The Long Fade: Issues To Consider When Purchasing Photographs

September 25, 2009

An Art Fair is a great place to find up and coming artists. At many, the creator of the art are vetted by gallery owners. Here the quality of the work may still vary wildly, but the artist has found at least one person to vouch for them. Other Art Fairs may be open to anyone willing to purchase of booth. With the advent of digital photography and desk top printing nearly anyone can become a vendor of their work Regardless of the excellence of the work, there are other factors that should be examined or the purchased photograph may fade away in a year or so. The buyer need be aware. Here are a few tips when looking at photographs.

First and foremost; do you like it? Don’t spend too much time analyzing why something is appealing. Maybe the rock looks like Aunt Annie’s backside; knowing that might ruin the warm fuzzy feeling. Individuals are moved by different things. If it is a big cash outlay, a second visit might be merited to make sure it wasn’t just the enchilada and margarita doing its magic.

Once enamored by a piece there are a couple issues that should be asked. discovering the medium is important. Was the device? Here’s the key- find out if it’s digital. There are many different types of printers and many different types of paper that can be used for digital prints. Up until several years ago most papers had a major issue with image fade. The quality of printers and papers has improved and now images can last from 15 to over 100 years typically displayed. Is the photographer knowledgeable about paper and printers?

This points to several important questions. Are the prints pigment based or are the prints dye based? Pigment fades less in light and is more resilient. Dye-based prints tend to bleed and run less if it gets wet..

What type of paper is the picture printed on. Usually the ink or pigment is specifically tailored to a certain paper and printer. These are issues the photographer should understand. If he or she can’t coherently discuss the longevity issue, then think twice before buying.