He may do this because of the very limited number of prints--each one is custom, *and* to intentionally limit the number of prints on the market. He may want the clients who buy his work to have a near-unique piece.

There is no real "perspective" when it comes to art. The artists I know (only one who actually survives on her art alone), often price pieces on an emotional level, partly. If it was something they became very attached to it may be higher than a price on a larger, more complex piece they personally don't like as much. And it depends on what the market will bear for an individual's work. I know an artist who was a classmate at a prestigious art school to a *very famous and wealthy artist (he now owns an island). Technically, their work is very similar, in fact my acquaintance may actually be a better "technician". My acquaintance is the janitor of a church and school, and that's how he survives. He paints well, but he lacks exposure and he does a lot of religious painting that he almost gives away to churches. He also lacks the vision, I guess, that the famous artist has to make his vernacular paintings take on something of a quasi-religious experience. The paintings of my acquaintance are also a religious experience, but they are religious subjects so that's what people expect. --He may, like many artists, actually be more recognized when he's dead.

I know I veered wildly off topic, but its just to illustrate that art is not priced like a consumer good.

By the way, there are so many diamonds in the world that yours would not be worth near what you paid for it if the whole market wasn't manipulated and controlled by an international cartel.

I am certainly not an art expert, so please know that this is just my opinion.

"unlike an original painting, sculpture, ect each photographic image can be sold over and over. Once an original painting is sold, the prints are much much less expensive"

Much of the art of photography is in the taking of the image, not the printing of the picture. Whereas much of the art of drawing/painting is in the creation of the actual picture: ink to paper, paint to canvas, etc. When you make a print of a work of non-photographic art, it's just that: a copy. It loses something in the copying. Photographs do not lose the value of the art by printing (they have to be printed to really be appreciated). The work that went into making the shot: buying the equipment, getting to the location/subject, setting up the camera, taking the perfect shot, etc, is still there regardless of how many photographs are printed.

Now, that said, I do not know anything about art pricing of any kind. I certainly had a similar "Yowza" reaction to that $12,000 number. But, exactly as palimpsest said: art is not priced like a consumer good. There may be emotional, strategical, egotistical, or other intangible factors going into the pricing of art of any kind. Not to mention, if an artist is intending to live on his/her work, pricing is probably set accordingly as well.

I personally would be happy to fill my home with any type of art: painting, drawing, photograph, sculpture from someone other than myself as long as I fell in love with it (and at a price I could afford). But, I do not place as high of a dollar value on other's art as I might on a good quality piece of furniture. So instead I have less art in my home, and typically use my own or my partner's own work.

I think it's a great idea to practice with your camera to try to capture the kinds of images you want in your home. Just keep in mind that in order to capture the depth of image that this artist does, you may end up spending $12,000 on camera equipment instead.

I like both photographs and paintings, but I find that I appreciate and want to be surrounded by items with my memories attached to them. As a result, I frame all sorts of things to hang on my walls. It's amazing how good a simple item or a series of items can look if mounted, matted and framed.

Would I spend $12,000 on a photograph? No, but that's just my personal choice.

Large photographic prints are really difficult to actually develop/print. Even more so if the photographer is a purist and uses actual film. And most fine arts photographers do primarily use film for their art images after taking a few preview shot with a digital to check focal length and composition.

My sis is has a degree in fine arts photography and specializes in dye transfers, which is a rather obscure chemical method of creating intensely vivid color prints. Her "regular" non restricted run prints can be purchased in sizes up to 11x14 (the largest standard size of photography paper) for $500-$1200. Her limited edition prints up to the same size run $2-5K depending on the size of the run and the size of the print.

Larger format prints are available at higher prices and some photographers use digitization and conventional printing methods to produce them. Sis doesn't feel that doing it that way is a true photographic image, and technically, she's correct. There are methods of doing larger actual photographs, but often involve custom coating emulstions onto canvas or other large type surfaces. That's pretty labor intensive, and because of that, those prints are often "one offs" rather than an edition run. Yes, those images can often run 10K and above. And yes, she probably has more than 20K of equipment, including her own darkroom. It's increasingly difficult to find services to develop conventional film, so most photographers have taken to doing it themselves. B&W images aren't that difficult to develop and print, color is much more difficult, and her dye emusion process is even more . Time is money, and so are the chemical supplies and their proper use and disposal.

Fine art of any variety isn't inexpensive.

If I love a piece of art, I'll pay whatever I can afford. And sometimes more. When I was starting out in my profession, I met an artist and bought 2 pieces of his work before I had even gotten my first paycheck.

I choose work that I love, and surround myself with it. I own original oil paintings, watercolors, silverpoint, sculptures, monoprints, etchings--you name it. I also have some photographs--one signed on the front by the photographer, and on the back by the master printer who made prints for (among others) Henri Cartier-Bresson. I consider that photo eminently affordable because it speaks to me, but someone else might find the cost ridiculous.

For me, art is thrilling and makes me weak in the knees--living with art is divine. I have paid a lot for that experience over the years. One doesn't get rid of art the way some might get rid of a sofa they tire of. The very first piece of art that I bought, an etching, is right outside my office door. I look at it every day, and it gives me as much pleasure today as it did so many years ago!

wow, sticker shock is an understatement! LOL

I know nothing about art or photography, but I sort of compare it's pricing to that of Real Estate. The seller can put any price on a piece they've created but the true market value is whatever a buyer is actually willing to pay for it. So I'd be curious to know if any one has actually paid that much for his art.

I relate to what kkay said. We have spent a lot on art -- way more than I ever thought we would -- because DH and I both get really excited about pieces that we love. If we totalled up the amount we have spent on furniture vs. art in our home, I am sure we have spent much more on art! Some people might think that's crazy, maybe. But art doesn't have to be expensive. I love the little $35 etching I bought on the street in NY just as much as the big painting we paid thousands for. And I have my DS' photos framed and displayed in the same room where we have paintings that cost over $1000. However, I have never paid anywhere near $12,000 for a piece of art! I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much, even if I was falling over in love. DH and I saw a painting that we both adored last year, for around $10K. We never seriously considered buying it, but we both were in serious pain over not even being able to consider bringing that painting home! So I know what kkay means about art making you weak in the knees. That particular painting did it for me, and for DH. But... couldn't spend the money.

Art is REALLY important to me. I have never spent $12,000 on a piece of art but would if I had that kind of money. I have however, spent thousands on the art I have in my home. A wonderful piece of art makes the room I think. To each his own certainly, but I would never purchase art from a furniture store or a print that "everyone" in the country has. I don't find mass marketed art appealing at all. I also don't think that a photograph is any less "important" than a fabulous painting. There is so much that goes into a great photo:composition, lighting, subject, and the list goes on.

And I agree with kkay "Living with art is divine."

Staples will print in any size you want. So, go get out your camera, visit the farm or the petting zoo, or aim the camera at your kids, and snap away. Get Staples to print it large for you. Just a thought.

Hi, I'm sorry if I'm going a bit off topic, but have you looked at some of the wall paper murals? There is a company on ebay that's located in Canada that had some very reasonable prices on 8" h murals in a variety of styles and widths. I bought an 8" two section septa forest with a beam of sunlight mural for my son. I think the whole thing was a bit over $200, it came fast, was pre-pasted and easy to put up on my own. It would be pretty easy to frame it all in with stock molding. Makes a big statement and looks expensive.

Oops I put eight inches instead of eight foot!

I'm not sure what type of horse print you're interested in, but the Pioneer Woman has some free high-res images available for download. If you see one that you love, perhaps you could have one printed... Just a thought.

Here is a link that might be useful: PW_High_Res

Yes, a photo can be expensive to produce and can be wonderful but $12k is outrageous to me anyway. I am sure there are plenty of people in the world to whom that is a drop in the bucket, but I am not one of them.
To each his own. I'd rather get a lovely piece of furniture and a gorgeous piece of jewelry and have money left over from that same $12k. I'd probably buy some photography from an unknown with the change from the other purchases. I'd rather support an upcoming artist than one who is in the big leagues. If I totally fell in love with a large format photo, I'd still have trouble paying 1/10th of that. There are too many other ways I could spend $12k. ;)

First student website after googling:

Here is a link that might be useful: ugallery

I like the idea of using your own photos. If printed large, you need a very high resolution. These photographers have expensive equipment to shoot photos the size you are interested in. Add up the framing, which most likely is museum quality and a couple of thousand would not be unusual to start with.

You might want to look into your local university. There is most likely a student willing to create what you need. They are usually hungry for doing something like this and work hard to incorporate your interests. Students need references and a job like this is perfect for them. At least talk to a couple and see what avenue you could take. One never knows if they might become "known".

Also check to see if your current photos could be upped on resolution. Have never tried this other than with my own. I've photographed my photographs...if this makes sense. Then tweaked as wanted. They were old family photos, but worked for enlarging.

The options for printing large are available at many resources. In a search I found the average 8' X 8' cost to be in the $300 range. They will enhance photos too and you can send them via the net. Then look at them as they make a changes before final printing. Interesting project, I'd enjoy this adventure. Am sure you will find other resources too. Love the horse picture and idea to use your personal ones too.

Hi, check this site out! You have a choice of sizes and a choice of original or grayscale. If you look around though you could most likley find them cheaper. The 8' "Horses in Love" mural in grayscale would run you around $584. You can mount these murals on something other than a wall too for moving around.

http://www.magicmurals.com/store/subject/animals-wildlife/horses-f91/?pgNumber=1

Here is a link that might be useful: wall murals

Timely post!

I prefer black and white photos but I do love landscape paintings too.

I tend to use black and white photos more (mine, others, postcards - whatever!). I would tend to attribute that to my dad being an avid photographer so there has always been a slew of photographs and cameras around me as well as makeshift darkrooms.

I have antique landscape lithographs for my bedroom though. I wanted a more 'restful' place where my mind wasn't 'turned on' about thoughts of photos.

I've been thinking about a large black and white photo for my LR and have been very interested in reading the responses and ideas here. I'm going to have my dad take the pic.

Hi everyone, I enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

Of course now that I can't afford one of the horse prints--I really want one LOL!!!

I too am curious if the photographer sells a lot of photos at that price. I received a very professional response and links to the gallery in NYC where the art is exhibited. So it seems that there is a market to support the gallery, plus they have another website and project involving the wild horses. The photos have been on display worldwide--so that is probably where Pal's comments come in--lots of exposure, ect.

I know that there is no way I would ever be able to take the quality of photos that this photographer achieved. As mentioned, I don't even know if my camera takes high enough resolution pictures.

I was just SHOCKED at the price--I really thought around $2000 would be on the very high side. So I was curious if that price was shocking to other people as well. And, I wondered what "normal" people (not multi millionaires) paid for art. I suppose we "could" afford that price if we really really wanted it (it's less than a car, ect)--but I could never bring myself to spend that--as beautiful as I think those photos are, it is not $12,000 worth to me. I started to wonder how much I would spend for it--and decided I would spend $1000 (maybe even $1500)--which is sooo much for this Home Goods shopper LOL!!!! If only he wanted to bargain hahaha!

My husband thought the whole thing was hilarious and now has all kinds of offers from his colleagues to go and get me a wild horse picture for the bargain price of a vacation.

I actually have a huge wallpaper mural in my 3 year daughters room. It's a humpty dumpty mural and we have it framed out. Everyone comments on it. I never thought about that for our adult space.

I am going to check out some of the links people attached.

Just curious, what were peoples thoughts about the actual horse photo? Here is the link of his other work if anyone is interested www.dutescoart.com

thanks again for all the responses, Kristine

jterrilynn, do you have a pic of your wallpaper mural?

I can see why you like the horse photos, they speak to me as well and I do not even own a horse. There is a great spiritual freedom, beauty, peacefulness and strength conveyed.

Hi, I do have some not very good pictures of sons mural but when tampering with my security things on my photobucket I somehow messed it up so my pictures won't post. When I figure out what I did I will post.

What do I think of the actual horse photo? Since the quality of the work cannot be assessed from an online photo, that will not enter into it. Perhaps it does for others but for me it won't. The content of the actual photo is disturbing to me as it is a photo of feral horses who live out their days as wild animals and I cannot romanticize that. Anyone who has owned horses, as I have, will know that horses often require care and intervention for problems. These wild horses do not have that so it's survival of the fittest. Of course this is the same for any wild animals but should not be forgotten. I looked at the photographer's website and saw pics of wild stallions fighting. The results of this are bite or hoof wounds to both animals. Wild mares will foal without assistance and if there are problems there will be suffering and perhaps death for both the mare and the unfortunate foal. These horses are not treated for parasites and while that may not be a large problem in a wild horse population it may cause problems.

I know many people do not want to think about such problems as they do not want anything to get in the way of their appreciation of 'art' but I prefer the art on my walls to not depict something I dislike even thinking about as I cannot do anything about it.

I have a collection (more than a dozen) of original landscape oil paintings some of which we bought in Europe decades ago and paid less than $1000. for the most expensive. Other paintings I've bought in yard sales for next to nothing. Some of these paintings are amateurish but still have a quality I like. Others are IMO quite well done and likely cost the original purchaser much more than the few dollars I paid. Neither the price nor the artistic 'quality' enters into my appreciation of the art. The fact that someone spent hours or days painting a picture of a scene they enjoyed is more important and I enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Art is very personal and I don't think has to cost $12,000. to be valuable. There are many photographers who take pics of horses, if you search and compare prices you will perhaps find something less expensive you will like as much.

I like your idea of taking pics of images to spell your last name. That's a very meaningful type of art IMO.

My husband has done a lot of the art we have in the house. He does photography as a hobby and I like having larger pictures up on the walls. I have found that buying nice large scale frames at Ikea and then having prints of his photos done at Costco works very well. The quality of print is not going to be the same as one you buy from a professional, but honestly the people who come to our home seem more impressed that the art is largely our own creation and not so concerned about the actual quality of the photo print.
Consider doing a large format piece, but break it in to a series of squares or rectangles for printing and framing. Creates a very fun unique style that would be personal to you.

When you buy a piece of art you aren't just buying the piece you are buying the label, the artist signature.
It's no different than paying 100 dollars for a pair of jeans VS 14.99. They both cover your legs and keep you warm but one has a label that tells the world you know what style is.

Art in my house not limited to professionally done paintings and photos. I have all sorts of things framed from magazine covers to collections of postcards, even a piece of wall paper from the walls when I started redoing the rooms. Art is what you want it to be.

The other thing is that any artist who has gallery representation may be giving up to a 50% commission to the gallery that carries the work. So, this artist's gallery may be getting $6000 for the sale of this piece, and the artist getting the other half.