Attention To Detail
How I Sold a 20ft Fine Art Print was not an easy task at all. When it comes to making a sale with high end clients, the attention to detail and accommodating their needs can seem endless. There is a reason why these high end clients will work harder for a better price, better material, and get what they want. The reason why is that they hustled their whole lives to get where they are today. These clients are smart with their money and know how to make decisions that will benefit them. This big sale was hard work and stressful at times but it inspired me to hustle even harder for my business. This sale was not only a game changer for the bank account, but more importantly my mindset.
How My Client Found My Art
First question most artists will ask me is “how did your client find your art?”. I was honored to be a winner of “The 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest” This award boosted National and International sales for me as well as online traffic. As time went on, I put a little more focus on my social media marketing and maintaining my website. A priority for my business is publications. The more publications you receive, the more eyes will view your art! Over time, I built a relationship with National Geographic and had millions of people view my photography. My client saw an article of my work online and the rest was history. I was also ready to sign a deal with National Geographic to have my prints be sold in their galleries. Due to Covid, that dream was shattered. It was a blessing in disguise…
Process Of Making A Fine Art Sale
An email enquiry was the first point of contact with this client. They saw an article about me online and decided to reach out. Right off the bat, the client provided a photo of the wall that they wanted to install art on. This wall was not small at all. As a matter of fact, this wall would be the biggest I would have my work on, if the sale went through… Keep in mind, this is during the prime time effects of the pandemic. The client asked to provide a mock up of some of my images that could be produced as a 6ftx20ft panoramic acrylic print. I don’t know about you, but as an ocean photographer, panoramics were not my forte.
I always had a mentality in life to just go for it. Not only did I have to find an image that could fit that size, but I had to find a manufacturer that could produce museum grade prints for my clientele. I had one week to figure everything out. I hustled like never before and contacted every print company that I could find online. After a week of non stop phone calls and emails, the winner was Artisan HD. Not only do these folks produce top grade prints, their customer service is next level.
After a month of emailing and phone calls with my client, they agreed on the image “Zeus” to be tested out before they go with the purchase. This image captivated them in a different way and wanted to see if the image would be up to par for the installment. I decided to have Mike Goldner and the team at Artisan look over the image and test print some spots of the image. I shot “Zeus” with a Canon 1DX and a 100mm f2.8 lens. There will always be a debate about megapixels but if you have a good eye and composition, possibilities are endless for print. The Artisan team then took my file and added resolution to it for production. After multiple tests and more phone calls, the sale was made!
Production Of My Fine Art Print
The printing production of my fine art print took a little over two weeks. The team at Artisan did a great job at communicating with me and showing progress photos along the way. The team printed my image on Fuji Flex Crystal Archive Paper and mounted it on a Tru Life Acrylic face. The Fuji Flex Crystal Archive Paper has a high-gloss finish which adds depth and richness to make my image look almost 3D. The paper also adapts to light which can be mind blowing! The Tru Life Acrylic is a museum grade acrylic that prevents glare and displays art as its true self.
While Artisan was hard at work, the client had to hire a professional team to install this beast. Timing was everything so I had to make sure all was well with both sides of the spectrum. After the Artisan team was done printing, they had to mount the paper to the acrylic. This process is tedious and can take some time. The back of the prints have a museum grade mount with z clips which make installation easier. There were a total of five panels for this project and the client wanted to link them together with no spaces. Mike at Artisan decided to come up with a concept and make a custom adhesive mount so that the prints can be united as one.
After production, we had to pray that the prints would make it in one piece after shipping. Thankfully, the prints came in one piece and the installation process started. To give you an idea of what had to be done, check out below the scaffolds that were set up by the installation team. After the installation of the print was done, lighting was installed by a professional as well. Total process from start to finish of this project was three months!
I encourage all of you artists and entrepreneurs to take your mindset to another level with yourselves! Step out of your comfort zone and hustle as hard as you can. Having fun while you do that can make it even better. I appreciate my clientele and would not be where I am today without them.
