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If your wealthy enough to buy the a fore mentioned, stop reading and buy something. Yes, I want collectors, new and experienced, to buy my photographs, and as many as possible. You'll love them! I own hundreds and I think their great. But why buy a work from an unknown? If you're thinking of buying as an investment, don't bother. (I haven't made much, yet) You're better off playing the stock market, buy low and sell high. Not to say my work won't be worth something in the future. But how many years after the passing of an artist, do his works command high resale values, if ever? Most will recommend buying from a reputable dealer and that is certainly sound advice. You can rely on their expertise to determine what is and what is not art, that the artist himself is reputable, and they should have an inventory of various artists to suit your tastes. The alternative, you can strike out on your own, independently, with the freedom of an artist to choose the works you like, that express, reflect your tastes, being your own critic, connoisseur, discoverer of the unknown. To become a budding photography collector is almost like being an aspiring artist, you grow with time and experience as to what to buy, what your preferences and tastes are. The best place to start is the library, in the photography section, where there are many books featuring various noted photographers. Go through as many as possible, taking your time to determine what styles you like, landscapes, figures, cityscapes, journalistic, black and white versus color. You should be able to develop a feel for what good, fine art photography should look like, the quality of print, contrast, composition, what a certain style says to you and what you would want hanging on your walls. The other place is the great equalizer, the Internet. When looking at fine photography on the Internet, remember that books and original prints look far superior. Internet files need to be of sufficiently small size so they can load quickly in your browser, and the quality suffers. However, the visual impact of the image should come through, even on a web site. If not, then it really won't with the original in hand. Make sure the photographer covers the basics of the craft. For black and white prints, they should include terms like; individually hand printed, fiber based paper, selenium toning, archival processing for permanency and longevity, mounting on museum rag board, signed and numbered by the artist. Color prints should also include terms like Ilfochrome/Cibachrome prints. These are the most stable color prints available and are guaranteed not to fade if properly handled and displayed. There is controversy over digital prints versus conventional, which is another subject all together. Generally, digital prints are not as brilliant and their longevity still in question. I am not saying to avoid them, just make sure you know what you're buying. Will buying my photographs make you, tout-de-suit, rich? No, absolutely not. At least, probably not in my lifetime. But that is not the reason to buy fine photography. Unless of course, you can afford the long gone great masters such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Strand etc, etc. But like the stock market, you have to buy low and sell high and there are no guarantees a vintage AA will appreciate in value from whence you bought. No, you buy because an image talks to you, acts like a mirror, reflecting a part of your soul and spirit, known or something new. You buy works to display, admire, enjoy, and inspire you. If over time an artist does become internationally known, then the big payoff will be the satisfaction of being the discoverer of the unknown, the undiscovered. Of course, the money would be nice too.
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