When people hear “Detroit”, a lot of images come to mind. Right or wrong, most of them are negative. But there is a tremendous history in Detroit that is often ignored. At one time, Detroit commanded the attention of the world for all of the right reasons. Architects like Albert Kahn have stamped their mark all over the metro area. When I started learning about Detroit’s colorful history, I wanted to capture images of the historical spots for myself, especially since they seem to disappear by the day.
And originally that’s how I became interested in photography. Matter of fact, it was seeing Michigan Central Station at night while we were driving down I-75 that really sparked my curiosity. Here was this hulking 18-story building, completely empty, distressed, looking like a black monolith against the night sky. The same firm that designed Grand Central Terminal in NYC designed it, and upon closer inspection it’s very easy to tell. I wondered how in the world a building this amazing could be allowed to now look like this.
The detail in it is simply stunning. As I researched more, I began to discover that more gems like this were hidden away in Detroit, their beauty only vaguely masked by abandonment, neglect, and decay.
People who saw my work enjoyed it, and some began inquiring about getting prints for their home. And that led me to providing some of my work, especially in the urban decay area, as fine art prints. I teamed up with a high-end printer and am proud to offer art prints in a very niche category, featuring scenes that others by and large would never go shoot for themselves.
As I played around with other styles and subjects, local small business owners began to take notice and hired me to shoot products for their advertising. To date a couple of my photos have won contests and placements in corporate promotional materials.
I really try to avoid events such as parties and weddings. There seems to be a lot of competition in that arena anyway, and for now I prefer things that I can get a second chance at if I need to.
Going forward, I’m looking to expand my commercial work and assist small business with images for their advertising materials and websites. While the fine art prints are what I truly enjoy creating, helping businesses find a way to bring their product to life is inspiring in its own right. The main means I have of supporting my family is a corporate job that brings me in contact with many small business owners.
Most of my day is spent talking with these owners – finding out their views, successes, and problems. I’m able to understand the marketing struggles they face against large corporations. So making their product stand out as something different, better, and unique is a challenge that I truly enjoy – and one that I’m looking to propel my business in the future.
Links:
Main website: : www.LensArtwork.com
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lensartwork/
Twitter @LensArtwork
Facebook: Lens Artwork
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Fantastic story, Chris and I wouldn’t mind following in your footsteps some day. I too am attracted by neglected places, especially places tagged with graffiti. I’d love to pick your brain about how you began printing and selling.
Keep up the great work!
Shawn
Hi Shawn,
I really enjoy looking at your pics of NYC – one of my favorite places 🙂
Feel free to ask me anything you like. chris@lensartwork.com Thanks for reading!
Great blog Chris, I too would love to pick your brain about how you started to get noticed and sell your work. Photography is such a competitive business with so many work from so many people its hard to ‘stand out’. Hope to see more work come out from you!
Thanks Paula.
I’ve always believed that the best way to stand out is to choose something that you’re passionate about. Your enthusiasm for the subject will shine through. People will pick up on the care and energy that you bring with your work, and in turn that gets them excited. Try shooting a bunch of different things – maybe you’ll find something in particular that you enjoy. Always find different angles – different ways of looking at things.
One of the reasons that I’ve settled in on a lot of Detroit things, besides that I find it interesting, is that it’s easier to get noticed locally. Despite all the negative things that you hear about Detroit, there is a strong fighting spirit here – especially among entrepreneurs – who want the city to come back and are actively working for positive change. Interestingly enough, one of them noticed one of my Detroit skyline shots. It’s from a unique angle because, frankly, not many people are going to go through the trouble that I did to get it. It was different from the typical Detroit shot that you would normally see. He wanted to use it in a small business conference as a backdrop, so I let him. That sparked further conversation – “How did you get that?” etc. That in turn led to my first commercial project. And momentum is gaining from there.
It was a similar story with the art prints. Someone I ran into enjoyed some shots that I posted of Hilton Head, SC. She saw one of my pictures and wanted a print. I said “Uh yeah, no problem!” and then figured out how to deliver it. She was ecstatic. Frankly, it was accidental. Originally I made the pictures because I enjoyed making the pictures. But hey, if I could make a few bucks then why not? I looked around at some of the popular photo printing sites, but felt they were too impersonal. In further research, I stumbled on to a printer who is obsessive about his craft – and delivers exceptional results. He’s the same one I use to this day, and no he does not work for or run a huge corporate printshop. I entered local (free) photo contests to get further exposure. One of my pics was selected for use in the calendar of the corporation that I work for. That in turn opened up people asking what I like to shoot and wanting to see more of my work. By then I could direct them to my Lens Artwork site and/or my Flickr site. Inquires came from those and a few more prints were sold. And again, that is continuing to grow.
I don’t make millions and I haven’t gone running from my corporate job, but I have made more than enough to pay the cost of my website and some equipment upgrades. It won’t feed my family – but at least my habit lol. But it’s moving forward. There’s no real magic formula – it’s all been just talking with people, letting them know what I do, and finding things close by that I could really hone in on. Look around your own area – there’s going to be more there than you think.
And not to sound positive thinking preachy or anything, NEVER sell yourself short. If someone is truly interested in hiring you or what you have to offer, they’ll pay a fair price. There’s no reason to give work away or sell yourself short “for exposure”. I’ve turned down offers from people who don’t want to pay or want to pay next to nothing. Especially with my art prints, my prices are high and non-negotiable. But at the same time I deliver a true art quality product. The higher price means I’m not dealing with a 100 billion orders, and can give top notch attention to people who truly appreciate what I have. To date, no one has been disappointed. And of course, they tell their friends. Again, it builds from there.
Apologies to Dave for writing another essay. As stated before, my personal email addy is chris@lensartwork.com and I’d be happy to answer any other questions here or through email. Goodness knows I’ve received a ton of help and support as this ramps up – I’m more than happy to give back.
Best to all,
Chris
Thanks heaps Chris for that thorough explaination and tips on how to get my work out there. At the moment I really enjoy taking pictures of landscapes and architechture. I’m trying to enter myself in local photo comps but I’ve been unsuccssful! Sometimes it gets quite disheartening when you don’t win or find inspiration to shoot new things.
Its great how the oppurtunities came to you by you putting yourself out there for a bit. I hope I can come by the same oppurtunities but I suppose I have to find the right places to get my work out there. It sounds like a pipe dream to get my work paid for but it’s something I really want to hold onto as photography is something I’m truly enjoying at the moment. Will let you know how I go in the photo comps I’ve entered!
Again thanks for your reply. I’ve never been to Detroit actually but I do hear the common sayings that its really dangerous and what not. but the pictures on your Flickr show its like any other city.
There’s certainly ups and downs but it’s not a pipe dream. Everyone likes to promote stories of instant success or someone who shoots Polaroids and makes millions – but that’s not normal. In my case, it was a year between when I got ‘serious’ and sold my first print. It was two before I ever won a local contest. Even still, I can have a few months go by in between sales or projects, but the gaps are getting closer together. I don’t know how typical that timeframe might be, but in conversations with other up and comers it seems to be not unusual – despite whatever wonder stories might float around.
Other methods I’ve heard of but not personally tried is getting friendly with owners of local (not chain) coffee houses, boutique stores, etc and see if they’ll let you display some of your work with your name attached. Local businesses loves to support other local businesses. They have walls that need to be covered, and some will even let you sell them on a commission basis. Join a local networking business group. Some communities even have associations that assist new artists. Could be something to check into.
Hey Chris, I added you on Twitter! great news, I won a photo of the week competition in one of my city’s local weekly magazine!
^ AWESOME to hear Paula! Congratulations 🙂
Wow I never saw this interview. Great perspective on things…I always enjoy hearing your thoughts on photography Chris. Good interview.
Thank you very much Trudy 🙂