rhythmworx Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Australian landscape photographer Peter Lik has taken the crown for most expensive photo ever sold. “Phantom,” the picture shown above, was sold to a private collector for a staggering $6.5 million. The record was previously held by Andreas Gursky’s “Rhein II”, which sold for $4.3 million back in 2011. “Phantom” was captured at Arizona’s Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon that’s popular among landscape photographers, and shows a beam of light resembling a “ghostlike figure” (hence the name). It’s a black-and-white version of a photograph that has also been printed in color with the title, “Ghost.” Lik also announced that the same buyer purchased two other photographs for $2.4 million and $1.1 million (“Illusion” and “Eternal Moods,” respectively), giving Lik four photos in the list of 20 most expensive photos of all time (he previously sold a separate photo for $1 million back in 2011). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goshawk Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ madness . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJP Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 (edited) ^ madness . . So it maybe. If BS was music we'd 'ave a brass band and all that. Keep shootin'. We might get lucky. Edited December 11, 2014 by MJP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goshawk Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ madness . . We might get lucky. only if we can find a similar deluded fool who's prepared enough to pay an absurd inflated price for one of our snapshots . . . http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywais Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ madness . . We might get lucky. only if we can find a similar deluded fool who's prepared enough to pay an absurd inflated price for one of our snapshots . . . http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless I find the author of that article a bit full of himself. Maybe correct for that particular piece but as one commenter pointed out, he contradicts himself in his own articles. From the above linked article: Photography is not an art. It is a technology. We have no excuse to ignore this obvious fact in the age of digital cameras, when the most beguiling high-definition images and effects are available to millions. My iPad can take panoramic views that are gorgeous to look at. Does that make me an artist? No, it just makes my tablet one hell of a device. However here from the same author: Photography is the art of our time The old masters painted the drama of life and death. Today photography captures the human condition – better than any other artistic medium of our age http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2013/jan/10/photography-art-of-our-time 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goshawk Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ madness . . We might get lucky. only if we can find a similar deluded fool who's prepared enough to pay an absurd inflated price for one of our snapshots . . . http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless Maybe correct for that particular piece but as one commenter pointed out the rest is swings and roundabouts in the whirlpool of opinion . . (for me, it is an art . . just not that one and the $ stunt around it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJP Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ madness . . We might get lucky. only if we can find a similar deluded fool who's prepared enough to pay an absurd inflated price for one of our snapshots . . . http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless Start lookin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goshawk Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ madness . . We might get lucky. only if we can find a similar deluded fool who's prepared enough to pay an absurd inflated price for one of our snapshots . . . http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless Start lookin'. that's easier done than said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJP Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^^Well get on with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goshawk Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ^ sorry i mean't it the other way around . . . i' give all my work away for free ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhythmworx Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) After posting the thread I later read another article where I got the original article from which was Matt Grangers, Petapixel site. http://petapixel.com/2014/12/10/expensive-photo-world-best-marketing-stunt/ This Lik guy is allegedly trying to publicise himself maybe for more viewers to his site/album. Now you have mentioned Antelope Canyon, the best shots I have seen of that are from Seattle based photographer John Greengo. I cant seem to find the images on his site though. I printed off Liks photo and its here 360 DPI on my wall, It saved me a lot of money, I might throw some udder milk at it at the thought of the money I have saved. I'm thankfull as I can now spend that $6.5 million on a nice house in the LOS. Edited December 12, 2014 by rhythmworx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assurancetourix Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Here ? http://www.johngreengo.com/images_southwest.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine51 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 It's a nice pic....however...I'd rather spend 6.5 million on other things instead of a nice pic. And seriously...to me that all Lik's photo is...nice & nothing more. The buyer must be a nut case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Does the buyer (expect to) get exclusive rights to the photo. I ask because I can't see what is to stop a photographer printing off a few more and selling them too. Buying an old master, one gets the unique product (except for Sexton Blakes), but with a photo, any Tom Dick or Harr®y could get a copy. $6.5 mill...... Hmm anyone want a photo of a sunset what I took?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine51 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 ^^^ Rob...for 6.5 million bucks I would hope the buyer received all the rights to the photo and that any copies of the pic he just bought were erased from any form of storage medium permanently...just to protect that 6.5 mil investment. Because...as you stated, anybody could also get a copy. In fact...just by downloading the image posted and applying a bit of PP...one could get a reasonably good copy....hmmmmmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 In the digital age, buying photos is a very risky proposition, even with all the legal paperwork anyone can invent. Buying one for this sort of money just defies logic, but good luck to Mr Lik <says Rob, green with envy> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine51 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 The man himself...Peter Lik... Wiki has a good writeup on him & his website is pretty cool too. Y'all do the Google searchs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I guess it's the nature of people who wish to own something original (and while owning it, increase the value for the next buyer). We all have seen images of the Mona Lisa. There must be hundreds or even thousands of painted copies of the painting, of which we could not make the difference if it was an original or a copy. In general scheme, there is nothing really special about that painting, except it was painted by Leonardo De Vinci and it became a Grumpy Cat (worth of USD80M), of it's time. Wasn't the previous most expensive photo ever sold a photo of supermarket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuijimmy Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I guess his "ship" came in! most of us are still waiting for a one million dollar shot! My boat is still waiting on the shore and tied up ! Both shots taken off Samui the other day.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sunshine51 Posted December 13, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) I will not argue with Mr. Lik's ability as a photographer...he is good at what he does, very good. Regarding the buyer...wasn't it W. C. Fields who said: "There's a sucker born every minute."? NB...edit for mis-spelling of a single word...argue. Obesedigititis is what I suffer from, comes & goes at times. Edited December 13, 2014 by sunshine51 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 It coulda been worse, SJ Mr Lik need lose no sleep whatsoever over potential competitors..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuijimmy Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 actually this is more like mine, Rob .... all washed up! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine51 Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Thanks to the really nice folks at PetaPixel (my favourite photo website...plug!) it appears I am not the only one questioning this value& validity of...Mr. Lik's 6.5 Million dollar pic... hey.. that last bit almost rhymed! http://petapixel.com/2014/12/13/just-peter-liks-record-breaking-photo-sale-may-constitute-torture/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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