3 Build a collection of photo prints

Investing in great photography doesn’t always need a second mortgage

When you’re a keen photographer, it’s easy to get bogged down in the technicalities of f-stops and focal lengths – and forget that photography can also be a great investment. Some of the highest prices paid for art recently have involved photography – think of the $4.3 million Andreas Gursky trousered for his image, Rhein II.

While such eye-watering prices are likely to be beyond the reach of most readers, you can pick up prints, often from quite well-known photographers, at much more sensible prices. The Print Sales Gallery at The Photographer’s Gallery in London is a good starting point, and all profits from print sales go to support the gallery’s public programmes.

“Now would seem a pretty good time to jump into what is still, in art market terms, a comparatively undervalued market,” says Jane Lewis of The Week. “You can still pick up prints from auction-starred photographers for four-figure sums.”

Our contributing editor Geoff Harris snaffled a signed print of The Clash, taken by noted rock photographer Adrian Boot, for £20 at a junk shop. “The frame is worth more than that!” he says.

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* As well as visiting the print rooms of galleries or local dealers, check out affordable art fairs. The Multiplied Art Fair at Christies in London ( www.christies.com/multiplied) is a regular event where you can easily pick up sensibly priced work by up-and-coming photographers. * eBay ( www.ebay.com) can be worth looking on, too. Some people acquire images without knowing their full market value, then stick them on eBay as they can’t be bothered with specialist dealers or auction houses. Car boot sales and antique fairs can occasionally yield a diamond in the rough too. * Make your own work more valuable. It’s funny how framing your best shots and putting on a local exhibition can make the work seem more valuable! Contact the local newspaper and use social media to generate some publicity.