I was thinking about the recent Peter Lik sale to the undisclosed buyer and thought how could I provide a buyer with that amount of disposable income a better value. After all, all they got from the deal was a piece of artwork.
In case you haven’t seen the press release – Peter Lik, he of large, bright, saturated landscape photography sold in his 14 galleries located in vacation spots around the globe and star of the TV show “From the Edge With Peter Lik” on the Weather Channel not to be confused by Art Wolfes show “Travels to the Edge” on PBS, supposedly sold a black and white version of his popular shot of Antelope Canyon for $6.5 million dollars to a secretive collector. The photograph “Ghost” I mean “Phantom” features some black and white HDR effects and a nice bunch of sand floating in the air in the shaft of light coming into the popular (as evident by the abundant foot prints in the sand) canyon, thus the title “Phantom”.
Antelope Canyon has been photographed thousands of times, long since draining all sense of originality or creative thought.
Some have questioned the “accuracy” of the sale.
Especially those trying to unload their own versions (950 photographs per “limited edition”) on Artbrokerage.com, eBay and Craigslist after their wives berated their husbands for blowing so much money on a pretty picture during a drunken sales meeting in Las Vegas. Much as been written about the strong arm sales tactics in the Peter Lik galleries.
MY PETER LIK STORY
http://scottreither.com/blogwp/2012/06/11/peter-lik-gallery-photographer-my-story/
So getting beyond whether or not the artwork in question is a fine piece of artwork worth of a $6.5 million dollar price tag or even has any resale value to warrant such a price, lets consider VALUE.
Antelope Canyon is a mature subject on the bucket list of thousands of photographers.
This slot canyon is on land managed by the Navajo Parks and Recreation. With over 17 million acres, the Navajo Nation encompasses the entire northeast quarter of the state of Arizona, and spills over into New Mexico and Utah. Vast areas of pristine wilderness, majestic canyons, high mountain meadows, dry deserts, flatlands and blue skies characterize the land of the Navajo people. The road to Antelope Canyon is gated by the Navajo Nation and entry is restricted to guided tours led by authorized tour guides. Tours can be purchased in nearby Page, and range from $35 to $82 per person, depending on the time of the day and length of the tour.
Ok so now, we have a well photographed and popular tourist attraction. Postcards of Antelope Canyon in the Navajo gift shop are less than $1 so what did the undisclosed buyer of “Phantom” get?
All they got for $6.5 million was a black and white framed print.
What a rip off! For 6.5 millon clams my package deal is a much better deal. My package includes the buyer actually taking the photograph! Talked about the ultimate photo safari. With my deal the patron actually comes back with bragging rights. My deal includes the total experience of capturing the image yourself. Here is what is included in my package exclusive “Antelope Canyon” for the 6.5 smackers….
- Airfare and overnight accommodations.
- All transfers and transportation
- All park passes and real Navajo Indian guide
- Pocket full of new $100 bills to hand out to other photographers so they will step outside of the photo for 10 minutes.
- A rake to rake up the foot prints out of the sand.
- An assistant to throw sand in the air on command.
- Training on equipment so you look like you know what you are doing when we yell “push the button now!”
- Post processing and acrylic face mounting process for that super saturated, back light, pop your eyeballs out look.
- One camera bag featuring the following products (just like Peter’s!)
You also get a camera bag full of all of the same gear used by the real Peter Lik at not extra charge. The bag and all of the equipment are yours to keep after the $6.5 million dollar photo experience.
We’ll even include a round of drinks at the bar after you bag your very own Antelope Canyon shot!
Links:
https://fstoppers.com/composite/shoot-print-and-frame-massive-peter-lik-style-photograph-budget-6149
https://fstoppers.com/natural-light/go-behind-scenes-peter-lik-he-creates-stunning-images-nyc-5816