My husband is the artist -- oils/acrylics -- I do all our show planning. We've been doing art shows for a few months, and have gotten into some pretty good shows, but also have not gotten into some we would really like to get into. We've heard a lot about how important your booth shot is. We've even had people tell us that it should look like a "mini gallery". And that it's OK to edit your booth picture to add carpet, smooth walls, etc. That the picture should not include any bins you might use for prints. I'd love to get some advice from the experts -- especially anyone that has been on a jury and can tell us what they like and don't like in this regard. I'd be happy to email you some examples of pictures we've taken and have them critiqued if someone has time for that :-) Thanks!!!
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Although we are no longer doing shows but just work in the studio, my husband & I did photography for artists at many shows over our 26 year career, including the American Craft Council shows, a couple of Connie's, the Ohio Designer Craftsmen and others. We have photographed 100's of booth shots during that time. If you would like to send me your images, I will be happy to comment. As an artist myself, I am a better with a visual image to see.
Sharon Richwine
Sharon@JerryAnthonyPhoto.com
I use Pro Panels...fabric covered walls. I have tried to take photos of my booth and they never look great.
I finally had a professional photographer take an image of my booth at a show. It was worth the money and I use this image when applying to shows. It has made a huge difference for me.
Best advice I received came from an artist who sits on juries. Make sure that (when possible) the individual photos submitted are representative of the items visible in the booth shot.
I'm sure Larry Berman will chime in, but feel free to ask him directly through AF Insiders...the business of booth shots is his business, and he's very helpful. Make sure to ask him about the relative merits of head-on (a.k.a. "3-wall") shots versus angled ("2-wall") shots.
My 2 cents: It's ok to use Photoshop to correct blemishes on your walls, or remove a stray reflection or two. But I wouldn't go so far as to use it to add a carpet! Not that you shouldn't HAVE a carpet.. .but it's pretty easy to tell, most times, when one has been added after the fact. You can get an attractive all-weather carpet, 5x8, at Home Depot for around $70. And for maybe $20 more, you can have their carpet department cut you an 8x10 slice. HTH, Geoff
Replies
Sharon Richwine
Sharon@JerryAnthonyPhoto.com
I finally had a professional photographer take an image of my booth at a show. It was worth the money and I use this image when applying to shows. It has made a huge difference for me.
My 2 cents: It's ok to use Photoshop to correct blemishes on your walls, or remove a stray reflection or two. But I wouldn't go so far as to use it to add a carpet! Not that you shouldn't HAVE a carpet.. .but it's pretty easy to tell, most times, when one has been added after the fact. You can get an attractive all-weather carpet, 5x8, at Home Depot for around $70. And for maybe $20 more, you can have their carpet department cut you an 8x10 slice. HTH, Geoff