I am going to be completely honest. I am seriously thinking of doing Art Shows. I have a lot of followers locally and I know when I send something into News paper or News it gets published. I have done one show at our local library and I was just recently asked to put some stuff in start up gallery. I have been using a canon 7 camera and cheaper lenses and I have finally been able to earn money for better full frame camera and higher grade lenses. So in that regard I know that my work will improve in color, sharp clarity and I can push low light further. I am very confident person, but I am not arrogant...so when I say I don't know if my work is good enough to make serious money at Art Shows, trust me I am not saying it out of low self esteem. I am say, it is huge investment and I have very tight budget right now. If and when I invest in this need to know I can make it work. So should I jump or should I work harder for year, and wait till I have higher quality and better subjects.
So I could really use some honest brutal critique, because all I ever hear is how wonderful things are, and I know I can be better. I know I can grow into more. Just need some idea's on how to get there. So could some of you look at my flicker page and tell me what you think, and be honest. Don't be afraid if it is crap to say so. No one ever has a chance to grow if all they get is sunshine and roses. https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=peggy%20sue%20zinn
I can really use some advice on starting on tight budget, because I have no room for failure at this point. What sells and what doesn't, What can I make do with and where to I really need to put the most investment into this. What kind of shows are easier sells and what ones do I need to avoid because they rarely make enough money. What types of products sell well and does having a variety of items at varying prices work better?
I will thank those of you that step up with advice and take the time to look at my work. I know your lives are busy and I appericate the effort you are making on my behalf.
Peggy Sue
Replies
The best advice I ever got was to go to art festivals. Look around at various setups. Go before it opens on Sunday morning. Look for the artists who are sitting around, meaning they are setup and ready to go and ask questions. Don’t ask them to critique your photographs, ask them about displays and shows. I’m going to go the other way on your setup. Get the good tent, a Trimline or Lightdome, especially if you are unsure whether you want to stick with this. Your resale value on a used $200 EZ-Up is basically nill. Also most of your EZ-Ups are made of camping tent type material. They will leak. Look for a used Trimline, LightDome or CraftHut and you can probably resell it for what you bought it for. Then get wire display walls and make or have someone make covers. They are heavy and a pain to put up but they are cheap. If you get a decent tent with skylights you can forgo the lights which are a major expense. I’ve been doing this 13 years and I just put a battery system in my tent last year. And, whatever you do, don’t skimp on weight. There are many different ways of weighting a tent which you can see if you go to art festivals and look around and ask.
I agree with what everyone else said about a unified body of work. Basically you want someone to be able to look at one of your photographs without you there and know that it was done by you. And if someone looks at one of your photographs and thinks they could take it themselves, whether or not they could, they are not going to buy it.
About startup costs....
One spring day in 1997, the West Coast ad rep for Southwest Art Magazine engaged me in conversation about startup costs. Shortly into the conversation she reasoned that a new artist getting into the market needed at least $35,000 to startup their art business. Now we were face to face at an indoor show in San Dimas, CA, all by ourselves in my booth section, and I couldn't keep a poker face. She said, "What? Did it cost you more than that?"
Be resourceful first. Get a tent and heavy weights. Figure out some way to display your art. Get into a show. Exhibit in the show. Work up to the bells and whistles booth as you improve with knowledge and experience. Be frugal, but not complacent.
Watch the classifieds on this site. You'll be able to outfit and upgrade yourself for less. Also, go to a show and see what both big and little shots are doing. Why not visit Ann Arbor later this month? You'll see everything there.
I, too, looked at plenty of your work and you have a fine eye. Keep it up!
I look forward to seeing more from you here on AFI and someday in a show. WOOHOO!
I have experience with rain in awnings and having them blow over unfortunately. I have no plans to skimp on that, I wish I could get away from the fold out awnings all together. Michigan has a funny way of changing weather ever 5 minutes and I don't want my art taking off like a kite.
Mind is spinning at costs, thinking I might put this off a year, and just stick with gift shops and galleries till I Have more money coming in. couple thousand investment, no a problem but more than that I can't handle this year after what it cost to get camera's and lenses.
Pop up tent 100 bucks
Pro-panel carpet walls (?) 1200 bucks
Artwork (?) photography... Cheapest in booth 175... Most expensive 650
Lighting set up... AGM battery 230 bucks
Propanel swing lights (?) (6) 360 bucks
1,000 watt power converter for battery 125 bucks
Battery charger for hotel at night...100 bucks
6 (LED 24 watt 1400 lumens bulbs) 180 bucks
"Rent" small U-haul for 4 days - 180 bucks
That is my rough budget to do things right. Artwork with bad lighting = yikes. Artwork without clean walls (2d). = yikes. Save your money on trailer and tent, starting out at least.
(Opinion) don't do cheap flip bins for 20 bucks a print, if people like your work, make them pay a little for it, case closed.
Subject wise- 2-3 central themes separated by wall. No more.
Just food for thought!
If you have a service do all your printing, etc. then I have no respect for you and have nothing to say. If you do all the work yourself, shooting, printing, etc. then the best thing you can do is dive right in. If you fail on your first attempt, it will be the best thing that could ever happen. Your next attempt will be light years better. At least that's how is was for me.
Try saying saying something with your work. Don't just take pretty pit-chers, or, "What I did on my vacation to..." There are gazillion of those photographers. Print the best quality work you can and say something.
Oh, and don't listen to those people who think you are good. I'm sure none of them have an MFA or a BFA. They have no clue. Listening to them will just get you in trouble.
Well Barry , you are going to have no respect for me. I don't have printers big enough do large canvases, so I have those done at local camera shop, where most of the professional photographers in my area use. Or I use the wooden gallery acrylic process because it is so durable and travels well. I have tried to get him to teach me how to do those, but he won't share his secret with anyone, sigh, would love to know that process and do it myself it would save me a bundle.
I generally try to be a good photographer, in what I am working on, currently book of lighthouses with Northern lights, or storms over them. I am just starting that, so some of stuff last winter I am not happy with because I didn't have a good enough camera that specializes in low light or the best glass. Sometimes deciding what you want to do and getting right tools is a process, a very expensive one. I generally try to think about rules of good composure in everything I take, but I am sure there are little details I can improve on like trying to get catch light in wild life's eyes. Being said, I generally only take wild life for my own amusement not for show. Tall ships, Airplanes, Northern Lights, landscapes and Storm photography is usually for sale. Native American photography is only for the families in my community, out of respect.
The expectation from the jurors, who determine if you are accepted to a show, is that you will have a unified body of work that is coherent and cohesive. You need to have an artist statement written for yourself that clarifies what your mission is and you need a 100 or 200 character statement for the ZAPP application process that describes your process and materials in a very short succinct manner.
Typically you submit three or four images of your work plus a booth slide that verifies you have the work in a presentable form that won't embarrass the show when you're set up. Presenting lighthouses, aircraft, critters, and night scenes together in your booth shot is a guaranteed way to fritter away $30-50 a pop in application fees.
Working as a generalist won't get you into the shows. Focus on one topic that shows mastery and breadth without being repetitious. Edit brutally and discard weaker images, with a folio of about 24 killer images that are wall hangers. You are only as good as your weakest images so be your harshest critic, never relying on family and friends for aesthetic advice. Right now your work is a scattergun approach that needs to be precisely aimed. Get involved with 500px.com and 1x.com where there is a strong community of photographers who give critiques. You will need to become involved with giving critiques to others but that advice comes back many fold in helping you self-critique your own work. Good luck :-)
My advice is to determine what you want to specialize in. I looked at your Flickr images and there
were just to many different subjects to comment on.
I can only speak on the bird images since that's my specialty.
Here's a few..
The Loon - Too centered and the head angle is wrong. Also looks underexposed and too much noise.
Two Swans - The light is great, but again the head angle is wrong.
Robin - The head angle is better, but there's no catch light in the eye. You want the sun at your back.
Doug
http://www.thebirdphotographer.com
Thanks Doug, for taking the time to look. I actually specialist in night photography. Birds were shot many years ago when I was just starting out in digital. Not that I can't stand to improve on them, obviously I do need to improve. I value your input so next time I am bored and shooting birds, I will think more about what I a seeing and remember what you said. Question, is it better to specialize in one area or to have a little variety so you can catch more interest. My best photos, are marine photos and Night shots. Least that is what I do the most of besides portraits.
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