Thomas Heaton calendar critique

So why wouldn’t the woman in question.... apart from the fact she doesn’t like it. In all seriousness though it’s important to get any feedback from all consumers otherwise it’s just fanmail.
 
Stuart Mc said:
See I can’t tell if you’re on the wind up so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt
Click to expand...
Not a wind up. The only photos I know of people buying are weddings, family portraits and pets. Admittedly I do know a guy who has sold/sells night time cityscapes - although I don't know who to, could be for business premises.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Not a wind up. The only photos I know of people buying are weddings, family portraits and pets. Admittedly I do know a guy who has sold/sells night time cityscapes - although I don't know who to, could be for business premises.
Click to expand...
Go to any major tourist town in any of the national parks or picturesque areas and the answer is there in a nutshell
 
Do you mean postcards?

Aah, sorry. I see calendars mentioned.

After much thought, I still don't know anyone who buys landscape photos calendars.
 
Last edited:
simon ess said:
Do you mean postcards?

Aah, sorry. I see calendars mentioned.

After much thought, I still don't know anyone who buys landscape photos calendars.
Click to expand...
It’s quite simple - people visiting picturesque areas on holiday often want a souvenir etc, if they can’t afford a framed print then a calendar is often an affordable option. I’ll easily shift 2-300 over a season in my gallery. Most galleries will sell them in these tourist areas. Vloggers like Heaton who have large followings on YT will use calendar sales as the main base income for the year. For some of these guys on YT it will probably be their biggest earner over the year.
 
Correct. I'm currently working on believing that calendars are his base income, not Iceland tours, workshops and 350,000 Youtube subscribers.

It's interesting though.
 
Stuart Mc said:
It’s quite simple - people visiting picturesque areas on holiday often want a souvenir etc, if they can’t afford a framed print then a calendar is often an affordable option. I’ll easily shift 2-300 over a season in my gallery. Most galleries will sell them in these tourist areas. Vloggers like Heaton who have large followings on YT will use calendar sales as the main base income for the year. For some of these guys on YT it will probably be their biggest earner over the year.
Click to expand...
Buying a calendar as a souvenir of visiting an area is a different thing to buying a calendar of 'landscape photography'. I buy a poultry calendar (of old poultry prints) because I like poultry and because it supports my local poultry club. I wouldn't buy a calendar of pig prints because I'm not interested in pigs.

But it's not calendars I'm really asking about. Who buys prints of 'landscape photography' of places they haven' visited? What sort of demographic? Photographers or 'ordinary people'?
 
simon ess said:
Correct. I'm currently working on believing that calendars are his base income, not Iceland tours, workshops and 350,000 Youtube subscribers.

It's interesting though.
Click to expand...
Are you specifically talking about the sales of TH calendars or landscape/scenic calendars in general, which is what I was talking about. I don't know anyone who has bought a TH calendar.
 
This could get muddy, so to be clear.

I don't know anyone who buys landscape photography calendars in general.

I'm not convinced that T.H. uses calendars as his base income. Seems like small beer to me.
 
Last edited:
simon ess said:
This could get muddy, so to be clear.

I don't know anyone who buys landscape photography calendars in general.

I'm not convinced that T.H. uses calendars as his base income. Seems like small beer to me.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought you meant, but became confused with your specific TH comments. And, yes, I agree I can't see the calendars being a large proportion of his income.
 
Ed Sutton said:
But it's not calendars I'm really asking about. Who buys prints of 'landscape photography' of places they haven' visited? What sort of demographic? Photographers or 'ordinary people'?
Click to expand...
In the same way as any other art form where the buyer has no personal connection with the subject, it’s any person who just likes what they see infront of them and find it appealing? Ordinary people I guess, and people who are keen followers of said photographers work. Other photographers rarely buy from each other but that’s the same with other genres I’d imagine. Demographically for me it’s mainly the 40+ range
 
My wife buys landscape calendars, and would also have looked at TH's images with a lot more understanding than the woman in that vid, despite not being a photographer as such. I have occasionally sold prints of my pictures, but usually to people who have some connection with them - it's unusual but not unknown for someone to buy a picture for the picture itself.

What I found a little astonishing about the vid - and I just went back a re-watched a bit of it - was that despite being married to someone who takes pictures (no idea who he is FWIW, and not interested to find out more) she comes across as someone visually illiterate and immature. I don't mean that rudely, but it's as though if a picture doesn't have bright, pretty colours and simple repeating shapes then it's not of value.
 
ancient_mariner said:
but it's as though if a picture doesn't have bright, pretty colours and simple repeating shapes then it's not of value..
Click to expand...

To her, maybe not.. everyone has different likes.

I see absolutely no point in, and I get no enjoyment out of any of the pictures posted in the nude section here, but doesn’t mean others don’t.
 
TCR4x4 said:
To her, maybe not.. everyone has different likes.

I see absolutely no point in, and I get no enjoyment out of any of the pictures posted in the nude section here, but doesn’t mean others don’t.
Click to expand...

Sure, but looking at the Namibian tree image from the calendar, even on youtube I can see that there's a sand dune behind the tree with plants growing out of it and ripples that give it a sense of size and 3 dimensions. It doesn't matter that she doesn't like orange, just like it doesn't matter you don't derive pleasure from looking at pictures of nude women - you can still recognise a well crafted photograph even if you don't like the subject.
 
Stuart Mc said:
Other photographers rarely buy from each other but that’s the same with other genres I’d imagine.
Click to expand...

Which is why I would imagine having opinions from non-photographers has value if there is income at stake. Admittedly, a sample of one isn't much use!
 
Ed Sutton said:
But it's not calendars I'm really asking about. Who buys prints of 'landscape photography' of places they haven' visited? What sort of demographic? Photographers or 'ordinary people'?
Click to expand...

That's a very different question to one about calendars. I think you missed out collectors from your list of photographers and "ordinary people"

It seems a reasonable assumption that https://www.saatchiart.com/photography/landscape are selling to collectors, or maybe interior designers etc.

Where as https://www.photo4me.com/ . seems aimed at the general consumer.

Several Vloggers like TH also sell fine prints, and I assume these are mainly sold to photographers who follow the vlog.

I would buy prints if I could, but can't afford it, so tend to buy books, which sometimes include a small original print. I think that small publishers (like the now-defunct triplekite press, but there are others like Another Place Press) are a good way for photographers to share work with other photographers. I also bought an Ansel Adams calendar just to get the prints.

I know it doesn't directly answer your question or give any "numbers" but I think a variety of people buy original landscape prints.
 
myotis said:
I would be delighted to be surprised.
Click to expand...
He’ll probably shift circa 5k calendars I’m guessing, at a per calendar profit of around £15 after production costs and postage. That’s probably a conservative estimate, so there’s £75k before tax. That’s of course a guess but probably in the ball park
 
Last edited:
simon ess said:
Correct. I'm currently working on believing that calendars are his base income, not Iceland tours, workshops and 350,000 Youtube subscribers.

It's interesting though.
Click to expand...

He will be making a hefty sum off YouTube.
With my paltry 36k subs, and a channel I’ve barely touched in 2 years, I still make £250 a month.
He will be making several thousand a month easily
 
myotis said:
That's a very different question to one about calendars. I think you missed out collectors from your list of photographers and "ordinary people"

It seems a reasonable assumption that https://www.saatchiart.com/photography/landscape are selling to collectors, or maybe interior designers etc.

Where as https://www.photo4me.com/ . seems aimed at the general consumer.

Several Vloggers like TH also sell fine prints, and I assume these are mainly sold to photographers who follow the vlog.

I would buy prints if I could, but can't afford it, so tend to buy books, which sometimes include a small original print. I think that small publishers (like the now-defunct triplekite press, but there are others like Another Place Press) are a good way for photographers to share work with other photographers. I also bought an Ansel Adams calendar just to get the prints.

I know it doesn't directly answer your question or give any "numbers" but I think a variety of people buy original landscape prints.
Click to expand...

I buy photobooks. Too many of them... But very few sell more than hundreds and a tiny number sell thousands.

I wasn't aware triplekite is no more.
 
While everyone's opinion is valid, it can depend on where they are coming from, and the reason they are commenting in the case of the video which this thread is about. I think there is more than a hint of getting exposure by being controversial about someone popular. Which is a risky ploy imho. I have no interest in going back to their YT channel. I agree it would be interesting to have the woman in the video critique here husband's work in a similar way. But then would it get the views or notoriety without Thomas Heaton's name attached. ;) :rolleyes:

With regards to Thomas Hearon's calendars needing to appeal to more people like the woman in the video, if they were sold on the highstreet, then maybe, but afaik Thomas Heaton sells his calendars via his YT channel and website, and so has to appeal to the visitors to those places, and people will know what to expect. And on his YT channel gives a preview of the calendar I think, so people will know exactly what to expect. Not everyone of his viewers will like all, some, or any of his images, but there will probably be enough that do for him to be profitable in creating calendars. That is just a guess on my part though, as if it weren't profitable I doubt he would produce one.
 
Phil V said:
She's neither a consumer or even a potential one. So unless TH has no market whatsoever, or wants to change his market significantly - her opinion is worthless
Click to expand...
Everybody is a potential consumer, when somebody (anybody) doesn’t like your work you have the choice of considering their opinion and doing something about it if you feel you need them as a potential customer or ignoring it because you don’t need them or basically don’t give a toss about their opinion. I’m sure we can all guess which he goes for but regardless of that everybody is entitled to their opinion.
 
redhed17 said:
I think there is more than a hint of getting exposure by being controversial about someone popular. Which is a risky ploy imho. I have no interest in going back to their YT channel. I agree it would be interesting to have the woman in the video critique here husband's work in a similar way. But then would it get the views or notoriety without Thomas Heaton's name attached.
Click to expand...

Looks like the exposure increase worked out for this video. That video is now at 12k views instead of his usual 1-2k.

Personally I don’t agree with this tactic of by controversial about another photographer just for likes. But the tactic got everyone talking on here so it worked in one way he wanted it to.
 
gerry s said:
Everybody is a potential consumer, when somebody (anybody) doesn’t like your work you have the choice of considering their opinion and doing something about it if you feel you need them as a potential customer or ignoring it because you don’t need them or basically don’t give a toss about their opinion. I’m sure we can all guess which he goes for but regardless of that everybody is entitled to their opinion.
Click to expand...
I couldn’t agree less. I’m not in the market for a Lamdscape calendar; I could spend a day reinventing those images, I’d still have zero interest in buying the calendar.

Only in an academic sense am I a potential customer. I would literally rather spend the £30 on bags of Haribo (which I don’t like) than a landscape calendar, because at least the family would enjoy the Haribo.

This ‘everyone’s entitled to an opinion’ trope is the most misunderstood sentence in the modern world.
Of course, she’s entitled to her opinion, but it has zero value. She could also give her opinion on Barnsley’s defensive options for the January transfer window- I doubt it’d be worth much either.
There will almost certainly be things about which she knows much more than Thomas Heaton or her husband or you - but I doubt that actual useful information would be the basis of any great debate here.
 
Barnsley have no options in the January window but I totally agree with your views on the relative value of haribos against a landscape calendar. I’m not keen on them either.... haribos I mean.
 
gerry s said:
Barnsley have no options in the January window but I totally agree with your views on the relative value of haribos against a landscape calendar. I’m not keen on them either.... haribos I mean.
Click to expand...
Lesson no1 in marketing is to understand who your customers are.
Businesses of any description who try to attract people who will never be their customers will fail. It literally couldn’t be simpler.

Barnsley have cash left over from the Summer and will almost certainly be shedding some players, if they lose no one important they can easily afford some defensive experience.
 
At the end of the day D. Griff was a nob in making/posting the video, or was he?
In my opinion its been done as a marketing exercise to sucker in people to spread the video, I'm sure he and Tom will be laughing their cocks off :ROFLMAO:
 
Last edited:
Ed Sutton said:
Buying a calendar as a souvenir of visiting an area is a different thing to buying a calendar of 'landscape photography'. I buy a poultry calendar (of old poultry prints) because I like poultry and because it supports my local poultry club. I wouldn't buy a calendar of pig prints because I'm not interested in pigs.

But it's not calendars I'm really asking about. Who buys prints of 'landscape photography' of places they haven' visited? What sort of demographic? Photographers or 'ordinary people'?
Click to expand...

On another site I visit they have print sales and indeed they've just finished one and there wasn't as far as I now a single print of a chicken. How very odd.

Just goes to show there's a market for all tastes. I never knew who was buying all those chicken shots.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top