Would This Be 'tacky'?

you can photograph a persons house and sell it, and its ok. though not as stock, it gets tricky there. however that's a piece of house and impossible to identify. i personally wouldn't send them anything. mostly because the act of kindness may backfire, and suddenly they want money for the use of their door.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

That was EXACTLY my concern, Mike. Thanks!

If you ask most people would not have a problem with it at all.

If you send them a card are you acknowledging their input into your artwork? This could mean either they think you are trying to get them to buy a copy or it could mean that they come back and say let's have a piece of the action or demand you don't sell it or suggest you were spying on them or their family, etc, etc...

Personally, I don't think it's worth the potential headache.

JMHO ;-)

-Richard Reeve
ReevePhotos.com

I agree, Richard.

I always consider the 'best case, worst case scenario'. Best case, they buy a print or the original, or order a bunch of cards for Christmas. Worst case, they insist I take down my work. I agree...not worth it.

Thanks for the input. Just needed to hear it from someone else.

You can always change out some features to make it less recognizable, but I wouldn't approach the homeowner. I've taken several images of door fronts in Italy, and I don't think those people expect us to go knock on every door.

I have painted a few parts and pieces of private homes without ever contacting the owner.

Many years ago I was approached by a person wanting to sell me an aerial shot he took from his plane of my ranch. I didn't buy it and felt imposed upon by yet another door to door sales person.

Your painting is lovely, and the home owner just might want a copy of it, but I still wouldn't approach them.

Thanks, Patricia and Carlin.

Patricia, I probably should have changed the red trim, but I thought it was kind of quirky and kept it. That makes it highly recognizable.

Carlin, I don't want to impose on anyone. I had my art on the cover of a magazine recently and I keep getting emails from a company that wants me to buy a plaque with the artwork and the story they ran. No thank you.

I really like it. Since you're concerned about the house being recognizable, though, maybe take "Flagstaff" out of the title?

Actually, you can license it as stock. There's a recent case in which an image of a restored painted row house in San Francisco was licensed to a bank. The owner sued and lost the case in Federal Court. I actually have shots of the same house taken a couple of years earlier and followed the case closely.

I sell images of homes on FAA. I wouldn't send them a card if you don't know them!

Sell away. Just leave off the house number. If its visible from the street its in the public domain.

Hi Karyn . I do it all the time.
You certainly can photograph from the street, & often the homeowner will invite me to wander the property when I identify myself as a Painter . ( Cheese grin )

Remove the house numbers, & any plaque that say " The Johnson's".

When I get around to working with it, I usually print up a copy and stop by the home. I usually make a friendly acquaintance & am invited back anytime.

I have never had anyone miffed, and if they were - I guess we could paint tombstones & flocks of crows.

Love the stark black on white and those afternoon shadows - Beautiful work.


EDIT - I have been curious as to what permission is needed if one were contacted by a Publisher to print on calendars, ect.