Photography has a power that is not purely aesthetic, as it is also a potent form of documentation. Dorothea Lange's coverage of Japanese-American interment camps during the Second World War or Robert Mapplethorpe's studies of flowers may differ in content and attitude but both reflect powerfully the world we live in.
Like any form of collecting, acquiring photographic prints is a very personal pleasure and skill. It is a highly creative endeavour in itself. For this reason creative people from all aspects of our culture are avid collectors.
Graham Nash, whose career as a singer with Crosby, Stills and Nash brought him enough money to invest in collecting photographx made his first buy in 1971. It was Diane Arbus's 'Child with a Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park (1962)'.
Nash describes it thus: "It is an electrifying shot. I realised that, in spite of my political involvement... I wasn't seeing the world with clarity; Arbus with her great gift, was teaching me how."
Jodie Foster, actress and film maker, started her collection in 1988 with an image by Eastern European photographer Karel Hajek. It showed the hands of a labourer, "marked by work and time but still so beautiful and delicate," says Foster. As her interest grew she has acquired work by Mario Giacomelli, Mary Ellen Mark and Max Yavno.
Fashion designer Michael Kors has clothed some of the most beautiful women in the world and it is beautiful women who are the subject of his photographic collection. Kors said: "Photography has always appealed to me but I started my collection four years ago when I bought my first piece at auction. It's an Irving Penn portrait he did in the early 1960s for Vogue.
"When we started working with photographers like Steven Meisel and Demarchelier, I realised that the finished products were not strictly about advertising, they were works of art."
His favourite piece is a portrait of model Christy Turlington taken by Meisel for the designer's first campaign. "It is a remarkable photograph," says Kors, "I never get tired of it."
Most collectors rely on their instinct and taste when buying, in much the same way they would when selecting the work of favourite film directors, authors, painters, fashion designers or musicians.
They start in a modest way, buying the work of perhaps one or two photographers or a specific genre. They may for example find that Helmut Newton's images appeal or that they have a fondness for the fashion work of Louise Dahl Wolfe, or may for example focus exclusively on prints by Surrealists of the 1920's and 1930's. This gives a base and formal structure on which to build a collection.
Though we treasure our intimate possessions for their cultural and aesthetic value and not merely investment, money has to be a consideration. Many prints, particularly those from the 19th century now command a very high price and buying can be a shrewd act of love.
When Graham Nash decided to put a selection of his collection up for sale at Sotheby's in New York because "it was time for a new experience", he found that 95 percent of the 450 lots offered for sale were hammered down, an unheard of success rate.
A Paul Outerbridge self portrait (1927) sold for $99,000 while the Arbus print that inspired Nash to start collecting went for $46,750. With such prices involved, the new collector must be wary, as buying is not always as straight forward as it first seems.
India Dhargalkar, a Specialist in Photography at Christies, London said: "We cover such a wide area that it would be hard to select one photographer as being the most popular. A top level purist collector may pay �100,000 for one print. Price would depend on if the print was on platinum or silver emulsion, or if it were vintage or non vintage.
"A negative printed up in 1995 of a fashion shoot from the '60s for example would not be worth as much as the same image if the print were done in the 60's at the same time as the photograph was taken. So you may be able to buy a fashion photograph by Irving Penn for �1,000, but only if it were a recent printing. A vintage print from the original shoot would cornmand a much higher price."
As photography is a specialist market, the new collector should be wary, prices can now hit the stratosphere and prints sold as original Man Ray 'Rayograms' have been found to be nothing more than second generation copies of prints, and not the work of the original artist.
Phillippe Garner, Director of Photographic Sales, Sothebys explains: "The 20th century is dominated by a cluster of American photographers and Europeans from 1920's and 30's - what could be called the Modernists. It starts with Stieglitz and Steichen and then there are subsequent generations like Weston, Tina Modotti, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Avedon and Penn, a pantheon of great American photographers. The strongest area of interest is from 1900 to the Second World War. This takes in Man Ray, Moholy Nagy and Rodchenko.
"Beginners should invest their money in reference books before they make their first purchase and in this way they can build up a framework of reference. If you purchase a print worth a few hundred pounds or one worth $250,000 the difference in merit is not in proportion to the price."
For this reason the new collector should buy that which pleases them. A slavish following of the market place will only lead to a collection of images that the owner does not want to live with and which brings no intrinsic pleasure beyond the satisfaction of a good investment.
Andrew Cowan, Director of Hamiltons Gallery, Mayfair, said "Average prices are now around �2,000 to �3,000 but you can pick up a piece by an established photographer for �500 upwards. This rises to �200,000 for a Man Ray or Stieglitz.
"You can start with the work of a young contemporary photographer for �200 to �300, so a collection is achievable without high cost, but the market covers a broad spectrum with photographers like Man Ray, Irving Penn and Helmut Newton at the top and working down".
There are three main ways to buy: from a gallery, at auction or via mail order through the publication Photo-Art International.
Photo-Art is a catalogue of black and white fine art signed original photographs and many are in limited editions, making them more exdusive. This allows the first time collector, or those not within easy reach of a specialist gallery, to study and compare prices at leisure and can offer a valuable insight into the world of photographic collecting. For those already involved in collecting photography, the magazine is an essential reference. Photographs available from the magazine range from very valuable vintage prints, via images by established contemporary photographers whose work is represented in major international collections and exhibitions, to talented newcomers who are just beginning to make their mark on the photographic scene.
Photo-Art is published four times a year with different pictures in each issue, as well as features on key photographers, galleries and the photo-art market (annual subscriptions: �18). If you are interested in finding out more about starting or extending your own collection and wish to order a copy of Photo Art International please contact the publishers direct on (+44) 1935 815065.