US Pictures @ USPictures.com

Bill Swartwout Photography and USPictures are one in the same.

Bill at US Pictures

So why the different domain names you ask? One is so much easier to say, to spell and to incorporate into a logo for advertising. US Pictures is also appropriate because Bill has traveled through most of the states in the United States – 48 of the 50, to be exact – and has photographs available from many of those travels. The only caveat is that he has also traveled to 20+ different countries in Central America, Europe, North America and South America. Photographs from those areas are included in his “wanderlust” mix.

Over the years, Bill Swartwout Photography has worked with many (too many) of the art/product fulfillment companies out there – and has eliminated most of them. Some are fast, some are high quality and some are cheap. Just remember that you cannot have all three of those qualities from the same source. Our main focus is having high quality products delivered to your door that you will be pleased to hang on your walls. Here is the rundown of product fulfillment companies with which we are associated. These companies handle the sales, production and delivery process and, in reality, license Bill Swartwout’s work to use on their products.

Bill has worked to hard over the years to trust his work to just any production company but he is also one who believes it is not safe to keep all of your eggs in the same basket, so to speak. The best situation is to work with only the “best baskets” out there. Here is the rundown of product fulfillment companies with which we are associated. These companies handle the sales, production and delivery process and, in reality, license Bill Swartwout’s work to use on their products.

Fine Art America / Pixels – The Fine Art America “family” is the largest single Print On Demand (POD) art company in the world. They produce great quality art – we have seen only four returns out of the last 500 products delivered. They currently host Bill’s photographs in three configurations.
– Link: Fine Art America – Wall art and home decor items.
– Link: Pixels – Wall art, home decor and ancillary products, such as puzzles and face masks
– Private Label Link: Bill Swartwout Photography – Offers all of the products on a stand-alone website.

Pictorem – Pictorem is a Montreal, Canada based company that is smaller in scope than many others but produces a boutique level of high quality wall art on a variety of substrates. Because Pictorem has shipping centers in both the the United States and Canada they currently offer FREE SHIPPING throughout North America with no “duty” charges and a favorable dollar exchange rate. Pictorem currently hosts a very popular gallery for Bill Swartwout Photography.
– Link: Bill Swartwout Photography

Zazzle – Zazzle is a multi-faceted POD company that produces a wide variety of products, many of which are based on art by Independent Artists but also working with customer-submitted photos and designs. Bill likes Zazzle for high quality calendars and jigsaw puzzles that incorporate his photographs.
– Link: Bill Swartwout Photography – Bill is a “Pro Bronze” Seller with Zazzle.

Imagekind – Imagekind is an older, traditional company producing fine quality wall art by Independent Artists – but only as prints, framed prints and canvas. Bill has been with this company for a decade and a half. They also sponsor some of his popular pieces on Amazon.
– Link: Travel at Imagekind

Photograph entitled ” Assawoman Reflections” of a tree at 80th Street in Ocean City, MD on the shore of the Assawoman Bay.

To Watermark or Not to Watermark Images For Sale

Some say watermarks deter buyers from purchasing Art, others say it doesn’t.

It’s true that there are many comments on line leaning one way or the other. What I tend to do is listen to those with the most experience. Should I listen to folks who sell a couple dozen works a year or the folks who sell thousands of pieces a year. Amazon, eBay, Fine Art America and ImageKind, who sell thousands of units have run A/B tests and have determined that watermarking degrades sales. They are not artists with egos – they are Internet marketers looking to improve the bottom line.

Indian River Inlet Bridge
Charles W. Cullen Bridge at Indian River Inlet – with an example of my usual watermark.

In my case, I choose to NOT watermark the images I upload for sale at Imagekind or Fine Art America and other POD (Print On Demand) art companies. If the unscrupulous want to steal an image – they will – and there is nothing you or I can do to stop them. Anyone with rudimentary image editing skills can remove your watermark in a matter of minutes.

On the other hand I DO watermark images that I post to social media and on other websites. Why, you ask? Well, there I want people to see where the image can be found. My watermarks include a URL – in most cases my USPictures.com domain. I can have that domain point to whichever POD I choose (and I can change that at any time).

CLICK: Bill Swartwout Photography

Bill Swartwout Photography at the Imagekind Marketplace

Bill’s photographs are part of one of the world’s fastest-growing art gallery sites.

imagekind banner

I’ve been working on revamping my gallery at Imagekind, where I first began selling my photography online 13 years ago. Specializing in wall art, Imagekind produces high quality decor at a competitive pricing structure. Please visit Travel.Imagekind.com to check out my new look.

Imagekind is an online marketplace for independent artists and photographers. Art buyers can discover new art prints and posters from tens of thousands of unique and independent artists from around the world at Imagekind.com, one of the world’s fastest-growing art sites. Offering nearly two million high-quality fine art images, customers can select unframed, framed and canvas wall art prints by color, style, or to match home décor.

From my point of view, Imagekind.com offers independent artists and photographers (like me) the opportunity to display and sell art online with no up-front fees, and the profit from each sale goes directly to the artist (me).

Imagekind’s gallery-quality giclee digital printing is recognized as best-in-class.  There are. literally, millions of combinations of artwork, frames, and paper types, and canvasses so you, the customer, can see why Imagekind.com is a one-of-a-kind art destination.

I currently have more than 600 different art photographs available at Imagekind. They are organized into a variety of collections (sub-galleries) to help you narrow your search. If I do not have exactly what you are looking for you can also search among those other thousands of artists to find the wall art of your dreams. Please be sure to visit my gallery at Imagekind. Click: Travel.Imagekind.comm.