Photography has been an important part of the development of our modern industrial culture. From the earliest photographs taken with the method of heliographic photoengraving to the smartphone cameras of today, photographs have a way of capturing one’s imagination while telling a story at the same time.
Photographs have been with us since the Industrial Age, and as we move deeper into the Digital Age with web3, many have wondered if photos are suitable for minting and sale as NFTs. As it is, these NFTs (non fungible tokens) are only a few years old on the scene. The development of Layer 2 on blockchains (such as the Ethereum and Solana blockchains) has allowed digital goods to be bought and sold over blockchains using accepted cryptocurrencies. In its short history, NFTs have come to be associated with artworks and collectibles. Artworks such as FEWOCiOUS’ The EverLasting Beautiful and Kevin Abosch’s Forever Rose have been sold for unbelievably high prices. Collectibles such as the collections of Cryptopunks and Bored Apes Yacht Club too have fetched millions of dollars. But can photographs too fit into the NFT space? What does a photographer need to do in order to mint and sell his photos as NFTs?
Well, a cursory look at OpenSea (an NFT marketplace that was built upon the Ethereum blockchain) suggests that NFT creators can indeed upload and mint photographs for sale.
But is there any demand for it? Well, if we take a look at the trending results for photography, we can see that many collections have had over 10, 000 buyers (including resale). The lowest price for any item in the trending collections hover just around 0.2 ETH (1 ETH = USD1751 as of 27 May 2022) and the total volume of sales have reached as high as 4 ETH. So, yes, there is demand for it indeed.
But can I just upload any photograph and expect to get a sale out of it? Absolutely not. Which is why we have prepared three strategies for you to consider when planning to mint and sell your photos as NFTs.
What’s the logic behind collectibles? What is the appeal of the Sorare NFT trading cards and the cartoonish pictures of apes (as in the Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Bored Ape Kennel Club, Bored Ape Chemistry Club, Trippin’ Ape Tribe, Prime Ape Planet PAP, Galactic Apes)?
Well, buyers of collectibles buy them so that they can be a part of an NFT community. And being part of that community means gaining access to all the collectibles available. The more collectibles there are, the more the community gets involved. And when there is a rare item in that set of collectibles, the community goes nuts. Or bananas. Or whatever it is apes eat.
In fact, there are recent non-NFT communities based on this same logic too. In case you’re interested, go check out the community of “pouchboiz” on YouTube and Instagram. It’s not an NFT community, but they too go crazy over their collectibles.
There are many photographers who use this NFT strategy. One example is 7 Atmospheres. 7 Atmospheres is a collection of 100 photos across Morocco, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and the United States by photographer Woody Gooch. Even though there are currently only 12 owners of this collection, the volume traded has already reached 5.5 ETH!
Go out there and start your collection of collectible photos. Take many shots of the same subject in different angles or poses. Or perhaps the same subject with different themes. Or perhaps different subjects with the same theme. The possibilities are endless.
People will buy unique artworks as NFTs as much as they would buy unique photos as NFTs. Take a look at the example of Split Stories 2.0. The uniqueness of these photos lie in the photographer’s use of Split-screen or Diptych photography. With it, he tells one story through two photos. The images composed are seamless yet evocative collage-compositions created with some of his strongest photographs aimed at conveying a deeper message. So, just how unique is this? Are they composite photos? Yes, they are. Were they composited using photo manipulation software? No, they weren’t. They were carefully chosen and paired according to design principles and composition techniques that can only come from a creative mind.
As a photographer, you have a creative mind too. Put that to good use. Capture photos of people and places with a purpose. Use innovative angles, shot sizes and composition techniques. A low angle macro shot composed using the golden ratio layout? Why not? Give it a shot. An over the shoulder frame-within-frame shot using the design principle of symmetry? Why not? Give it a shot!
We live in a woke world today. All of us are fighting vigorously against ignorance and discrimination. And we all love to help each other out. Minting a collection as part of a social cause will definitely help in sales, as well as create awareness of the social cause. Take a look at the case of WomenUniteNFT. They have created a couple of collections as part of their larger Women Unite Kingdom. With their photographs, they are hoping to represent “the individuality, allure, and influence of womankind through Fashion, Photography, and NFTs”. They have shot photos of more than 50 real life models, totaling 10,000 photographs that are being minted as NFTs. With these NFTs, they hope to continue to empower, uplift, and assist women. 10% of their sales goes towards supporting women in need across the globe.
Do you have a social cause that you believe in? Perhaps it’s the disabled. Perhaps it’s cats and dogs. Build a portfolio of photos that represent them. Pledge a sum of the proceeds to them. Mint your photos as a donation drive for them. Go out there and help them get their voices heard.
