If you have been trying to sell more printed photographs to clients but have been unsuccessful, consider adopting a new approach — one that takes guesswork out of the equation and allows your customers to easily visualize the beauty of your work — hanging in their home. Whether you are trying to sell canvas gallery wraps or framed photographs, the strategies in this article work the same.

In the past, you’ve most likely relied on your clients’ abilities to “imagine” your photographs hanging on their walls. The problem with this approach is that many people do not possess an imagination vivid enough — or a sense of space and proportion reliable enough — to do that “imagining” effectively or confidently. The resulting lack of “vision” naturally leads to indecision and little or no motivation to buy.

To sell more prints, you’ll need to go above and beyond the call of duty. You’ll need to “fill in the blanks” for them. By employing the following approach, you’ll awaken your clients’ vision, enabling them to confidently commit to their print purchases.

Step 1: The Scene

Option A: Photograph a living room or other interior scene that is clean and elegant and features an empty wall prominently.

Option B: Purchase a photograph of a similar scene at a stock photography site such as iStockPhoto. Here’s one by Shenki.

Step 2: The Template

Now that you have a photograph of a beautiful room with an empty wall, it is time to create a template for prints. I suggest two templates:

Template A: First, I recommend a template for showing canvas prints. This one is very simple because, viewed head-on, it’s not necessary to create the wrapped edges. The easiest way to simulate the floating gallery wrap effect that is so magical is to add a very subtle drop shadow.

Template B: The second template is trickier. To simulate a framed print, you want to create an empty picture frame that is elegant. You could return to your stock photo site and purchase a picture frame template, or find a Photoshop tutorial on how to create your own.

Somewhere in the template, you can optionally add a price, or text that includes language such as “Want this photograph on your wall?” Even without text, having your client’s photograph hanging on a wall will subliminally make an impact.

Remember, once you have your templates created, you never have to recreate them.

Step 3: The Print

Take your favorite photograph from your client’s session and place it inside of your new template, whether a framed or canvas print. Save the image with the photograph hanging above a couch, for example, and keep it with the session’s photographs that you plan to upload for proofing.

Step 4: Include

Hopefully the proofing solution you are using for your clients has a place where you can insert custom HTML content. Once the gallery is uploaded and ready for viewing, add the new hanging photo image to the top of the proofing gallery, making sure it’s the first thing the client will see when visiting the gallery.

Alternative Approach

If you don’t have the time or inclination to create your own templates, here’s an alternative approach: There are iPad apps available that can easily create mockups. They’re not cheap, but may offer more versatility than the templates you create on your own.

For example, Shoot And Sell can help take the guesswork out of large sales for photographers by allowing them to show their clients exactly what their images will look like on their own walls, at the right size, all on the iPad in the palm of their hand. The app lets you take a picture from your client’s room and easily make a mockup that they will relate to. There are also in-app purchases available for stock photographs.

As you can see, there are numerous options for creating realistic mockups. Bring the vision to life for your clients. It’s a sure-fire way to sell more prints.

Scott Wyden Kivowitz is a NJ photographer and the Community & Blog Wrangler at Photocrati, developer of WordPress photography themes, teaching other photographers how to increase business with their website.

Ready to sell more canvas prints? Discover Artistic Photo Canvas and APC ProZone benefits.

Here’s how: Log in to your APC account by clicking the “My Account” link at the top of any page at artisticphotocanvas.com.

Figure 1 – Logging in to your Artistic Photo Canvas account

Click on “My Orders” in the navigation bar running down the left side of your account “Dashboard.” You’ll see all of the previous you’ve orders placed using this account since July 5, 2011. Browse through the list until you find the order(s) that contain(s) the canvas you want reprinted. To double-check you’ve got the right previous order from which you want a reprint, click on the “View Order” link to the right of any order listed. (Not the right order? Simply click on “My Orders” again and navigate to a different one.)

Figure 2 – Viewing your previous orders via the “My Orders” link

If you scroll down, you’ll see the canvas(es) that were part of the selected order. Here you can confirm that the size, style, options and image are the ones you were looking for. If you want to reorder one or more of the canvases on this order, scroll up and click on the “Reorder” link near the top of the page. (To get reprints from more than one order, simply click on the “My Account” link at the top of the page and then “My Orders” again in the left-hand navigation pane and repeat the “Reorder” process.)

Figure 3 – Confirming previous order details and using the “Reorder” link

After clicking on “Reorder,” you will advance to the Shopping Cart, where all canvases from previous orders you’ve selected for “Reprint” will have been added to your cart, exactly as you previously configured them. If your previous order(s) contained more than one canvas and you don’t want to reprint all of them, you can easily delete any canvas you don’t want to reorder by clicking the “X” to the right of it. [fig. 4]

Voila! Having confirmed your reprint details, you’re now ready to proceed through the checkout process. Ready to try it? Get started.

Gallery wrapped canvas inspiration – served up from time to time
with the generous permission of APC’s awesome customers!

Photographer: Mark Frolick
Subject: “Sara”
Size: 36 x 20 gallery wrap

“Sara is the world’s fastest cheetah in captivity. She can run 100 meters in 6.130 seconds. Sara was one of the featured cheetahs in my book, Cheetahs 2011.  I have always loved cheetahs! They are one of the most magnificent animals in the world. They are sleek, beautiful, and lightning fast. Watching them run is like viewing a beautiful work of art. Only this work of art can travel 100 meters in just over six seconds.

“Artistic Photo Canvas helps me bring the photographs of these beautiful animals to life. I like APC so much that I am using them exclusively to print the canvases for my cheetah photo exhibit this summer.” – Mark

Like Mark, you’ll love the winning combination of superior quality, highly personalized service and exceptional value at APC. Follow this link to order canvas prints of your own!

Gallery wrapped canvas inspiration – served up from time to time
with the generous permission of APC’s awesome customers!

Photographer: Heidi Schreifels
Subject: “Tilt” Collection
Size: 17 x 30 gallery wraps

“In Spring 2011 I visited the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, with its hundreds of vintage pinball games from the 1930′s to the 1990′s lined up row after row, lights flashing and bells ringing. I had planned a night out with friends, so I only had my Motorola Droid phone camera with me. Inspired by the mechanics, illustrations, colors and lights, I photographed the games up close through the glass with a forced perspective. The two on display above are from a favorite game from in the 1960′s — a time when ‘politically correct’ and ‘digitally programmed’ didn’t exist. To see more from my ‘Tilt’ collection go to: schreifelsphoto.com — or visit the Gary Manuel Salon in Seattle, Washington, where numerous additional APC canvas wraps from the collection are currently on display.”  — Heidi

Ready to order canvas prints of your own? Like Heidi, you’ll love the winning combination of superior quality, highly personalized service and exceptional value at Artistic Photo Canvas.

Gallery wrapped canvas inspiration – served up from time to time
with the generous permission of APC’s awesome customers!

Photographer: James Johnson
Subject: “Dawn is Here”
Size: 30 x 20 gallery wrap

“Myanmar (Burma) is an exotic country in Southeast Asia and I was privileged to spend three weeks there in 2011. As a Buddhist country, it is a land of monks and of thousands of pagodas. Pagodas are so prolific that any landscape shot will surely include at least two or three. It is also a land of constant morning fog and smoke, adding an ethereal beauty to sunrise imagery. Here two monks on a hill overlooking a fog enshrouded valley greet the day’s first rays of sunshine. The result is an almost storybook image which creates a strong sense of what Myanmar is all about.”  — Jim

Ready to order gallery wraps of your own? Like Jim, you’ll love the winning combination of superior quality, great service and exceptional value at Artistic Photo Canvas.

We hope you will experience that magnificent peace that comes over you when you get your gifts lined up before the last minute — but just in case things come down to the wire, here are our ordering deadlines for 2011 in the United States, by region and delivery method:

If you’re in Canada or another international destination, you’ll want to get your orders in by December 14 for timely delivery via FedEx International Economy.

We’ve included enough time to accommodate most situations, but if you’re at or near a deadline, keep the following in mind:

• Neither we nor FedEx can control Mother Nature, so if the weather turns nasty at the FedEx hub in Memphis, all bets are off!

• If you’re at or near a deadline, avoid asking for an order-delaying Digital Proof. Your canvases will be stunning. Promise.

From our family to you and yours — warmest wishes for a most joyous Christmas. If your family is celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or a different holiday — our thoughts are with you at this festive time of year too!

“Sheepishly Asked Questions” about Orders & Shipping During the Holidays:

What if I miss a deadline?

As always, we’ll do our absolute best to get your gifts where you need them to be as quickly as we can — but orders you place after the deadlines outlined in the graphic above very well may arrive after December 25.  Just remember, there are Twelve Days of Christmas — and, unless your gift recipient is like Ebenezer Scrooge before a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future, your gift will certainly be appreciated and enjoyed no matter when it arrives!

What do the red asterisks in the graphic mean?

Express shipping in some zones doesn’t make a lot of sense after certain dates — as indicated by the red asterisks. In those situations, you’ll pay more and your package won’t arrive any faster. On the other hand, if you want to require a signature — or just feel more confident in Express delivery vs. Ground — the highlighted options will be available to you during checkout.

This stuff stresses me out. Can I send an eGift Card instead?

We’re glad you asked — because the last thing we want to do is dampen your holiday spirit. Yes! Hall out the holly, dear friend. You can complete your Christmas shopping and be back to your eggnog (hopefully spiked) in no time. Ordering an APC eGift Card takes all of about two minutes and is delivered to the recipient within just a few hours — so you can forget all about stress-inducing deadlines. And people love getting them because a) they can pick out whatever photo or art they’d like; b) they can configure it just the way they like it; and c) they can do it whenever they please — because APC eGift Cards never expire. We believe there is likely a “d)” and an “e)” but you’ll forgive us if we’ve misplaced them. (The eggnog here is that good.) Try giving some APC eGift Cards for canvas prints to your friends and family this year — and see how festive it makes you feel!

I love reading blog posts. The longer the better. Is that it?

Well, it was gonna be until you asked us that question. Truth is, there’s a special place in our hearts for the people who hang on every word in our crafted-with-love little blog, so we actually have a holiday gift for you — just because you’re one of them. Use Promo Code SHIP4FREE when you place your gift order and we’ll pick up the whole tab for U.S. ground shipping for all of your soon-to-be-adored APC canvas prints! Just use it before one of the relevant ground deadlines in the graphic, OK? (We know you would’t gloss over those!) XOXO

Gallery wrapped canvas inspiration – served up from time to time
with the generous permission of APC’s awesome customers!

Photographer: Lloyd Karnes
Subject: “Nantahala Morning”
Size: 60 x 20 gallery wrap

“The image was taken just before sunrise at my friends’ place at Lake Nantahala, in western North Carolina. They were looking for a piece to use as a focal point above the fireplace in their downtown Atlanta loft space. The muted blues of the fog and water and subtle greens of the conifers contrast with the stark, contemporary design of the residence. The canvas treatment by APC further reinforces the organic softness of the scene.”  — Lloyd

Ready to order gallery wraps of your own? Like Lloyd, you’ll love the winning combination of superior quality, great service and exceptional value at Artistic Photo Canvas.

Get a 16×24 thick or thin gallery wrapped custom canvas print for just $79! Order as many as you’d like — and save a whopping $40 off each one. 16×24 (aka 24×16) is one of our most popular sizes — not too big, not too small — just perfect for decorating and gift giving. To take advantage, enter Promo Code WE1624 in the box provided beneath your shopping cart. Click here to start creating your new canvas prints.

Don’t let this huge deal pass you by. Start picking your favorite photos now for the legendary APC canvas treatment! Offer expires Sunday, October 9 at midnight ET.

Gallery wrapped canvas inspiration – served up from time to time
with the generous permission of APC’s awesome customers!

Photographer: Lorraine Jarron
Subject: “Kananaskis Trail”
Size: 36 x 24 gallery wrap

“This photo was taken heading north on the beautiful Kananaskis Trail in Alberta, Canada. Its a beautiful area where you can see an abundance of wildlife, pristine mountain lakes, and of course the most amazing skies. Truly a place where you never put your camera down. I processed this picture to accentuate the foreboding sky; driving towards the oncoming storm, following the yellow lines.

“I captured this picture with my old Canon 50D, (20mm lens set manually at ISO 100, f/10, shutter 1/100) which I have since replaced with a 5D II.”  — Lorraine

Ready to order canvas prints of your own? You’ll love the winning combination of superior quality, great service and exceptional value at Artistic Photo Canvas.

Gallery wrapped canvas inspiration – served up from time to time
with the generous permission of APC’s awesome customers!

Photographer: Jody Grigg
Subject: “Narrows of Zion”
Size: 40 x 32 gallery wrap

“The ‘Narrows’ of Zion National Park, Utah, are a popular park location for the average tourist during the summer months because they provide plenty of shade and cool waters — an easy way to escape the extreme temperatures of the southwest. But come late October the ‘Narrows’ are bone chilling, especially when you are wading through calf to thigh water for hours on end looking for a moment to capture.

“This particular day I spent 5 hours with a fellow photographer exploring all the nooks and crannies. Trying to find a good place to set up the tripod was tricky due to all the rushing water, but with a little patience it paid off.

“Captured on digital format with a Canon 5DMKII and a Canon 17-40mm f/4 lens.”  — Jody

Ready to order gallery wraps of your own? Like Jody, you’ll love the winning combination of superior quality, great service and exceptional value at Artistic Photo Canvas.