If you walk into one of the few remaining photo specialty retailers – or what most of us might still call a photo shop – you’ll see tons of frames for sale. Frames make the photo in many ways. And they help the shop sell prints, which is becoming an ever-rarer event.
Folks walk into our studio fairly frequently, asking if we sell frames. No, no we don’t. But we do sell these cool metal prints, that have easel backs (that little kick stand for the desk top) or shadow blocks A shadow block is a wooden square (I haven’t been called that since junior high, at least not to my face) that hides behind the aluminum. The block has a slot for the nail or hook on the wall, and also serves to hold the aluminum off the wall, so it casts a shadow.
We also sell these nice Chromaluxe panels. Our client is holding one here, a 6×6″ panel, which sells for $24.95. They have a glossy white surface, which is attached to a wooden back, and in integrated easel back (aka kickstand).
When folks see the metal and Chromaluxe in our store, they like the interesting look. But after a while, it occurred to me that we were taking what used to be a three step process, and making it into one. Before, you had to print the photo, buy the frame, and then put the photo in the frame.
Now, our client just uploads or brings in a photo, and in as little as an hour, they have one of these touching, durable, tasteful gifts.
Yes, it’s a bunch of sales talk, but it’s also true: these things are nice gifts, they are convenient, and are reasonably priced.
This photo is just darling. It’s a safe bet the gift was a big hit, and our customer enjoyed a nice helping of gratitude from the recipient.