Today, TIMEPieces published the first interactive photography books to the blockchain in collaboration with FOTO. I want to use this occasion to bring awareness to a very specific NFT field: limited NFT photography collections. Firstly, I will introduce you to the most successful blue chip NFT photography project. Afterwards, I will present you my personal picks – three creators that could have a very promising future ahead, whose collections are still affordable for a larger group of people. I use them as examples to illustrate what to look for when checking out photographers and their collections. Additionally, I came up with two joker projects that I personally enjoy looking at. Please remember, this is in no way financial advice! This is just my thinking, if I was interested to invest in photography NFTs today, what would I look at and what do I find engaging.
Justin Aversano: Twin Flames – The Undisputed Blue Chip
There is one particular collection that already caught the heart and heads of investors and influencers alike as one of the first movers in the NFT photography space in early 2021: Twin Flames by Justin Aversano – https://opensea.io/collection/twinflames. It is a collection of 100 portraits of twins and was one of the first NFT photography collections out there. It was minted in February 2021, in the midst of the first NFT bubble. Initially Justin sold them for 0.5 ETH, fortunately to influential people like Alex Becker, who supported it. Nowadays the floor price for any single photo is astronomical – 125 ETH (!), and the floor price has been holding strong regardless of the NFT market directions (fluctuating only between 100 and 150 ETH floor). I expect this iconic project to continue to thrive. Why? Because it has proven rarity (by being limited, since there are only 100 photos, and also because the subject is limited in itself – only every 42th child being born is a twin), originality, first mover advantage, influencer support and an active artist who continuously engages with his supporters actively via twitter and discord.
That said, what if you belong to the 99.8% of earthlings who cannot or don’t want to pay hundred thousands of Dollars for one piece of this collection- here are my three emerging artist picks that have had quite a lot of success in 2021 already and that could turn into even more successful NFT artists over time. To me, the main point for their success is the ability of these photographers to build communities of collectors, whether its influencers or normal people like you and me. They build Twitter and Discord followings, are active within their community, keep creating and engaging, and take their time to support fellow photographers.
#1 Fidel_Everywhere – e.g. Black & White Nights
This is a collection of 50 nightlife photos made by Fidel_Everywhere, mostly in New York between 2006 and 2014: https://opensea.io/collection/blackandwhitenights. Its current floor price is 1.4 ETH. After it got mentioned by mega influencer Alex Becker (remember, the woke dude that mentioned Twin flames in February?), the price floor jumped to 4-5 ETH. Thanks to the cooling off phase, the current floor is 1.5 ETH. Also, Fidel expanded his collection to a second edition, called “Black & White Days”, and a few others and is very engaged on Twitter. My feeling is that while Fidel initially gained traction thanks to big shout outs by mega influencer Alex Becker, he continued to build and to engage his community. The “black & white nights” project vibes feel special to me because in times of Covid, full of lockdowns, masks and restrictions, these photographs felt like a time travel to days gone by, that were full of excesses, extravagance and party – long before we knew what was coming. A bit like the roaring twenties before Europe went into dark times. Actually there is a newly released small collection that I am particularly crazy about: Nature’s reign. As a strong supporter of women in the NFT space, I could not be happier to know that this is a collaboration with a female illustrator Malavika Reddy.
To me this collection is my personal favorite, it just has the magic. Check it out here: https://opensea.io/collection/nature-s-reign. Excited for 2022 with these creators!
#2 Will Nichols – e.g. Somewhere Else: A collection Of 100 Palms
This collection of 100 iconic palm photos from Los Angeles is stunningly beautiful: https://opensea.io/collection/willnichols-somewhere-else. It ticks similar boxes as Black & white nights. The current floor price is around 2 ETH. It got mentioned by influencer Alex Becker, too, and other NFT influencers like Beaniemaxi bought in. Similar to Fidel-Everywhere, Will is very engaged on Twitter and building a big following and network, supporting the NFT photography space as a whole. I am looking forward to his future and expect it to be bright.
#3 Charles Peterson – e.g. Grunge years NFT collection (the classics, the fury, insouciants)
This is a tiny, exquisite selection of photographs of Nirvana and other legendary bands like Soundgarden. Most of the photos if not all, are published for the very first time. They were taken many years ago by Charles Peterson, who had the privilege to be the photographer of those legends, capturing their wild lifestyle and the zeitgeist of those days. The collection is really small which emphasizes the rarity aspect – 52 photos. The originality lies in its story and the captivating people it portrays. Additionally, it is a project that is curated and not just thrown into the market. The curator is Phosphene, a rather interesting new group of curators who not only carefully select their artists and aim to feature creators with “timeless” work, but who emphasize the ecological aspect of their NFTs – which is an important but often overlooked topic. Last but not least, the project caught the eye of one of the biggest and earliest NFT influencers in the space, who supported this project since day one and already owns several pieces himself: Pranksy. To sum it up, this project looks like a promising bet, and not only for Nirvana fans. Also, the platform behind it, Phosphene, seems a good one to keep an eye on. You will find the collection here: https://opensea.io/collection/charles-peterson-grunge-years-nft-collection-class
These are my three picks to illustrate what I believe is the driving factor of an NFT photographers success in the current market situation – not the quality of the collection itself alone, but more than anything else, the level of continuous community growth. Is the creator actively supporting other NFT artists, is he or she growing the community, is he or she managing to get notable collectors interested in his or her work? Are there new NFT drops coming? If all this is true, it might be a good choice to support them if you want to collect NFT photography (whether it is one of the ones I mentioned or new and upcoming photographers).
Now I added two “joker projects” that I personally like and enjoy looking at, feel free to check them out.
#4 Chris Hytha – Rowhomes
This is a creative photography project I found when scrolling through twitter comments. 85 photos of individual rowhomes in West and North Philadelphia, made by Chris Hytha: https://opensea.io/collection/rowhomes. Seriously, those vibes! As a lover of old buildings, preferably unrenovated, breaking down from the burden of their history – I absolutely love these stunning old houses being revamped in a creative way, combining traditionality with creativity and a breath of fresh air. When the project launched, it took off super-fast and went to a floor of 5 ETH within a few weeks. Since then, the hype has come down a little, but the floor price is stable.
#5 Alex_V_film – Roads Untravelled & Film Souls
These are two collections by Alex_V_film: https://opensea.io/collection/roadsuntraveled & https://opensea.io/collection/film-souls. The first one, roads untraveled, consists of 30 photos of roads in the Czech Republic, while the other one is a collection of women portraits on film in the Czech Republic. The price floor is currently low (around 0.05 ETH), and those are by far the most speculative ones (so far lower volume, little influencer hype yet although some big wallets own them). Yet, there is something soulful about these photographs and the Eastern European vibe they send.
What do you think about these projects? What are your favorite up and coming NFT photography projects you enjoy? When I finished writing this post, I realized that just managed one female, simply because I didn’t know many others – this reflects the imbalance that we still see in the NFT world. I would like to make a deep dive specifically into female NFT photography projects soon. Do you know a particular female photographer you would recommend to check out? I plan to write more about female driven NFT photography projects and interview some creators in the future J. Let me know in the comments of on Twitter, super curious.
Also, follow me on Twitter for regular NFT tweets: https://twitter.com/TheQueenOfFomo