Is it tacky to give prints as presents?

mark · Oct 7, 2005

Every time I think my older brother has too many of my pictures he will see one he does not have and then ask for a print. WHat can I say? he's bigger than me. I'm broke too (thanks GWB) so am giving prints this year as well. No frames though.

gr82bart · Oct 7, 2005

PhotoPete said:
is it too tacky to give your work as a gift?

Not in the LEAST! I have found over the years, that people have gushed, to my embarrassment, of the prints or pottery that I have made and given as gifts. I have given individual coffee mugs that I hand threw, glazed and fired, individually printed and mounted unique Polaroid transfers, individually printed and mounted IR prints to my staff over the years.

For my secretary, I have given her specially made prints and also hand thrown clay tea pots, since she puts up with a lot more crap than I would have put up with (from me that is).

I don't think it's tacky wjatsoever and in today's consumerism world, I think people appreciate the time you'd put in to make these unique gifts.

Make and mount prints, it shows you have a heart of gold (even though you may not have a pocketful!)

Regards, Art.

Max Power · Oct 7, 2005

It's a brilliant idea...Rather than shop around for some impersonal stuff that you could give, a print is something that you will invest some of yourself in.

Quite frankly, I only give prints to those people that are very important to me, not that my prints are anything great, but they are much more personal than a lot of other things. IMHO, you give of yourself emotionally, and thus, it is only something that you give to people with whom you have a strong bond.

Just my $0.02

Kent

Graeme Hird · Oct 7, 2005

Tacky? Only if your prints have no value.

PhotoPete · Oct 8, 2005

Graeme Hird said:
Tacky? Only if your prints have no value.

Graeme, you're speaking to the core of my concerns. They have value to me, but the recipient may feel differently.

Paul Sorensen · Oct 8, 2005

Ole said:
I certainly hope it's not tacky - I'll be giving my father a print for his 75th birthday next week!

It's only tacky if it has Blueberry Jam on the back instead of drymount tissue or photo corners!

(Sorry Ole, I just can't get over that one!)

photobum · Oct 8, 2005

A few years back I took a photo of my father fly fishing off a dock in Virginia. Six months later he died. Last summer I spent two days making the best print I could from that negative. I mounted it and put it in a high end frame and gave it to my sister for Christmas. She started crying before it was half unwrapped. Yeah, photographs are good presents.

gr82bart · Oct 8, 2005

Paul Sorensen said:
It's only tacky if it has Blueberry Jam on the back instead of drymount tissue or photo corners!

It's also tacky to give these kinds of prints in the exchange! Oh the stories you guys have told me!

Art.

Changeling1 · Oct 11, 2005

Gift prints

It would depend on the subject matter of the print. I've seen plenty of prints that were tacky (putting it mildly) and insensitive- yet technically excellent.

laz · Oct 11, 2005

Graeme Hird said:
Tacky? Only if your prints have no value.

Define value?

A print made by the giver and selected for me is of incalcuable value!

lkorell · Oct 14, 2005

Personally I think it's a great gift. It is something that is personal, meaningful, comes from your heart, and can't be purchased just anywhere.

Also, if your work is something you usually sell, it also has a monetary value. so it qualifies as a present in that regard. I mean, if you owned a shoe company, what's wrong with giving all of your friends a pair of shoes for their birthday?

Earl Dunbar · Oct 14, 2005

i echo a lot of others here .... NO, it's not tacky. Years ago I gave my best friends a framed 8x10 from one of my favourite 4x5 negs as a gift. It still hangs in their home in Brampton, Ontario, and every time I visit, it gives me a warm feeling, and adds to the value of our relationship.

Earl
Go Leafs Go!

Graeme Hird · Oct 14, 2005

laz said:
Define value?

A print made by the giver and selected for me is of incalcuable value!

Exactly my point. If the giver of the print believes the print has value, then it is a worthy gift never to be given lightly.

If you don't value your prints, you're either a beginner and should not give them out, or you're in the wrong game (give up now if you don't think your work is any good ... )

Cheers,

freespiritedone · Oct 17, 2005

I used to give mason jars of homemade salsa and lottery scratch off tickets, but I once gave a photograph of hybrid tea rose, and the gift shall remain timeless. Giving photographs is truly a gift of memory from the heart. Photographers who share their work with loved ones, are giving a gift far greater than something purchased at numerous commercial outlets.

TheFlyingCamera · Oct 20, 2005

lkorell said:
Personally I think it's a great gift. It is something that is personal, meaningful, comes from your heart, and can't be purchased just anywhere.

Also, if your work is something you usually sell, it also has a monetary value. so it qualifies as a present in that regard. I mean, if you owned a shoe company, what's wrong with giving all of your friends a pair of shoes for their birthday?

Giving prints to friends is one thing (IMHO not at all tacky, because as so many others here have said, it's a gift from the heart and shows the effort you went to - making something with your own hands as a gift), but giving shoes to people if you own a shoe store is very different. That says you lack creativity and/or are trying to dump excess inventory at the end of the year. THAT's tacky!

Is it tacky to give prints as presents?

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