I wish I could determine the real value of our work. My wife takes the photos and I make all the frames. The frames are made out of recycled wood and what I find on some of the Islands. The wood is planned then sanded then stained or painted with a wash. The frames are coated with 3 coats of lacquer. If I charge for the frames and photos I'm afraid I will out price myself. So basically I charge for the frames or charge for the prints. help
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I did time studies for all of my work.
For picture frames, I have various jigs set up in my shop that I use to make things faster & I use multiple routers to save on set up time. This works well for me because I have several set sizes of frames that I make.
If you make a bunch of frames at once (like production work) you can use a stop watch & time how long it takes to do each step, then divide the time by the number of frames. This includes cutting on table saw, miter saw, router, & each step of the finishing process. You can then get a better sense of how long it takes to make each frame. (If you time how long it takes just to make one frame it won't be as accurate since you can divide the tool setup times between multiple frames & each time you do something you naturally get faster.) I figure in a reasonable hourly wage + the material cost of each frame (don't forget to include sandpaper, blades, & everything you use to make them into this). My studio is at my house so I don't include any kind of overhead into the price (just time + materials) you may be surprised when you get it all figured out it really don't take you as long as you probably thought. I buy all my hardware & materials in the biggest sizes I can because it's always cheaper for me.
I then add this price to my formula of the framed artwork.
It may take you a while to get everything figured out. For instance you may have to make several hundred of something before you need to replace a blade & can get an accurate number. (Example.. Each frame cost you $0.20 of a tablesaw blade or etc.) the good news is you really only have to do it once unless you make some major changes.
You can obviously charge more for a custom made frame that is unique as opposed to the buy sell frames lots of people use. Just make sure your customers are also aware of this.
Hope this helps,
Mel
I'll add something to what I previously posted.
There was a body of work I sold where my wife painted the frames to match the colors in the still lifes we photographed. I charged accordingly for the photograph plus a premium for the frame.
Larry Berman
Nice one, Larry. WOOHOO!
I'm a picture frame designer/maker and I make them for my wife's paintings. I'm also a carver and gilder. Our prices reflect the 30-60 hours it takes me to make a fine picture frame. Needless to say, our prices are HIGH for originals. When I have time, sometimes I recreate the unique frames for repros.
So price your work accordingly and tell everyone your frames are handcrafted.
Hello Denis,
I am not a photographer, but an Artist who DOES purchase unique photography, (and used to sell my oil paintings), & in my opinion, if I see a frame that is so unique~it sounds like yours really are, looks great with the photography, & blends with my décor, I would definitely pay MORE for it! So many of the frames you see in booths are the same old-same old. I think it is GREAT that both of you have your own talent that works together. The problem you could run into is that you don't want the frame to take away from the photo~it may not in YOUR eyes, but it could in the customers. Is there a way of interchanging your frames at the show (I did with my oil paintings~not sure you can with photography)~or hang some frames on the side for people to choose...also the longer you have customers in your booth, it attracts more customers as we all know. Offer photos without frames too, but I would certainly let people know where the wood is from, ect. & if they appreciate ART, I don't see why they wouldn't pay more for them! You are MAKING the frame, of COURSE it would cost more simply because they can't buy it in stores, & I'm sure you had to purchase your supplies, & YES, you must charge for labor~how little or much is up to you even if you love it! Also, because you love what you do, it will already show in your work. You are already rewarding the customer by purchasing a unique piece of ART!!! I purchased aluminum frames for my oils with different color tweed inserts~not as unique as yours! I charged more than I paid for the frames, as I'm sure most photographers do as well, & why not?! You can always "sell reasonably" or give them a "deal on two" out of love or whatever~(We do this as much as we can with my 14Kt or Sterling rings), but you must charge something for your time & materials.
Good luck to you Denis & your wife!
If you're a photographer, look at what other photographers are pricing their work at for similar sizes. Use that as a guide line or starting point.
If you're making your own frames, they should be less expensive than what other photographers purchase their frames for. Forget your labor, you'll never be able to judge what it's worth. You should be doing this because you love it and earning enough profit to pay your bills and continue doing what you love.
BTW, most sales in photography are unframed matted, not framed.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100