People often ask me how to start collecting photography. Simply approach it like any type of collection: immerse yourself in the subject and its history and be sure you have a good glossary at hand to help with the tricky technical details. Begin with photobooks and set yourself a budget for buying and framing prints. It’s possble to get a great work by an unknown for around £200-£300.
Meet as many fellow enthusiasts as you can. The photo world is a knitting circle compared with the wider art market and you will soon become a familiar face if you attend a few key events in the calendar. Visit exhibitions in public and private galleries. Attend fairs such as Paris Photo and Photo London and festivals such as Unseen, FIX Photo and Format. Explore graduate shows or smaller fairs such as the Affordable Art Fair.
Above all, let what you enjoy define your collection. Buy works that you love, that reflect your aesthetic style and personality. See work in the flesh first, if you can: online buying should only come later, with more experience. Acquiring gems at fairs is exhilarating – an Eve Arnold contact sheet taken on the set of The Misfits is my favourite steal.
Attending talks and booking a course or consultation with a dealer can help inform your decisions as your palette refines with time. Build your collection carefully, with an affordable budget for each year; if there is anything left over, add it on top the following year. Pay for things in instalments to spread the cost. I did this early on with my John Kippin print Hidden, which launched the flight theme of one of my collections.
Support emerging photographers and monitor their progress: you can find great-priced work at small galleries and graduate shows. And give to crowdfunding projects by artists you like. Remember, you are investing in the artist, not just the art. Finding innovators – such as Chloe Rosser, one of the artists I now represent, who reimagines the nude – is enormously rewarding.
Check the provenance and vintage of a work before buying. Limited editions should be just that, so 1/4 is number one of four. There may also be one or two A/Ps – “artist’s proofs”, the first perfect print of a photograph – and other sizes, so count all the available prints of an image to establish the full edition, and if it is indeed limited. If an edition seems too large (20 is big for a serious collector; I know some who never go above seven), find an equally arresting work in a smaller edition.
Keep a list of photographers you like on your phone – alongside work you already own.
Find a gallerist you like and trust, who specialises in photography. They can find works further afield for you and give you first refusal on new works. They are an extra pair of eyes and ears, as are other collectors.Buying my Viviane Sassen, Vee Speers and Jeffrey Milstein prints early was a wise move, not to mention an Alfred Stieglitz photogravure at a great price from a trusted US dealer.
Buying and selling works at auction can result in a great return. Approach both with caution and try not to get carried away when you have that paddle in your hand. Go to the viewing day, as the catalogue may not fully list details of the physical item. Look up prices of the same or similar works by that artist online in advance, to avoid overpaying and don’t forget that on top of this, auction houses take a commission on sales. Enjoy!
Laura Noble is director of London’s LA Noble gallery; lauraannnoble.com
