View Full Version : Does anyone have any photos up in restaurants?
Hello,
I was recently asked by a friend who owns a French restaurant in Massachusetts for some of my photos from a trip to France. She wants to put them up in the bar section of the restaurant. Anyone here have any experience with this? What do I charge? I'm not looking to profit very much, for it's more about the gift to a friend as well as the enjoyment of simply having photos displayed.
Thanks,
-Sam
Around here, a lot of restaurants have photos and art on the walls, though the quality varies greatly. Each photo has a small card with the artist's name, details, and price for the piece. I would assume the restaurant would get a cut if anything sold. I think it could be a good way to get your name out there locally, if that's what you're trying to do.
back alley
07-08-2010, 10:38
the cost of printing and framing only...and stick your card up as lisa says.
David Hegar
07-08-2010, 10:45
Just eat up the cost of printing and framing.
Put a price tag and contact information while your photos are hanging there.
A couple of years ago, I was approached by some colleagues who were opening a new office. They wanted some artwork which represented the area. They had a bunch by a local pro, and I provided large square black and whites which occupied a whole wall in their office. I had intended to charge them for the processing and framing, but actually just gave it to them as a gift. That act fostered a lot of good will between our companies.
i own a frame shop and i've done a lot of restaurants. it's a great way to get your name out there, but make sure that your name is visible with each picture and if you have a website, make sure it's there too.
make the restaurant pay for the printing and framing, and don't let them skimp with those garbage ikea frames, if your stuff is framed cheaply it looks cheap.
i have a lot of artist clients who do this all the time and it's hit and miss for selling artwork. most of the time they sell nothing, but last summer i did a $10k framing job for a painter who was discovered in a cafe. they contacted her through her website and bought a few paintings for an office building. we both made a lot of money on that order.
i did another big framing job two years ago for a very expensive resort in Sausalito. my name and business name is on the wall, but i've never had a single client say they saw my work there. we got a lot of free publicity out of it though, so i guess it was worth it.
if you have any framing questions or if you want to check on price estimates, PM me.
bob
back alley
07-08-2010, 11:04
how embarassing, now i have to take down all my prints here at home (damn those cheap ikea frames)
lol. I actually do. There are like 3 places I know of that have my photos hanging on their wall as part of the restaurants reviews I had to do when I first started working at this newspaper.
Yeah there's no way I will absorb the costs for this project.
I am only going to do 5-8 prints for them (as I only have *roughly* that many that are good enough). I will get some small cards printed as well.
Bob, expect a PM from me when I know some more details. I may even use you to do the framing. It's a fancy place, so they will want nice frames I am sure.
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 11:39
I used to sell my prints in a gallery and I love printing and don’t mind framing so, yes I am going to have photographs up in a restaurant in the next 6 months. I had to postpone my opening date because of a back injury which kept me from doing any framing. Looking forward to it. I guess it would depend on the restaurant and the lighting somewhat. I wouldn’t want to hang my prints in the dark somewhere.
how embarassing, now i have to take down all my prints here at home (damn those cheap ikea frames)
i should have been more specific about ikea frames. they're fine for homes if they're put together correctly and cleaned regularly.
restaurants usually don't take much care to keep from nicking or dinging them before hanging them up. then they have housekeeping clean them with abrasive paper towels and industrial window cleaner that can de-laminate the black surface of the frame from the pressboard underneath.
no offense intended, i just know this part of the business pretty well.
bob
back alley
07-08-2010, 11:48
i was just giving ya the gears bob, no worries.
i buy ikea for the price and availability. i don't have to change out images when i want to hang new ones, i just buy more frames and insert new images. i like that they are always in stock as i only use one style, in black, just different sizes.
and yes, mine get gently dusted with a feather duster and are rarely moved.
would i love to have great frames for my mediocre images? oh yes, but not in the budget...
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 11:50
I will be doing my own hanging and taking down the show. It will be up for a month. I eat there quite often so I can kind of keep my eye on them in my case. It is risky having others store and hang framed images. They aren't often that careful about how they do it. You can expect a few scrached frames.
I will be doing my own hanging and taking down the show. It will be up for a month. I eat there quite often so I can kind of keep my eye on them in my case. It is risky having others store and hang framed images. They aren't often that careful about how they do it. You can expect a few scrached frames.
funny this thread showed up this week...
i had a customer come in last week who owns a bar in San Francisco. he had a local artist hang about 12 pieces in the bar and one of them was knocked off the wall and the frame was wrecked and the giclee was scratched.
the artist insisted on everything being replaced, costing him $350, and the artist was still angry about it.
so if you put anything in a restaurant, make sure they'll compensate you if it gets damaged. or better yet, write up a contract that says they will buy anything that gets damaged.
bob
A local Chinese/fusion restaurant has photos up, random SF homeless/street portraits, printed on Epson Archival paper, matted nicely, and framed in WalMart's higher end frames (they actually look fine), prices are $150-$250 or so.
How does one make money selling for the cost of printing and framing only, assuming that is an objective??
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 12:06
In the gallery where I showed my work it was all my risk. I was there several years and only had one scratched frame so I got off lucky. I did sell a fair amount of work. On another occasion I left 3 or 4 large prints for a condo opening. I had a contract for replacement value but nothing was damaged.
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 12:19
Many times you just have to accept the risk if you want to show your work. I do my own framing and use aluminum frames so it not much work or expense to replace a frame section on occasion. I look at it as part of the price of doing business. I don't do much any more. I like to have my work viewed sometimes but I really don't care if I sell anything any more. I just do it because I love doing it. I do recycle frames sometimes, remove a photograph and put a new one in the frame. I can keep new images on my walls without buying new frames all the time. Soon you run out of space.
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 12:55
It's really hard to make any money at this. You have to get into it in a very big way and have numorous outlets to show work or to sell your images to calendars or something. You just have to like doing it. Hopefully you get a little compensation in return or some recognition some way.
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 14:11
Yes, not to mention all the work. Save on film and maybe you could sell your camera or at least one of them. There is no end to the savings possibilities.
barnwulf
07-08-2010, 14:18
I for got the smiles :D:D
Like I said, I am not in it for the profit...
Freakscene
07-08-2010, 17:40
One of my best earners has been a photo that has been hung in a large chain cafe. I sell a dozen or so copies a year, at a very good (for me) rate. The main problem is that the custom B&W printer who printed them for me has retired and I'm going to have to do them myself now.
Marty
I was asked by the stuff of a restaurant in Sapporo, if I could take photos of the stuff at work and also some customers. The idea was to exhibit a selection of these photos inside the restaurant. Most were BW, some color. they didn`t want fancy frames but only the photos mounted on white sheets of carton.
They offered to pay me for the film / processing and printing costs but I didn`t want to take money for it so I had some very nice dinner there with my wife. :)
Carterofmars
08-23-2010, 18:54
I have a photo that hangs in a Pharmacy:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4736562939_06844ef11d_b.jpg
duncanhill
02-24-2011, 07:34
I've had photos in cafes and such before, chances of selling something are usually slim. It's still a great opportunity to have your stuff seen. Charge for the printing and frames, etc, but also factor in your time. Even if it is for a friend, they should understand that your time is valuable.
as of 6 weeks ago, i lend out my photos to several coffee houses . . . . they get free decor and i get an ego rush seeing my stuff hanging in public.
i eat the cost of printing, matting and framing (which i do myself) . . these are 8X10's only. . . i switch them out (or plan to ) every 8 weeks.
i stick my e-mail address and web page under the glass in case anyone decides they must buy a copy of the print.
i decided that bars and restaurants are not good places to hang my precious artworks ( ! ? sarcastic grin) ) as no one in those places actually looks at the stuff hanging on the walls.
I have stuff hanging in coffee places, never thought about selling them, just wanted to get them up. I did get somebody asking for copies, but didn't follow it up, felt a bit odd about it. Strange that.
Placement is key, nothing is more distracting from a photo at a restaurant whose glass is covered with ketchup and spilt soda.
Chriscrawfordphoto
03-04-2011, 11:28
i was just giving ya the gears bob, no worries.
i buy ikea for the price and availability. i don't have to change out images when i want to hang new ones, i just buy more frames and insert new images. i like that they are always in stock as i only use one style, in black, just different sizes.
and yes, mine get gently dusted with a feather duster and are rarely moved.
would i love to have great frames for my mediocre images? oh yes, but not in the budget...
Neilsen frames are the best if you like aluminum frames and are really not expensive if you get them online instead of at a local store. Art supply stores sell them, but they're much cheaper online and they look 1000000 times nicer than anything sold by places like Ikea.
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