Instagram has been one of the biggest reasons why people want to get into photography. Being able to browse through images and watch reels of how they’re being creative is really something alluring. And for many, that can be the end where they fizzle out once they gain followers. This ultimately becomes monotonous as your entire portfolio looks dated and made only for what’s pleasing your followers. The way to dive into a deeper and more connected part of your creative self is with printing. Luckily you don’t need to do it yourself, and it can be done really affordably with services like Lumaprints who can do things like metal prints or even gorgeous canvas prints that can be placed anywhere in someone’s home.
This article is presented in partnership with Lumaprints.
Here’s a fact: you’re not supposed to think of prints as a numbers game in the same way that you think about the attention economy of social media. Instead, prints are all about building a longer-term relationship with the people who genuinely adore your art. Think about it like buying swag from your favorite musician. You might do this online by browsing their shop, but you’re more likely to do it when you get together with them in real life.
And when you do that, you need to figure out costs and make money from it in a sustainable way. The easiest and best quality way to do that with prints is with Lumaprints. They’re a company that for years whose biggest customers were mostly large retail businesses. The heart of the company, however, has always had a soft spot for artists and photographers since the start. Because of this business model, the company can give photographers so much more in savings. You’re also bound to get high-end business quality for a significantly cheaper price.
Specifically today, I’m highlighting the company’s metal prints. Essentially, they’re exactly what you’d think. They’re a super glossy print made on metal that’s designed to stand the test of time when placed within the home of your fans. Lumaprints’ Metal Prints start at 8×10″ and go up to 24×36″. Metal prints are best displayed when light can bathe over them — and ideally from directly above. So that means that people are best off placing metal prints of your images in a few spots in their homes:
- The hallways and foyers, which usually have direct light from the ceiling in a small space
- If you’re in the northern hemisphere, rooms with southern lighting that fill the space up and provide lots of direct illumination while facing the window can be great if it’s in the right spot!
- In bathrooms: just like how you’d see in a hotel or a restaurant
- By diffused lamps in the home
We’re a very visually based culture, and having images of yours in a home is a nice way to both support artists like you, and to also show off someone’s own unique personality and story.
You’re probably wondering about how to get your followers and friends to buy your prints. Well, here are a few more ideas:
- Do a small pop-up gallery at a restaurant, bar, or even a space that’s still open and available for rent
- Organize a meetup where you can talk about your work, how you work, etc. This is a great thing to do at places like a camera store or somewhere else
- Make it a charity benefit of some sort where portions of the sales will be donated to a charity and have the person named as a donor.
There are lots of great ways that you can grow as a photographer beyond Instagram. But the most surefire way is to do something in real life. And if you want the best of both worlds, try Lumaprints.
