As photographers, we like to believe that we are artists. Many of us are using the moniker "photographic artist" on our cards, signs, and letterhead.
Starting decades ago, creative darkroom techniques, in complement with the camera, gave us the option to create photo art. But it was unusual for a portrait or commercial photographer to mix personal work with client work. Photography for the sake of art was not to be confused with photography for clients. Photojournalists were more likely to practice a "pure" photographic purpose, presenting the world and manipulating nothing. As we now know, although news and editorial images were meant to be published and forgotten, decades later many of those photographs became collectible works of art, now trading at amazing prices.
Our workflow today, with a combination of the camera and the computer, gives us even more tools to create artistic photographs. Fine art can be created in two forms for your business. One is the "commissioned" fine art that you produce for your clients. The other is the work created for yourself in your free time. However, the two can work in synergy to raise the value of your work.
Beautiful, finished photography for your clients is essential to create a unique style, to differentiate your work from that of others. Between the choices you make in taking the image, to the way you manipulate that image in post production, your final photograph will look like something only you produced. If you select certain images for additional, artistic work, using filters and other tools, you can create a client product that really looks like a work of art and that has a perceived higher value.
If you really are an artist, in your spare time you are probably creating works that are for your own enjoyment, for your decor, or perhaps for a collection or book. These personal projects can go a long way in not only promoting your brand, but they can become a valuable stream of revenue for your studio. Many photographers are catching on to this dual benefit to personal works and creating fine art divisions, with their works priced for direct sale.
When your clients perceive that you are an accomplished artist, with spectacular works of fine art on your walls (not including beautiful prints of clients), you will dramatically increase your sales and revenues. You can price your art work appropriately, and sell it in limited editions and in several sizes. Leveraging your personal fine art, the value of your privately commissioned portrait work will go up dramatically.
Another fabulous option that you have today is the press printed photo book. If you have the right lab/printer, you can print a spectacular photo book with 40 to 100 of your best personal work art images. Keep a copy on your sales table, with the wedding books. Put it in your client's hands and ask them to look through it, as you proudly share with them stories about your passion. The key is to create a superbly printed photo book that looks like one which they could easily find at a book store. And the bigger the better. Let them know it's for sale, but don't quote a price unless they ask. Keep several copies handy for immediate sale. The profit margin on these books may be negligible, but the effect they have on the client's mindset can be enormous. Another idea would be to include the book free, as a surprise, when a client gives you a worthy sale.
A "published" fine art book, personal works of photography displayed on your walls, and exquisitely mounted large samples of you images for clients, all in combination, will speak to the client's sensibilities and dramatically boost the value of their orders.