Hello
I have applied to 3 juried art festivals.. All 3 I have checked them out the prior years to see how many vendors there were selling photographs and If mine were different enough to be part of the event..
I Purchased my Trimline TENT and all the goodies that go with it to make my booth somewhat appealing..
SO I have been turned down from all 3.. All 3 pretty much said the same thing,, To many vendors applied that are in my category and that jury was a hard decision,.. Thank YOU.
It seems this is a Blanket Saying.. I am thinking that it might have something to do with my display.. I been using Grids,, Out of all the juried higher end festivals I have checked out.. I cannot recall seeing anyone using Grids.. I see a lot of PRO PANELS being used..
I think my photographs are up to par.. I am wondering if its my set up? DO i need to purchase PRO PANELS? could this be it... My gut says yes... Just wish I knew so I can be part of sharing my passion with the public.
Please help guide me,, if there is something i need to do or not to do.. it would be great to know, So I don't have to wait to next year with the same rejection.
Replies
I was reacting to your initial post. Your second explanation of yourself gives a much better picture. Your head is in the right place.
I, for one, have always tried for the best shows in the country. That is where I want to be. They are the best run shows with potentially the best sales. I guess it's an ego thing. If you want to do the best shows in Florida, keep trying. Also, keep in mind that the Photography category has the most competition. You have to be good. Keep getting better. As far as getting in, I have gotten into the top shows and have gotten rejected from some of the lowest level shows. Go figure.
The reason why you may not see too many pieces go out the dooor is because people buy things, walk the show, and then on the way out, pick up their pieces. You won't see too many people carry their purchases around with them.
If you want to check out your competition in Florida, go to Coconut Grove, Gasparilla, and Winter Park. Those shows are where the bar is set. The problem is that hardly anyone at those shows will give you much information because 1)they are there to sell 2)they get inundated with people asking the questions you want to ask 3) the competition for those spots is fierce and you will be competing for their spot. The best thing to do is to look at what they are doing, not technique but quality. Look at their booth setup and how they display their photographs. You can learn a lot by observing.
Keep applying. One of the best shows in the country is the St Louis show. It was posted here once that if you apply 6 years in a row, you have a 66% chance of getting in at least once. The one time will be well worth it.
I don't think building better bins will do anything for you. I just said not to put them front and center. In your booth shot, they are the main focus of your booth. They interfere with the rest of your presentation.
Warning: This may not be kind.
1) I am not a vendor, I am an artist. Vendors sell turkey legs and watered down lemonade to the masses. Take yourself more seriously.
2) You only applied to 3 shows? Apply to 10. You will get rejected more times than you get accepted until you reach a certain quality level, and then it may be half the time.
3) Lower your standards. While I got into the first show I ever applied to, the scene is much different now. Find events that will let you in, along with some better shows. My biggest improvement in overall art fair quality came after my first show. Luckily for me, it rained the whole weekend. I clearly was out of my league. I learned a lot after actually experiencing my first event. Make friends at the show. Word of mouth is 100 times better than social networking.
4) Get rid of those ungodly bins. Stash them out of the way. You're putting them right where people are going to look, as opposed to looking at your framed work. If I was the judge, I would reject you for that alone. That applies to selling at the show too. Your best piece should be the first thing people see.
5) You didn't say anything about education and since you only applied to a few shows it leads me to believe that you are a part timer. I hope not. On the other hand, most photographers do this professionally, full time. Unless you put in the work, you have no chance to get into any of the better shows. It's your choice. If you want to succeed at the higher levels, you need to do this full time.
With that said. I want to do better. Be part of a larger community. Most has been self taught still learning. It’s all relative. I know my work is not for everyone nor am I trying to be for everyone. I seen pleanty of bins at these art shows photographers use. Mine does need some work. I confess. As for frames I been told over and over again and scoffed at for frames. Mainly by the canvas guys. Being told it will never work. Well I proven that wrong.Dont think most have the time of patience to build them from scratch that are unique and appeasing to whats trending.Might not be all the exotic woods and high dollar glass and such. But for the beach home crowds It does works. Seems most photographers I see still use canvas, or moving into metals. They are nice and I can do that. Charge higher prices. But again. I am learning here I might have applied to the big boys prematurely needing to fine tune and well no wonder I been rejected. Grids, Bins , tighter crop, all make sense to me. I will fine tune for sure. I just am seeking advice from the pioneers here before me. I don’t know too many shows in Florida. There seems to be a lot of them during the winter. Maybe I should ask what folks might suggest for a few of them that might increase my odds. Winter times are slow for me wedding wise and show wise here up north. So south it is for me.
So back to the bins. I have seen plenty of well established fine art photographers at these shows with bins in the middle of their setup. Do you think they submit the photos to the juries with this set up? Or after they are accepted they put them out during show time?
If you are going to have a bin(s) at the show, you need to include at least one in the picture so the booth is representative of what you'll show up with.
Larry Berman
Larry,
Going to have to build something nice. & economical.. Unless they sell prefab somewhere I need to be informed of?
Hey there! I'm not a photographer & have only been on the circuit for 4 or so years..so take this for what it is, but I've been next to many photographers who had beautiful work and barely made cost. Appealing to the buying crowd of your work vs. providing a booth "worthy" of judges is a fine balance. I'm a silversmith with a very simplistic style (I can do fine art jewelry, but tend to tow the line between that and fine craft style) & I refuse to bow down to the "typical" art booth for jewelers or make things that I don't love. Nope...you will NOT see blown up pictures of my jewelry on the walls or all my fine pieces in glass cases, etc., but I have a booth that my patrons always remark makes them feel comfortable and like they are in a boutique. With that said, I do VERY well in both sales and acceptance rates. I do agree that you will spend a small fortune and get more many more rejections (when I started I was uber sensitive about the "not invited" thing & now I'm just, eh, ok."), but in the end it is all worth it when you get accepted & you are true to your own vision. With that said, the booth display is an evolving process. Hell, I often joke that my trailer can't possibly fit another new display!
I did see your last comment & am curious why you feel the need to do more "national shows." If you are a working artist then you truly are doing better than many. I guess I've just never needed the clout that comes with being the top dog at a fine arts show. It sounds cheesy, but isn't that what being an artist is all about...just being true to your vision? I'm ok making $1,000 in a few hours at a farmer's market or driving across the SE for a juried show. I just want to do what I love & pay the bills.
Megan
Not that I need to do national shows... Its just the only ones I know of and have attended as a tourist / traveler in Florida.
I only want to do Florida in the Winter.. I have my bases covered for the summer months..
With the time on my hands during the winter months from January to June. I can expand my reach, gain more followers and make some money during my off season. Like to get out and meet other vendors & make connections with the public.. These shows i speak of have great attendance & foot traffic.. Plus I learn what folks are seeking, whats working, geographically , along what the market price can bear in that region.
Plus as a destination wedding photographer, My experience has been that when they like my travel photography and the passion I share with them. When they find out I do weddings too It leads to so much other work.. Kinda each one feeds the other.. Circle of Life.
Anyhow. I love what I do, and just want to share it! Like with Most anything at times, there can be a lot of smoke and mirrors. I think man this artist must be crushing it.. their display and work is so awesome. But find out that its not true at all..
which leads to another question I have that you mentioned.. Do they really meet their cost and then some?
I never see folks carrying around sold items or large prints.. I have also seen the same artist and several shows that year.. Some in all 4 of the large ones I have been to as a spectator.. They all seem to have the same exact photo, hanging in the same location, etc.. Either they have boxes of prints stashed nearby, or they are taking orders. Or nothing is happening. I don't see empty walls..
Do not want to stray to far from this thread.. Again thank you to those who have shared with me, and to those who chime in to share. I am going to have time the next 3 weeks to set up my booth again. with the MESH panels.. Take the advice folks have shared so far.. It is getting late to apply for a few of the shows coming up,, have to wait to next year..
But big wall pieces DO sell! I sold a record breaking 25 originals and almost 160 prints at the Columbus Arts Festival last year. My last show in Royal Oak I only sold 2 paintings and 2 prints. Definitely not an exact science.
The grids are not bothering my view of the work. But if you can rephotograph this, move the back wall grouping to either the left or right side and then move that table to the back corner. Nothing on that table can be identified and thus detracts from getting your hanging work recognized.
Another issue for me with your booth is that I can count 29 pics hanging, most of which are so small I cannot see the images. All that detracts from the bigger ones that you may be using as jury images. Reduce the number of images a little and regroup several big ones on the back wall for greater impact. Put the smaller ones on the side with a group of larger works, but give the larger ones greater importance.
Do as others have said and move in to take your booth pic. Crop up on the bottom to eliminate the ground, too.
I don't see any reason that you should be getting rejected from these shows. And I also don't see any problem with your frames. Just read and learn about how to display what you have more effectively. Ask a decorator. Don't show it all in this jury photo. Let the judges be able to recognize at least two of your jury images, too.
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