3 things to know before buying photography

Have you ever considered having a photograph as a work of art on your wall at home? 

It is photography season in the art world this autumn.

Right now, Norway's leading photography festival, Oslo Negativ, is in full swing. This year, I am pleased to be collaborating with the festival and contributing to its programme with a special educational event celebrating photography as an art form.

And coming up next is Paris Photo in November, one of the world's leading international art fairs dedicated to photography.

All this attention to photography got me thinking about photography as an art collectible.

After all, while photography has long established its place in museums and galleries, when we think about buying art, it's usually paintings, sculptures or prints that come to mind first.

Yet photography can be a fascinating addition to a collection, even without a large budget.

So what should you know before buying fine art photography? Here are three important things to consider. 👇

Photo: Nan Goldin, Best friends going out, Boston, 1973, 1973; Bea with a whip at The Other Side, 1973. 

🔢 Edition size. Fine art photographs are often sold in limited editions, for example 5, 10 or 25 prints. A smaller edition can make a work more exclusive, just as with limited-edition prints in other artistic media.

✍️ Signature and documentation. Ideally, a photograph should be signed, numbered and accompanied by proper documentation. It is also worth checking whether the print was produced by the artist, under their supervision during their lifetime, or printed at a later date.

🖼️ Printing techniques and materials. A photographer doesn't simply take a picture. They often make important decisions about printing techniques, size, paper and the quality of the final print. Particularly in contemporary photography, these elements are an important part of the artwork, and production costs can account for a substantial portion of its price.

📸 But the most important thing is still the artwork itself. Its originality, composition, light, shadows, subject, message and more! Remember that a photograph can be technically perfect without necessarily being artistically interesting.

Recognising artistic quality and understanding what makes a work worth collecting takes knowledge, experience and a trained eye. 

Photo: From Nan Goldin's documentary All the beauty and the bloodshed

🎬 Want to discover more about the fascinating world of photography? I have a film recommendation for you: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, an award-winning documentary about the internationally renowned photographer Nan Goldin. The film offers a deeply personal insight into Goldin's life and artistic practice, from her early photographs in 1970s New York to her role as an activist challenging the pharmaceutical industry. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Whether you are visiting a photography exhibition, exploring an art fair or thinking about your first photography purchase, I hope today's little insight has inspired you to look at photography with fresh eyes. 🖤

And if you are considering adding photography to your art collection or starting a collection of your own, I would be happy to guide you and help you discover works that suit your taste and budget. Just send me an email on team@thearttrotter.com to get in touch!

PS. Check out one of my latests videos on Instagram where I am sharing a real example of how you can own a Fine Art Photograph by a world-famous artist at a surprisingly accessible price! 👀 Straight from Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland. 

PS2. And if you love discovering art through films, explore more fascinating stories about artists and the art world with my Art Movie Guide, featuring handpicked films and tips on where to watch them. Get the Art Movie Guide here