Is it tacky to give prints as presents?

[PhotoPete]

I am stone broke this Christmas, so I am considering giving prints (in inexpensive AC Moore frames) as presents- is it too tacky to give your work as a gift?

Peter

 

[SuzanneR]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've spent too much money and too much time on printing in the darkroom. Everyone on my list gets a print, and the best part... no shopping at the mall!

 

[Fintan]

even if you werent broke, giving prints is cool at christmas

 

[Konical]

Good Evening, Peter,

I don't know if it's tacky or not, but I have, on a couple of occasions, given five different mounted and matted 11 x 14 prints as wedding presents (photos of the weddings of my niece and my nephew); both couples were appreciative. I don't see any reason that high-quality prints would be inappropriate as Christmas presents.

Konical

 

[rbarker]

It's only tacky if the prints are bad, and made without care.

You can increase the recipient's joy, of course, by selecting subject matter that will resonate with them personally. With cost being an issue, I'd stop at a nice matte, and let the recipient frame the print to their own taste.

 

[esanford]

I cannot think of a more personal and unique gift then one of your personal photographs. In fact, I think that they have more value then the traditional trinket. For me, I only give my prints to very special people who understand that one of my unique photographs is an extension of me.

 

[mgb74]

It's only tacky if the prints are bad, and made without care.

You can increase the recipient's joy, of course, by selecting subject matter that will resonate with them personally. With cost being an issue, I'd stop at a nice matte, and let the recipient frame the print to their own taste.

In fact (and I think this is consistent with the intent of rbarker) even a bad print isn't tacky if it's made with care and has subject matter chosen to resonate with the recipient.

 

[Gay Larson]

Even if I didn't believe that giving a print you made is a wonderful gift, A gift is a gift and everyone should appreciate the thought and effort of a gift. Of course not everyone does so I guess you have to consider the recipent. Would they appreciate your work? Do they know the time, money and effort that goes into it? Family members should and I say give to family members regardless for posterity.

 

[jd callow]

it better not be tacky I've been doing it for years.

 

[Dave Parker]

Thank god, I can take pictures, cause if I couldn't, no body would have got a present for the last 10 years!!1

Prints are perfectly acceptable for presents, and sometimes, they are the presents that mean the most..

Dave

 

[John Cook]

I like to give prints to women who give me their homemade preserves.

These are the ladies who, in my childhood, gave me a book instead of a cap pistol for Christmas.

Make of that what you like...

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Just make sure it's not that self portrait you took...the one with you wearing the jingle bell thong and the naughty elf toys...that would be tacky!

Murray

 

[mikewhi]

It's only tacky if it's digital.

 

[Flotsam]

I don't think that it is tacky at all and I would _much_ rather receive a gift like that than the crappy stuff that they only put on the store shelves at Christmas time because no one would actually ever buy it for themselves during the rest of the year. ("Clapper" light switches, Chia Pets, Electronic counter-top frozen pizza cookers, mounted rubber fish that sing humorous songs etc, etc.). That stuff is expensive and utterly meaningless.

On the other hand, I'm always a bit worried that friends will feel obligated to put it up on their wall just for my benefit (Obviously, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they didn't hang the thing, but I have many friends who are much more thoughtful than I deserve). I think that from now on, I will only give matted but unframed prints. That takes away the possible inference that I expect them to hang it. If they frame and hang it, then I'll know that they want to view it regularly in their home. Of course, if they get a crack in their plaster and need something to stick up in front of it to cover it up, my print will come in handy

 

[Ole]

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

 

[BruceN]

I do find that it's better if you don't give everyone the SAME print in the SAME year. Make of that what you like.

Bruce

 

[andrewmoodie]

How on earth could anyone think that giving a print for Christmas is tacky?! There's no better gift than something that you've made yourself. The picture itself, the mount, the frame or a big flourishing signature and a silly name of the image could be tacky, but the act of giving someone else a picture that you've taken isn't tacky at all. I agree with Bruce though, giving everyone the same image would be a bit iffy.

 

[df cardwell]

Giving a print as a present is exactly the best present we can give.

( what's kinda tacky is thinking we can all sell our work at a gallery ! )

.

 

[roy]

You can increase the recipient's joy, of course, by selecting subject matter that will resonate with them personally

I was going to say, yes, by all means, particularly if a print has already been admired by the recipient.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Tacky? Probably 'cause I do it all the time

I charge money for my prints (plates) and everybody knows it. When I give one away, folks know it's value.

 

[jovo]

On the other hand, I'm always a bit worried that friends will feel obligated to put it up on their wall just for my benefit (Obviously, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they didn't hang the thing, but I have many friends who are much more thoughtful than I deserve). I think that from now on, I will only give matted but unframed prints. That takes away the possible inference that I expect them to hang it.

That's a good idea and pretty much solves the only drawback to giving a print. After all, almost anything you can give other than a gift certificate is at risk of not being used (hence, the returns counters everywhere) so a print would be no different. Geez, it's a gift, anyway. If the recipient has a problem with receiveing a print, the problem lies more with them than with you, I think.

 

[Ailsa]

I gave my mum a box of 18 10x8in black & white prints for her birthday a couple of months ago. They were all photographs taken in and around her house in France. She had been complaining that she always saw me taking all these pictures, but never saw the pictures, so I thought I'd solve the problem in one fell swoop!

I liked the idea of giving them to her in a presentation box, because that way I can add to the collection over time. Probably wouldn't do it for anyone other than my mother!

 

[FrankB]

My worry is the same as Flotsam's, that the print will not be to their taste and end up being hung because of the source rather than the content.

The only times I've done this I gave out blank preprinted calendars (bought quite cheaply from Lidl actually! ) with a print spraymounted on for each month. That way if a print isn't to the recipient's liking they only have to suffer it for a month and then on to the next!

It was very well received (to the point where a few people complained that they didn't want to turn the pages over at the end of the month!) but I ended up doing nine of the things...! Even working in 5x7 MGWT RC it was still a marathon and I'm in no hurry to do it again!

I'm doing a couple of prints (toned fibre) as gifts for people at the moment, but only in cases where they've explicitly asked me for them. Mind you, I don't actually show my prints to anyone unless they explicitly ask to see them, so maybe it's just me!

 

[Bighead]

I have members of family that consider it tacky, if I DON"T give them a print during the holidays....

 

[eagleowl]

not tacky at all!

When I visited my inlaws(Chile!)in february,I wanted to give them something which showed my home town-but,I also wanted it to be personal.
So,I took some photos of a few of the more interesting buildings,and enlarged them to 8x10-they were delighted.