FEATURE  -  AUSTRALIAN COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

JULY/AUGUST 1999

Fame and Gain through Exhibiting

Alison Holland puts the exhibiting angle on marketing photography in a shrinking globe.

Lunching in Los Angeles recently with Australian Internet powerbroker Chris O'Hanlon, we discussed the cautiousness of photographers who cling to image rights rather than maximise self-promotion of their hero shots' popularity and their name.

O'Hanlon believes you can't be precious when it comes to parading your work to grab your 15 minutes of fame.  As barriers in the electronic and publishing world break down, views of marketing are expanding.  O'Hanlon suggests employing any opportunity you can to gain invaluable exposure for your work - even if it means giving away images for free.

O'Hanlon, described as "the intellectual Oprah of the Net", is the founder and Executive Chairman of Spike Wireless, one of the world's leading exponents in entertainment-driven website development consultancies.  O'Hanlon worked as a photojournalist for “The New York Times” before finding his niche, and setting up the first Internet services company established by designers rather than technologists.

Through changing demographics and new technologies, more Australian photographers are keen to capture a slice of international market share and turn their work into an investment.  Marketing is paramount to secure professional recognition and success.

Many 'traditional' marketing methods are similar to hits on the Internet.  The more hits, the better your campaign and returns.  Two of the avenues photographers can employ to gain interest for their work overseas while still living in Australia are staging exhibitions or publishing in books, cards, calendars, and posters. Some photographic trends are more marketable than others, so one image may translate to any number of mediums.

In her book “Photography for the Art Market”, author Kathryn Marx believes that "the odds are in favour of the artists who are encouraged by respected sources - having a dealer, gallery, publisher, or museum behind them increases the chances that their work will be accepted - and who persist, and persist, and persist".

As a photographic art dealer representing a number of Australians I have initially targeted the US market.  My directive has been to gain more exposure for Australian photography overseas, broaden opportunities in this increased market and tailor an awareness campaign for our wealth of talent.

New York is the epicentre of commercial art galleries - with an approximate ratio of six photography exhibitions in Sydney against 120 galleries in New York showing photography in any given week.  Over the past 10 years a strong industry has been building in Los Angeles to rival NY.  This stems from the entertainment industry where LA-ers have a voracious appetite for the new and make stars of their contemporary artists.

Galleries diversify and evolve with the exploration of photographic styles.  With no definition needed to divide art practices, in the US the debate over whether photography is art is now defunct. The difference between commercial and "fine-art" photography is purely determined by the assignment and
the photographer's craft.

Galleries can help you establish your name, enhance your reputation, help you find your public and let them find you.  The three essential exhibiting figures are a dealer/curator, a collector, and a photographer.  In this there are two types of galleries.  The first is a commercial dealership and the second style is more risk-taking, showing "unconventional" or provocative work that is set out to expose rather than deal.  For a gallery to take you on for an exhibition or in their stock room, they will want to see quality, conviction and commitment to your work in order for them to invest time, space and money.

It is the commercial gallery's role to define what is marketable and distinguish work that is saleable.  In the specialised US market, this does not mean that one work is necessarily any better than another, nor is a photographer's self expression judged by those terms.  Dealers are interested in work that shows a creater's intelligence through a visually compelling image, along with passion, and a sense that it has a place in the history of photography.

In Australia, when a photographer expresses a desire and drive to sell their artwork commercially, it is often thought that the creative element is secondary. In shedding this idea we acknowledge how sales, whether for personal or financial investment, indicate a photograph's increased value thus giving creative satisfaction and the financial impetus to create further works.

Marketing your photography to a US audience takes careful strategic planning and often fly-by-your-pants instinct.  Firstly you may come across a preconceived knowledge base (conscious or unconscious) that Americans already have of Australian people and talent.  Their concentration on themselves is natural, yet they generally are immediately keen to see what you have to offer.  This is due to their unique position at the centre of the biggest international photographic market, so curators get to see the best.

Many Australians lend towards the understated English politeness (or laidback attitude) as opposed to the US style of self-promotion, and those who break into this arena tend to quickly pick up new communication skills.  You do not have to get on the end of a loud-hailer, but North Americans love a strong personality and respond to frankness, openness and accessibility.

Personality is a key factor, as would attest Adelaide photographer, Andrew Dunbar whose "live performance" during a 1997 group exhibition opening at the G. Ray Hawkins Gallery in Los Angeles led to a 1998 solo show in 1998 at the influential and important Hawkins Gallery.

At the opening of "The Painted Body" in LA, Dunbar and bodypainting artist Anthony Chiappin wowed audiences, stealing the limelight from photographs of fellow exhibitors, including Annie Liebovitz, Greg Gorman, Diane Arbus, and Man Ray.  Three out of the four 30x40-inch Cibachromes they were exhibiting sold that evening for US$2,500 each.

"We did a performance with bodypainting and photography, making up five models as the stamen of a flower. I was up a ladder shooting with a 4x5 camera directing well known people like the editor of Vanity Fair, getting them to point their bottoms to the centre, touching their toes radiating around the flower. This was a marketing exercise in itself, showing how we could work under complicated conditions coherently and communicate effectively all the while making entertainment.

"I've learnt to be more expressive on a social level. It may feel like slapping yourself on the back, or name dropping - but in the US you've got to do it, and I have no qualms in speaking the truth when it's to my advantage.

"My motivation is to do my personal work alongside my commercial business, so one day I can make money from my art photography.  Showing in LA was like a dream, but if you don't accept it for real and use it to your advantage, no one else will." Dunbar now has several LA agents keen to book him to shoot celebrity portraits - in his own unique style.

G. Ray Hawkins sells investment photography, dealing with art collectors, buyers, museums and galleries. At that level of art dealing, selling is a credibility issue, and can take away from the photography so the work appears  secondary to a reputation.  Hawkins is selling the future of a photograph, which is why Dunbar now works even harder to utilise his marketing skills and increase his credibility.

"I feel an obligation to the gallery to do as much supportive marketing as possible, it can't be a one way street and you have to be seen to be doing your job.  This includes dealing with the media and networking.  Sending exhibition invitations to heads of companies, potential sponsors and curators to help gain exposure of my name.  If they do come, it's a bonus."

To independently secure commercial work or break into the art photography market takes careful research, well-organised marketing and confidence.  US dealers have shown encouraging interest towards Australian photographers' work, although they have seen very little. Photographers representing their own work will often be asked to firstly send slides with a biography and description via post.  A response may take several months and given the number of galleries, it can initially be an expensive hit and miss venture if sending from Australia.

Finding a US gallery suited to your work may take a long time. Before sending anything, try to make a reconnaissance trip researching gallery styles, location, clientele and stable of artists (if appropriate).  Further communication will only happen when the gallery wishes to discuss your work further. Additional research upon your return can be via the Internet as many galleries are now online.

Take a portfolio and business cards on the research trip.  Galleries have a variety of ways to review photography.  Some galleries have strict guidelines and will only review prints (usually 16 x 20) of the photographers' most recent work, although work sent from overseas will generally be viewed as slides (called chromes in the US).

Collect as much marketing and promotional material as you can carry from gallery visits, to enter into a contact database before sending any material.  Visit museum gift shops to collect information on companies that print and distribute cards, jigsaws, shower curtains and other exciting marketing paraphernalia.

Galleries may book up to three years in advance, with an intensive combined marketing strategy taking up to six months. Details will include producing images for media press release.  Principally they take work for solo or group exhibitions or gauge image popularity and sales through their stock room, usually selling at 50 per cent commission.  Variables on pricing structure include the photographer's background and experience, but you should expect better prices than the 'breakeven' figures in Australia.

Most dealers recommend dealing in limited editions, say 20 to 25 in the one size, with prices increasing by 15 per cent increments every 4th or 5th print sold.  "Once this edition is sold, no more prints should be available unless the photographer, the dealer and the collectors agree on a new limited edition in another size.  A negative is rarely destroyed, even for limited editions," says Marx.

Again, it is often your personality and whom you meet that can help formulate  your contact base and get your foot in the door.  In gallery circles, a preferable first meeting is generated by an introduction from a peer: someone you met at a function (where a smart and eye catching business card works well) and fellow curators in particular. In New York, a well-respected private collector and curator afforded me the opportunity to use his name to contact the International Centre of Photography and Aperture Gallery.  This was my third attempt to set up meetings, but being armed with a key contact, meant both galleries promptly saw me the next day.

With technology working in our favour it is unlikely Kathryn Marx would now say that "Helmut Newton would not have found a public for his visceral style had he stayed in Australia".

Dunbar's career spans continents as he continues to live in Australia. "I need that global market to make a go of it, but it takes a lot of time.  I have no illusions about what it takes or money I have to pay for the privilege, but it can be frustrating - just as photography is a craft that you can't learn in a lifetime."

After establishing a base of supporters, publisher and a gallery dealer in the US, Dunbar says the key to fulfilling long-term goals and pushing new boundaries is to keep up research and constant communication. "You need to continually keep on the campaign trail. In the US, marketing and public awareness is paramount to what you do as a photographer."

Alison Holland is conducting a three-part lecture series titled 'How to Be an Exhibitionist' in August 1999 at the Newtown Theatre, Sydney.  Subjects include:

• Publicity and Promotions: Exposing your Exhibition or Event,
• Art and Photographic Exhibition Curation,
• Securing Sponsorships and Exhibiting on the Internet.

  For details email:
  info@commissionaire.net or refer to Online Biography/Lecture Information - Website

  pic 1 @Cap:Exhibition invitation from Dunbar's group exhibition in LA.
  pic 2 @Cap:Dunbar has been prolific in terms of marketing and self-promotional activities. His latest exhibition is at the State Library of New South Wales until August 8, 1998.
  pic 3 @Cap::Aaaaah, 1997.  Image from Dunbar's solo exhibition at G. Ray Hawkins Gallery which was also used in a series of promotional greetings cards.
  pic 4 @Cap: Hoot, Hoot, 1997. From the series, “New Body of Art” exhibited in LA at G. Ray Hawkins Gallery.