Photo by Werner Polwein, Germany
Dear friends,
Until an image is seen as a print, it isn't really an image. So this is why, at the beginning of the year, I set up a new print store on my website. I will most definitely never see my favourite pictures as prints if I had to count on myself only. When doing an exhibition, more often than not, the prints are done directly on site by the organisers. So while I sometimes get a chance to travel and see by myself, most often I have to rely on my imagination. But a print store makes it possible! Of course, i can't print myself given the limitations of my lodging and current technology costs, so I use a print maker extraordinaire based in Shoreditch, London called The Printspace.co.uk. They do a formidable job at bringing to life digital files. And I can retrieve the physical prints myself directly at their Shoreditch workshop. That is when I discover what my images look like in big formats :)
But selling prints is also giving another life to my images - they get to travel to other countries, and stay with families that I have never met. Through the process, they get a life of their own, and thinking that they continue to exist somewhere in the world is a wonderful feeling. I have sold a few prints in the past, in direct by Smugmug and through galleries. But I never had the pleasure to take care of the entire process, from printmaking to signing and sendoff. This is very new, and exciting. I have decided to stop distribution via Smugmug (unsigned) to focus on creating limited edition sets of 10 available copies, signed and numbered. That way, my pictures get a life that they fully deserve.
Check it out if you want to learn more. In the meantime, enjoy your afternoon!
Marie Laigneau