Hello Everyone!
I found AFI through Google and have been scouring it end to end. I have gleaned so much really useful information, for which I am deeply grateful to you all.
I am a Jeweler and have been doing shows since 2009, all Juried - mostly local (Tacoma, WA area) art fairs like Art on the Ave, Proctor Arts Fest, the Taste of Tacoma's Art a la Carte, etc. I feel like it's time to try for some better shows, which means - I've learned - professional jury photos and a really good booth shot. My booth sucks - good custom-made table covers, but a hodgepodge of cobbled together display pieces, and far too many of them. Horrible, just horrible. I've designed a new booth, done a Photoshop Mockup and done my best with some new photos, using tips I picked up here. Until now, everything has been on a white background, which is good for Etsy. I had neither time nor funds to get photos taken for me before the first few deadlines.
I made an album showing the photos I did and submitted to the Bellevue Art Museum ArtsFest. I know, it's a huge longshot, the photos probably aren't good enough - heck, the work may not be either - but if it puts me on the mailing list for future shows so I can keep trying, it'll be $40 well spent.
The new booth is in the works - the display pieces on the left are designed, we just need to buy the materials and build them. Where's an affordable place to buy fabric drapes for the walls?
Do these pieces count as a 'cohesive body of work'? They are two different 'lines', but there are similarities and all are meant to represent emotions that are part of the human experience.
Let me have it, please - the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to learn.
Thank you,
Robin D.
Comments
I've posted to the thread on the jurying forum. I've also included my cropped versions of your images:
http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/upping-the-ante-jury-ph...
Larry Berman
Thank you Larry; I've read a lot of your posts, been at your site and am beyond grateful for all you do to help the rest of us.
I know it looks like a phony booth image - I wasn't trying to hide that. It's a mockup, because my old booth pics look simply horrible. Like something from 'Hoarders', WAY too much stuff out. What was I thinking??? I did make a note that it's a mockup of a booth remodel in progress in my submission. May I ask what you think of the booth design?
As for my images, well, I'm glad they aren't actually bad but I am not one to be satisfied with 'OK'. I'm at a loss. My old version of Photoshop (7.0) doesn't have the shadow/highlight filters you mentioned in one of your tutorials. A new camera and newer Photoshop will have to wait a while - the new booth has priority. When it's finished I want to hire you to help me with the booth photo. :-)
There's a forum specifically for what you are posting about:
http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/categories/jurying-for-art-fai...
But to answer you, the individual images look OK but the booth image looks phony and isn't cropped. Get rid of everything outside the booth, including but not limited to the guy's butt as he's unloading his vehicle. Unfortunately that will make your phony looking booth even larger. Some shows will reject your booth image and ask you to submit one that's real.
I don't see the point of using the same pictures on the walls as your jury images. They should be pictures of different jewelry and have shadows to make them look like they are posters hanging on the wall.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100