Three important considerations for new buyers

The new collector’s guide to photographs

Specialist Jude Hull outlines three important considerations for new buyers, illustrated with works from Photographs online auction.

1. How do I know when a photograph was printed?
Photographs are not necessarily printed at the time the image is taken. The term vintage generally but not exclusively references works made in the generic style in which the photographer was printing, near the date the image was taken.
When a photograph is printed many years after the date of the image, such as modern prints of celebrated historic images, this is indicated by being catalogued as printed later. Where possible we try to be as specific as possible, for example you may find works catalogued as ‘printed 1960s or c. 1968’ in our sale catalogues.


2. Is it possible to know how many prints of a given image exist?
The answer to this entirely depends on the artist’s work in question. Some photographers are more prolific than others, especially if they are still alive and printing their work.
When a photograph is listed as from an edition, this is a great indicator as editions specify the number of prints of an image in a specific size. It is more typical for a modern print to come from an edition.
Where it is not specified in the cataloguing, ask a specialist who will use their knowledge of the photographer’s market to advise how many prints may exist.

3. Does the condition of a print affect its value?
The condition of a photograph generally, but not always, affects the overall value of the work. In early experiments in photography, condition issues are to be expected given the age of the print and that the process was not yet fully developed.
Press prints, by their nature, were handled more than fine art prints given their use for disseminating information, which explains why they may have more handling creases. The print above was deliberately handled by the artist so can be expected to not be in excellent condition.

Contemporary photographs, like the one above, should be in excellent condition considering they have a more recent print date. All condition issues should be considered in light of the overall impact they have on the image and whether they are visible at a distance. 

source: christies.com