Photographic Artists

As photographers, we all invest pretty heavily into our craft in an effort to stay relevant and unique in a world of growing talent.   Staying on top of our game, while maintaining a business is an exhilarating challenge.  Increasingly, photographers are conducting high end in person sales (IPS) sessions to help clients see the value to beautiful products, from albums to canvases.   As the market increasing saturates, it's critical to maintain a compelling selection of profitable product lines. 

Enter, the photographic artisan. 

Let's face it, you can't do it all.   Increasingly, we can out-source to terrific retouching sites (such as Evolve or Retouch-Up) which is a huge time saver.  However, collaborating with a photographic artisan can enhance your already beautiful images into stunning works of art that increase the value of your products.  Imagine offering deluxe, one-of-a-kind, hand-rendered digital art to your client.

I had to opportunity to work with a very talented photographer, Michelle De La Vara.  Her work is absolutely beautiful. Notes Michelle, "As photographers, we are always wanting to offer our clients the best photography and products. Sometimes, I like to provide something special in addition to the photography I produce for my clients. Commissioning Irene Bowers to create a beautiful painting from one of my photos has been very successful. My clients have been overjoyed with receiving the unexpected." 

I love working with all people. As a photographer myself, I love bringing my knowledge as a photoshop artisan to other photographers and working with bringing their vision to life.   

So how does it work?

Quite simply, when you collaborate with a photographic artist, you are essentially purchasing their creative services and content.  When the file is delivered, the photographer can they incorporate it into whatever product they wish to sell, at whatever price.   It's a little like wholesaling an edited product! 

Before working with a photographic artisan, make sure that their portfolio is consistent.  Are they familiar with basic post-processing skills and compositing? Are they able to produce your created art in a timely manner?  (For the record, always allow a two-week turnover for high paint creations).  Are they easy to collaborate with? Do they share your vision? More importantly, do you trust theirs, as the artist. Quite often I will take the photographic component and run with it.   It is important to establish a relationship, if possible, to ensure consistent results. 

Working with Michelle has enabled us to create a several different images.  Following are some before and after images created as a result our collaboration.