Street Photography

Here’s a nice article on the aPhotoEditor blog about a photographer who took his pictures onto the street – and sold them: New Ideas In Photography – Rob Hann.

I’ve seen a few photographers doing this in London, where I think you do have to get a licence and pay for a pitch, so the economics may be somewhat different. Most of those I’ve seen in London are very much aimed at tourists who want something a little different from the standard tourist stuff, but I’ve seen some nice photography at times.

I suspect that it’s rather quirky work that sells best, and over-dramatised landscape of well-known places. It isn’t something I’ve ever felt tempted to do and I doubt if my work would sell well.

But it would probably pay better than working through agencies for the press. People are always surprised when I tell them how little I get for my pictures – a few months ago I worked out that the average repro fee (or at least my 50% or less of it) that I’m now getting was around £16. Partly that’s because so much is now just online, partly because I think I’m doing very badly out of having some of my pictures used on a subscription basis.

I do occasionally sell prints, but not from a barrow. Anyone can buy decent quality prints of any of the pictures I post on the web – details are here.  And I occasionally sell the odd one or two when I exhibit work, at gallery prices which are around 3 times those web prices. I suspect on a street stall I’d have to sell considerably more cheaply than on the web.

 

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