Kunstmatrix Addendum

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  • Jack Siegel
    Jack Siegel
    Silver Member
    Posts: 25
    New Article Announcements & Discussions
    on: February 22, 2021 at 11:15 am

    Since I submitted the article to Kevin Raber, I created six more exhibits–it was cold and miserable in January.  Here are a couple of observations.  First, I tried the red and blue wall colorings again.  I liked the results, particularly for black and white images.  I also tried the white frame option, which grew on me.

    Second, I found the process helpful in thinking about my work.  I began my photographic efforts focused on jazz and blues musicians.  I have several thousand images in my portfolio.  Being forced to identify the 35 or so most impactful images was a useful exercise.  Obviously there are other ways to evaluate your work and progress, but I enjoyed using the virtual galleries to think about my work.  Overall, periodic reflection is a good thing.

    Third, I used several room options without windows.  I found the room flow more straightforward, which meant I was not fighting the fixed numbering as much.

    Fourth, I have now heard from Kunstmatrix–I had contacted them about permission to use screen captures, and they had asked me to send them the completed article when published.  They informed me that they are working on better spacing/alignment tools and giving users more control over the order that images appear in guided tour mode.  Both improvements would be great.

    Jack B. Siegel

    Jack B. Siegel
    Photographer, Attorney, and Writer

    Mike Nelson Pedde
    Mike Nelson Pedde
    Participant
    Posts: 641
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #1 on: February 22, 2021 at 6:38 pm

    Thanks for all of the effort you put into this. We have frequented a couple of the commercial art galleries in town, but times being what they are… I passed along the link to the article. It does mean they’d need to photograph all of their artwork but still… they can also provide a showcase for anything currently stored in the back room.

    Mike.

    _____
    Mike Nelson Pedde
    Victoria, BC
    https://www.wolfnowl.com/

    Terry Gipson
    Terry Gipson
    Silver Member
    Posts: 33
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #2 on: February 22, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    That was a marvelous discourse about this platform. I have been looking for a way to present my projects online. Thank you for your effort!

    Also your published article helps push the developers in ways that benefit those of us looking to publish our work in a compelling online manner.

    Terry Colorado USA [email protected] www.terrygipsonphotography.com

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Terry Gipson.
    Greg Scott
    Greg Scott
    Participant
    Posts: 25
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #3 on: February 22, 2021 at 10:49 pm

    I too enjoyed this article.  Like others I have an interest in this concept.  At the moment, it appears the developers are focused on a niche audience.  This has far greater potential as a mass market service but it will require thinking far outside the current box.  A limitation of 5 MB per image for example when I can upload images over 50 MB to SmugMug with no limitation on the number of images.  I do like the focus on quality.

    With a large percentage of the public exposed to the use of technology like zoom, we are experiencing a period of mass education about the use of and benefits of current technology.  What this project needs is an infusion of cash and a sense of a larger opportunity.

    On the road less traveled....

    Mark Crean
    Mark Crean
    Participant
    Posts: 27
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #4 on: February 23, 2021 at 8:37 am

    A very very helpful article. Thank you.

    I took the guided tour. The first thing to say is congratulations on such a powerful story so well told. I don’t live in the United States and this exactly the kind of story it is important to see.

    Everything ran smoothly here. No hiccups. I like that you can zoom into an image too. This is the first 3D gallery system I have tried that actually works. I have visited a few over the past year but they have been a bit pokey by comparison or so slow and jerky there are unusable and, of course, spoil the images on display. I also like that sound is a possibility as the project I am working on has an AV component.

    I have a need for an effective form of online display coming up in May and another a few months later, so I will definitely be trying this system further. Perhaps a test-run in May and if things work out well then a bigger run later in the year. The alternatives are fine, but limited – static galleries on the system of one’s choice, etc.  The pandemic has shown that we all have to start looking at ways of taking things quite a bit further than that to get work out there effectively and memorably. I don’t know which platform/system will turn out to crack this one the best, but the present one is certainly a very impressive start.

    I haven’t dived into details yet but another possibility, if it works, would be to record the guided tour and post as video on Vimeo or YouTube. Audio, if desired, could be added at that stage. With careful marketing and keywording, I guess it is possible that a video on those platforms would attract more visitors than a conventional website.

    So glad I saw this article.

     

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Mark Crean.
    Mark Crean
    Mark Crean
    Participant
    Posts: 27
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #5 on: February 23, 2021 at 12:06 pm

    A very very helpful article. Thank you.

    I took the guided tour. The first thing to say is congratulations on such a powerful story so well told. I don’t live in the United States and this exactly the kind of story it is important to see.

    Everything ran smoothly here. No hiccups. I like that you can zoom into an image too. This is the first 3D gallery system I have tried that actually works. I have visited a few over the past year but they have been a bit pokey by comparison or so slow and jerky there are unusable and, of course, spoil the images on display. I also like that sound is a possibility as the project I am working on has an AV component.

    I have a need for an effective form of online display coming up in May and another a few months later, so I will definitely be trying this system further. Perhaps a test-run in May and if things work out well then a bigger run later in the year. The alternatives are fine, but limited – static galleries on the system of one’s choice, etc. 

    The pandemic has shown that we all have to start looking at ways of taking things further than the static gallery approach to get work out there effectively and memorably. I don’t know which platform/system will turn out to best meet this challenge, but the present one is certainly a very impressive start.

    I haven’t dived into details yet but another possibility, if it works, would be to record the guided tour and post as video on Vimeo or YouTube. Audio, if desired, could be added at that stage. With careful marketing and keywording, I guess it is possible that a video on those platforms would attract more visitors than a conventional website.

    So glad I saw this article.

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Mark Crean.
    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Mark Crean.
    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Mark Crean.
    Jack Siegel
    Jack Siegel
    Silver Member
    Posts: 25
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #6 on: February 23, 2021 at 12:22 pm

    Thanks much for the kind words.  I am glad you enjoyed the article.

    As for the 5MB limit:  I have an intuitive understanding why it exists.  More importantly, I don’t think it is an issue in this context.  I don’t use SmugMug for my portfolio site; I use Photoshelter, which I believe has a 20mb limit.  If SmugMug is like Photoshelter, you are seeing the images in a “two-dimensional space.”  The images are static.

    In the case of Kunstmatrix, you are seeing the images in a “virtual” space–moving through the space; choosing your pathway; seeing multiple images at once; etc.  This is where my intuition comes into play:  I suspect that requires far more processing power to implement because the screen is being continuously redrawn.  If my suspicion is right, increasing the image limit to 50mb would most likely result in a “sluggish” pathway through the exhibit, so a balance is being struck.  I have seen this when building my galleries.  After I am close to filling the gallery with images, when I enter edit-mode, it might take three or four seconds to populate the positions with the images–fortunately this has been a problem when viewing the galleries in “viewer” mode.

    I think of greater importance is considering the experience from the viewer’s perspective rather than the photographer’s.  I have yet to have anyone be less than amazed with the “experience” and “look” of the exhibits.  It has a “Wow” factor.  While we as photographers always want higher resolution, my experience is that the person looking at an image on the web is not as concerned.  Perhaps of greater importance:  If you are using the site as a sales tool, the Wow factor might be what gets someone to consider purchasing a physical print.  I suspect the buyer will be even more impressed when he or she receives/sees a matted, large print reproduced on high quality paper.

    In any event, the call is clearly yours.  Thanks again and best regards.

    Jack B. Siegel

     

     

    Jack B. Siegel
    Photographer, Attorney, and Writer

    Terry Gipson
    Terry Gipson
    Silver Member
    Posts: 33
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #7 on: February 26, 2021 at 9:33 pm

    I spent some time looking at other options. I really like what you have shared about KunstMatrix. Do you have an input about artsteps.com?

    Terry Colorado USA [email protected] www.terrygipsonphotography.com

    Jack Siegel
    Jack Siegel
    Silver Member
    Posts: 25
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #8 on: February 27, 2021 at 1:14 pm

    I took a brief look–I am dealing with Covid vaccine 2 side effects today, so I am moving slowly.  In many respects the two look similar.  I found the artsteps.com site a little less responsive and a little more cluttered.  That well could be due to the features that the person who designed the gallery selected or the number of images on display.

    My Kunstmatrix discovery was accidental.  I wasn’t looking for a 3D virtual gallery.  Because the app looked cool,  I just jumped right in and built a gallery.  I did it to amuse me–not sell work.  I have come to the conclusion that selling work is a 24/7 (full-time) task, and I’d rather be out photographing.  The big problem with all ways of displaying work on the web for sales is driving people to the site–that’s the 24/7 part.  You need a total marketing plan, with a virtual gallery being just one of many parts of the effort.

    So, if you find a better provider, let me and everyone else know.  As with cameras and lenses, I am glad to hear that there is more than one suppler out there–that sparks innovation.  Thanks for thinking about the article and the process.

    Jack B. Siegel

    Jack B. Siegel
    Photographer, Attorney, and Writer

    Terry Gipson
    Terry Gipson
    Silver Member
    Posts: 33
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #9 on: February 27, 2021 at 10:11 pm

     

    Thank you again for your time and efforts on our behalf!

    Your comments about selling caught my attention and generated the following thoughts. I interpreted them as a disparaging commentary on selling one’s art. Please correct me if I was mistaken.

    I could not agree more that selling is an entirely different and difficult endeavor than wandering about taking pictures.

    I believe though that one’s art must be shared, regardless of compensation. For that is the true meaning of the expression of one’s art. At least that is my opinion, since true art is expressed without rules or regulations or requirements.

    However, I get enough requests to purchase my prints to make selling worth some effort without it being a 24/7 part of my life. I think the discovery of Kunstmatrix would be a helpful endeavor toward allowing others the opportunity of having my art as a part of their life.

    I agree that making a living full-time selling photographs is indeed a 24/7 effort and, in the age of the internet, extremely difficult. I believe one must go through an immense and even unreasonable amount of effort to be “successful” (whatever that means to each of us). In these days it probably requires a marketing team with connections far more extensive than each of us have. I think of Peter Lik as an example. He is a good (not great) photographer with a massive marketing team behind him.

    Yet presenting one’s work as an individual artist with the option to have others purchase it can be a worthwhile endeavor.

    Like you I have another professional life. I also have an artistic one that has cost me 10’s of thousands of dollars. I do not want to give away the results of those years of work. I suspect you also do not give away your years of professional training and experience for free as a mode of living.

    Art is a luxury. It is not a necessity for remaining alive. Art has to do with meaning, not maintenance of life. Can meaning be given away for free? That I do not know. It is perhaps to each artist to make that decision. In most first-world countries, I suspect the answer is no. Yet I do know that the more one pays for art, the more valuable it is to them.

    I realize it is extremely hard for a newbie in the selling world to make a living from selling their photographs. But it does compensate somewhat for the effort and skill learned in the journey. It still allows others to express their sense of meaning in the compensation for your years of learning and skill.

    Terry Colorado USA [email protected] www.terrygipsonphotography.com

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Terry Gipson.
    Jack Siegel
    Jack Siegel
    Silver Member
    Posts: 25
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #10 on: February 28, 2021 at 6:34 pm

    Terry:

    I don’t think we are in disagreement.  I have absolutely no problem with people selling their work.  If you picked up negative vibes it is because I have friends and family who push me to sell my work.  “You really should be doing that.”  “What’s the point if you don’t sell it?”  They don’t believe there is value in doing the work if you don’t sell it.  At that point I rebel.  If an opportunity came along, I would sell my work.  In fact, my wife, who is a little more aggressive with her pastel paintings, wanted to do a joint show at an art gallery–husband and wife.  I agreed to do it.  It was a nice experience, but at the end of the day, neither of us sold a single work.

    For me, the pleasure is in going out with a camera.  It sharpens and intensifies any experience.  I see things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.  I then come back, look at the images, and on occasion I go, “Wow, I created that.  Pretty cool.”  That is more than sufficient.  But by all means, anybody who wants to sell their images should do so.  I have no issue with selling or licensing images.

    As for Peter Lik, I sense the Web doesn’t like him.  The guy has been incredibly successful.  He produces work that does not interest me, but there is no doubt that he is a very talented photographer.  He photographs with a particular buyer/market in mind, and it works.

    Jack B. Siegel
    Photographer, Attorney, and Writer

    Mark Crean
    Mark Crean
    Participant
    Posts: 27
    Re: Kunstmatrix Addendum
    Reply #11 on: March 21, 2021 at 6:29 pm

    Just an addendum to an addendum.

    Jack Siegel’s article inspired me to open an account on Kunstmatrix and spend a while finding my way around the platform. It’s not hard to learn and I much appreciate Jack’s suggestions about sizing images within the system. Overall, things work very well and there are plenty of exhibition styles to choose from, or that’s the feedback I’ve received.

    At present there are two main drawbacks. Online virtual galleries can seem bare and lonely places. I don’t think anyone has yet worked out how to make the whole idea friendlier and more inviting. Likely to limit their popularity? Or is there a much better system out there? Second, at present Kunstmatrix lacks visitor stats and tracking tools so far as I can see which must make it a bit of a nonstarter for many. Selling tools look pretty rudimentary too, and they aren’t really structured with photography in mind. Print sales would need to use a different system, I’d imagine.

    If you’re just aiming to put on a show for your contacts with a bit of publicity on social media and have no plans for print sales, which is all I have in mind, then Kunstmatrix strikes me as brilliant and fairly straightforward to use. It’s not expensive either. I’ll certainly be using it for more shows in future. And with everything in lockdown where I am, there are few alternatives.

    If anyone is interested, the show I have put on is called Silent City and can be found here: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/5199174/silent-city

    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by Mark Crean.
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