turned off by the clear indication they were bought en masse from Costco. Iām now printing all the images I sell myself, to ensure the quality is where I want it to be. Of course, this takes time. I think, as photographers, we really need to go above and beyond to differentiate ourselves as worthy artists.
Do small runs and make them limited edition to give them a bit more of a special appeal (I still do feel like limited editions are a bit of a gimmick, but I reluctantly also like that at adds some quantity control). I love the idea of dropping a new image and having it sell out, then moving on to something new (none of the sixteen are sold out yet, however, one of them has just one measly print remaining!). I donāt want to be pumping out the same few images for the rest of my life.
While I think I have succeeded in the first objective, Iām getting pushback on the second and therefore failing at the third.
The consistent pushback I got at the market I participated in over the weekend, either directly or through facial reactions, was that even my most affordable option of $99 is out of many peopleās budget. Of course, the most obvious remedy is to focus on a different target market. Go big, limit where Iām showing to ālegitā galleries only and not holiday markets and coffee shops, become a mysterious artist with a big following, and sell to collectors who have money. This is kinda-sorta-maybe my longer term plan, however, right now Iām in the have-fun-and-figure-this-out phase and I honestly love the idea of selling more work to more people for less money, while also making sure I am benefiting enough financially to keep the whole effort worthwhile. This is the hard part!
This morning, I woke up from a stress dream with a new idea on how to make the smaller 8x10 editions even more affordable. Previously, Iād been using $99 as my lowest offering, but I may increase the number of prints offered and lower the price on those for future editions. Really, I just want to move more damn prints!
Iāve been joking with people lately that booking $100k+ budget commercial projects is far easier than selling $99 photography prints to strangers. Thereās a lot of truth to this, but largely itās a world I am not yet versed in and learning from the ground up. Finding any audience at all is a big part of the challenge and I donāt have massive social followings to tap into like many photographers who successfully sell prints do. Every single one of my sales so far has taken place from an interaction in the real world, either directly or via my prints hanging in a physical location.
One of the biggest motivating forces pushing me ahead is that I really just want to print more! Iāve really been enjoying it, however, Iām now also developing an inventory, which gets expensive, and Iād love to move some of these things before adding more and more to the pile.
After a year (or two?) of casually pushing my prints, I just added up my total sales for the first time, and I gotta say Iām rather impressed!
Twenty-Six (26) total prints sold, totaling roughly $5,200
On the flip side, Iāve spent well over $10,000 at this point on getting prints made and framed (before I started to do it myself), followed by purchasing a nice printer and lots of paper and ink. So yeah, weāre still not turning a profit in the print shop, but itās been an enjoyable (while wildly challenging) side hustle. Buy a print of mine, wonāt you? Iāve still yet to sell one to a stranger on the internet. It could be you!
-Clayton
2024 12 02
Seems like weāre due for another Life Update Monday around here. Itās been a while. As always, I use this blog primarily as a space for me to think and practice writing. Honestly, after close to a year of doing this every day, Iām happy with the results so far! That said, this year has also been a blur. Iām clearly taking on too much and doing too many different things. While mostly by design, Iām aware itās not sustainable and plan to scale back on my ambitions next year, while hopefully focusing on less things simultaneously.
Today, I woke up to a social media post that hit me:
Nietzsche describes 3 modern vices:
ļ»æļ»æļ»æOverwork. To be constantly busy is self-negation. It betrays "a will to forget" oneself.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æCuriosity. Vague curiosity about everything, without deep obsessions, goes nowhere.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æSympathy. Sympathy for all = a refusal to rank good and bad.
Iām definitely guilty of numbers one and two and generally agree with his assessment of their negative aspects. These next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind, as I have a number of studio events going on (including a holiday market I organized happening this Saturday!) and multiple photo shoots (some my own, including a large four-day shoot, along with others where I play the role of studio manager). Picking priorities and ensuring the most important tasks donāt get neglected is critical, but of course, many of the less important details are going to get put off. My printing, side projects, a holiday party, bartending, Illinois Project, reading, photo editing, website updating, blogging, film screenings, portrait sessions, all will have to wait until next year.
Bigger picture, a big takeaway Iāve had from this yearās chaos was that I love running a photo studio space, largely for reasons that donāt even involve photo shoots: hosting and planning events, collaborating with fun and interesting people, community. Itās a ton of work and exhausting, but nevertheless fills me with purpose and inspiration. The big challenge is figuring out how to make an event space sustainable financially.
Ideally, I can continue to focus my time and energy on these things, while also keeping my love for photography in the forefront. I continually look at places like Baltimore Photo Space as inspiration and plan to pursuit some hybrid entity that combines all the things See You Soon already is, while making it more focused on photography as an art form, which I continue to think is wildly underrated.
I realize this is all quite vague, and thatās because it is and will continue to be a work in progress, and there are still lots of questions to be answered. This post, I hope, will serve as a reminder to myself that I canāt neglect focusing inward and giving my own voice a space to talk. Whatever becomes of See You Soon will be best guided by following my own interests and excitement and not by attempting to copy something that exists elsewhere.
-Clayton
Baltimore Photo Space. Photo Books Inside. Baltimore, Maryland. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Seems like weāre due for another Life Update Monday around here. Itās been a while. As always, I use this blog primarily as a space for me to think and practice writing. Honestly, after close to a year of doing this every day, Iām happy with the results so far! That said, this year has also been a blur. Iām clearly taking on too much and doing too many different things. While mostly by design, Iām aware itās not sustainable and plan to scale back on my ambitions next year, while hopefully focusing on less things simultaneously.
Today, I woke up to a social media post that hit me:
Nietzsche describes 3 modern vices:
ļ»æļ»æļ»æOverwork. To be constantly busy is self-negation. It betrays "a will to forget" oneself.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æCuriosity. Vague curiosity about everything, without deep obsessions, goes nowhere.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æSympathy. Sympathy for all = a refusal to rank good and bad.
Iām definitely guilty of numbers one and two and generally agree with his assessment of their negative aspects. These next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind, as I have a number of studio events going on (including a holiday market I organized happening this Saturday!) and multiple photo shoots (some my own, including a large four-day shoot, along with others where I play the role of studio manager). Picking priorities and ensuring the most important tasks donāt get neglected is critical, but of course, many of the less important details are going to get put off. My printing, side projects, a holiday party, bartending, Illinois Project, reading, photo editing, website updating, blogging, film screenings, portrait sessions, all will have to wait until next year.
Bigger picture, a big takeaway Iāve had from this yearās chaos was that I love running a photo studio space, largely for reasons that donāt even involve photo shoots: hosting and planning events, collaborating with fun and interesting people, community. Itās a ton of work and exhausting, but nevertheless fills me with purpose and inspiration. The big challenge is figuring out how to make an event space sustainable financially.
Ideally, I can continue to focus my time and energy on these things, while also keeping my love for photography in the forefront. I continually look at places like Baltimore Photo Space as inspiration and plan to pursuit some hybrid entity that combines all the things See You Soon already is, while making it more focused on photography as an art form, which I continue to think is wildly underrated.
I realize this is all quite vague, and thatās because it is and will continue to be a work in progress, and there are still lots of questions to be answered. This post, I hope, will serve as a reminder to myself that I canāt neglect focusing inward and giving my own voice a space to talk. Whatever becomes of See You Soon will be best guided by following my own interests and excitement and not by attempting to copy something that exists elsewhere.
-Clayton
2024 11 24
Did you know the roller coaster sound of a lift hill that plays while the iconic game RollerCoaster Tycoon loads up is from Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America? I worked at Great America and operated that ride for a few years. This year, in my current job as photographer, I also got to utilize a roller coaster while taking tourism photography in Ocean City, Maryland. While there, I met the owner of a roller coaster and thought to myself: this very well could be me in a few more decades.
-Clayton
Roller coaster towers over the bus station. Ocean City, Maryland. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Did you know the roller coaster sound of a lift hill that plays while the iconic game RollerCoaster Tycoon loads up is from Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America? I worked at Great America and operated that ride for a few years. This year, in my current job as photographer, I also got to utilize a roller coaster while taking tourism photography in Ocean City, Maryland. While there, I met the owner of a roller coaster and thought to myself: this very well could be me in a few more decades.
-Clayton
2024 10 16
Sadly, Iām here to announce the end of this here blog. While we didnāt quite hit our goal of one year of continuous daily blogging, I think we should be proud of the two-hundred and eighty some odd days we did complete!
For those of you who are curious about why the sudden end is necessary, let me explain. Today I was offered a job I couldnāt say no to. The Listerine company has a viral marketing division and Iāve accepted the role of clandestine marketer for the Chicago region. Basically, my job will be to attend six to ten karaoke events nightly and sing Bushās hit song āGlycerineā, while humorously swapping out the title word for that of my new employer, Americaās best mouthwash brand, Listerine. Perks of the job include free mouth mash and one draft beer at each location to help me blend in with the crowd. Iām excited for the opportunity to push the Listerine brand forward and help America keep our teeth looking sparkly clean. Also, if youād be so kind to follow my TikTok account @BushMegaFanG, I would super appreciate it. If I get a post to go viral, I get really nice job perks, such as lunch with the CEO at Applebeeās or additional drink tickets, which I can also trade in for their cash value if I decide not to consume the alcohol and instead sneak a decoy beer container into the bar to appear like a regular customer.
Anyway. Thanks so much for stopping by and Iāll see you at karaoke!!
-BushMegaFanG
Bar whoopsie. Ocean City, Maryland. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Sadly, Iām here to announce the end of this here blog. While we didnāt quite hit our goal of one year of continuous daily blogging, I think we should be proud of the two-hundred and eighty some odd days we did complete!
For those of you who are curious about why the sudden end is necessary, let me explain. Today I was offered a job I couldnāt say no to. The Listerine company has a viral marketing division and Iāve accepted the role of clandestine marketer for the Chicago region. Basically, my job will be to attend six to ten karaoke events nightly and sing Bushās hit song āGlycerineā, while humorously swapping out the title word for that of my new employer, Americaās best mouthwash brand, Listerine. Perks of the job include free mouth mash and one draft beer at each location to help me blend in with the crowd. Iām excited for the opportunity to push the Listerine brand forward and help America keep our teeth looking sparkly clean. Also, if youād be so kind to follow my TikTok account @BushMegaFanG, I would super appreciate it. If I get a post to go viral, I get really nice job perks, such as lunch with the CEO at Applebeeās or additional drink tickets, which I can also trade in for their cash value if I decide not to consume the alcohol and instead sneak a decoy beer container into the bar to appear like a regular customer.
Anyway. Thanks so much for stopping by and Iāll see you at karaoke!!
-BushMegaFanG
2024 08 27
Caught a fish haul returning to dock while out scouting for our shoot. The boat set out at 3:30am and travelled seventy miles off shore. While this was a paid trip for tourists looking for a bit of deep-sea action, it was an interesting scene to encounter and got me thinking about how vastly complex our world is, and how typically these days most of our food ecosystem takes place behind the scenes and out of sight. We choose a number or place an order and minutes later, a hot fresh plate is waiting. I just had a chicken sandwich for dinner, and while seeing a few dozen dead fish on the dock is one thing, I canāt imagine what the equivalent scene would look like down the road at the chicken factory.
-Clayton
The end of the line for ole fishy. Ocean City, Maryland. August, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Caught a fish haul returning to dock while out scouting for our shoot. The boat set out at 3:30am and travelled seventy miles off shore. While this was a paid trip for tourists looking for a bit of deep-sea action, it was an interesting scene to encounter and got me thinking about how vastly complex our world is, and how typically these days most of our food ecosystem takes place behind the scenes and out of sight. We choose a number or place an order and minutes later, a hot fresh plate is waiting. I just had a chicken sandwich for dinner, and while seeing a few dozen dead fish on the dock is one thing, I canāt imagine what the equivalent scene would look like down the road at the chicken factory.
-Clayton