Author Topic: What's your most expensive photo?  (Read 2096 times)

Francois

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What's your most expensive photo?
« on: July 08, 2022, 03:41:44 PM »
Last night, I got wondering about the price of photography. Not just the film and processing but the whole thing.
Which led me to wonder about one thing: what was your most expensive photo ever?

Well, I think last weekend I managed to take mine.
I took a photo of the underside of a bridge. I thought the photo would be fantastic (emphasize the word thought...). There was a steep hill. Going up was not much of a problem, but as everything that goes up must come down, the coming down part became a bit more problematic. I managed to stretch a bunch of muscles and ligaments in my foot. Long story short, I'm now in physio...

Film: about 3$ a long time ago.
Developer: about 45$ a long time ago.
Gas: maybe 5$
Physio: 100$ for the first visit, more to come.
Pain: priceless
Francois

Film is the vinyl record of photography.

jojonas~

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2022, 04:19:15 PM »
ouch! well, you got a story out of it atleast :D hope you get better soon!
/jonas

astrobeck

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2022, 04:52:25 PM »
Not fun!
But much better than a tumble or broken bones!  :(

Bryan

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2022, 06:06:55 PM »
That sucks Francois, I hope you get better soon. 

I guess it depends on how you attribute the costs to photos.  If you figure travel costs I have a lot of expensive photos, luckily much of my travel is paid for by a client (U.S. Taxpayers).

If you figure the cost of travel, lodging, and hiring a Huey for the day this was probably quite expensive.  Luckily I only paid for the film and a can of beer to develop it.
Bell 205A-1 by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

If you figure in what I paid to have this tree removed this one was over $1,000.  It would have been more if I hadn't split the cost with my neighbor, luckily it sat right on the property line. 
Tree Removal by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

This is probably one of my most expensive shots.  It's one of my first photos, June 1978, with my new Kodak X-15F Instamatic, that's what got me hooked on photography.  So figure in the cost of all the cameras, film, developing, beer, etc, since then.  I'm still paying for it.
Statue of Liberty - June 1978 by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Francois

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2022, 09:01:58 PM »
Thanks guys.
If only my home didn't have stairs... pain at every step.
Francois

Film is the vinyl record of photography.

Francois

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2022, 03:40:23 PM »
If you figure the cost of travel, lodging, and hiring a Huey for the day this was probably quite expensive.
I just checked something... I was wondering how much that helicopter costs to operate. I knew it would be high, but not over 500$ per hour, not including the pilot!
Now I know why there are not a single radio station in the area that still does traffic from a helicopter.

So, I guess this one now takes the palm as the most expensive (albeit probably quite pleasant) photo on this site.
Francois

Film is the vinyl record of photography.

Flippy

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2022, 08:11:32 AM »
I know this is not quite what was meant by the topic starter, but I'm not going to get any other chance to go on this tangent:
Peto, Brassey & Betts by Berang Berang, on Flickr

I got this old photo of a train off ebay. It was described as having been taken in England in the 1890s. But when I showed it to some English railway historians seeking more info, they were baffled. After much theorizing, then fact checking, then shooting down the theories with known facts, somebody suggested I contact a museum in Denmark. I did, and their experts were very excited by the photo! It turns out it was taken in the 1860s in an area then under Prussian control. It is the only known photo of a work train with crew from that area and era, and one of only a small handful of photos of the original locomotives on the line. They continued to research the photo for several months to work out the location and approximate date. It was a very interesting turn of events. I don't know how expensive it would be if it were auctioned off, but I know it's a lot more than I'd pay!

jojonas~

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2022, 02:33:28 PM »
quite the find, Flippy! you've got some good contacts foguring all that out too :)
/jonas

collodion

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2022, 08:50:42 AM »
Cool photo Flippy...great story too!! 

This is why film is still so important....  Think they will be able to pull digital files off an SD card 130 years from now? ....NOPE!! ;D :o :'(

We are all just one big solar flare away from being on the cutting edge of technology....LONG LIVE FILM!!

LEAFotography

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2022, 11:57:47 AM »
Ouch! I hope you're healing well Francois!

I like Bryan's approach to keeping the costs down  ;D

I've assumed that my most expensive shots will be taken when I use my Ektachrome Infrared film...it came with 8 other miscellaneous films for about £40 around 10 years ago...but the price on these is now ridiculous...spotted one for sale on eBay this morning at £78 with a few days to go, so when I shoot mine, hopefully it will feel quite economical!


Francois

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2022, 04:20:47 PM »
Just imagine the savings  ;D
Francois

Film is the vinyl record of photography.

rotarysmp

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Re: What's your most expensive photo?
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2022, 07:42:12 PM »
Ouch. Francois, I hope you find less painful reasons to put the Finnish flag on your foot.

My most expensive photo, is probably the wedding photo :)
Mark
Best regards, Meilleures salutations, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Cu salutari
Mark
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