Yesterday I made my first sale from the Heidi's exhibit! Several of my photos have been on display at a downtown Denver Heidi's Deli since August. Marty, the store owner, requested I hang landscape photos to get some exposure for my business. Oddly enough though, the only sale I've made is of the portrait shown above, "Teri's Rose." Guess that goes to show that my portrait specialization is what I should stick with. :)
Thank you Lolly for making my first official sale at the deli. Lolly works at the deli. When her husband came into the deli, he immediately fell in love with the image. He told Lolly that if she got him anything for Christmas, it HAD to be that print! Lolly purchased it and plans to get it framed for their anniversary. Some might argue that one sale in five months is hardly something to be celebrated, but I disagree.
I was grinning from ear to ear! A part of me still can't believe that someone would want to buy something I have photographed, especially when the economy is tight. I felt honored. And I noticed that nearly all of my business cards have disappeared, which means I may have potential clients call me later when they need photographic services. Lolly told me that she makes sure to tell all of the customers who pick up my card that I specialize in portraits. I even went down to the deli for lunch one day and saw a customer reading over my postcard while she was eating. With so many other photographers vying for customers in the Denver metro area (and believe me, there are hundreds), any positive exposure you can get gives you just that much of a leg up.
I've been thinking that I want to liven up the display by changing out the images with new Denver-centric landscapes I've taken since August. Participating in all of these group shoots has given me the chance to add some great new photos, including this lovely night shot of the Denver Art Museum.
My instructor and colleague Armando Martinez suggested, though, that if I want to let customers know I specialize in portraits, then I should be hanging up portraits in the deli. I will talk to Marty to see if he's interested in that.
4 comments:
Congratulations. BTW, love that shot of downtown in post. As for displaying portraits, maybe see if you could do a portrait of the owner, or kids, or grandkids. Something that ties to the deli but still shows of those portrait skills.
Thanks Mark. That's a very good idea. The store owner also suggested that I display one larger portrait piece every week with a sign saying that I specialize in portraits.
Congratulations! The pictures on your site are fantastic! Have you thought of trying to sell rights for businesses to use them on their websites?
I have been contacted in the past for use of my images for a magazine, but I don't know how to contact businesses to see if they would want them for their websites. Do you have some specific companies in mind, or can tell me how to go about this, I would really appreciate it!
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