Contemporary Fine Art Photography: How to Contact Galleries

If you are a contemporary fine art photographer and are wondering how to contact galleries to show your work, here are a 6 tips:

1. Know who you are contacting.  Research the galleries and make sure they could be a good fit.
2. Be prepared.  Have all your material ready–contacting them and saying you need time to create a new prints its not a good first impression.
3. Be Professional.  Beyond the obvious of not having any misspellings, make sure your emails and other materials are clear and professional.  Dont sound like you are wining or demanding anything.
4. Build Relationships.  Attend openings and talk to the owner a few times.  Networking is important in any business.
5. Ask for What You Want.  You can ask to have a studio visit or meet with a gallery owner but know what is appropriate.  For example, dont ask a gallery you dont know to represent you or sell your work right away.  But you can ask, if you know them a bit, to look at your work.
6. Be Patient but Persistent.  Continually contact the gallery and update them with new work or shows a few times a year.