I"m a nature and landscape photographer and have had good luck and great encouragement from judges and the public at some smaller, juried shows, but have not applied for larger ones and I have a few questions about applying to the larger shows ( I don't mean the really big ones with booth fees greater than $300.
1. On applications, what does it mean by "work must be produced under direct supervision of the artist?" I edit my own photographs (prints and canvases) and have them printed by a reputable printer, without any editing on their part. But, I'm not there on location as they are printed. Is that acceptable?
2. When I've applied for smaller shows, I've just sent in jpgs of the images themselves, which have all been accepted, so far. But I've wondered, "Should I being sending in photos of the works as they are sold, framed or on canvas?
3.When sending photos of my booth, does the set up need to look absolutely perfect? I see advertisements for photography for show applications, where displays have been retouched to remove wrinkles, etc. Is that really necessary? I do have a nice, heavy tent with mesh sides for displaying my photos.
4. I'm also wondering what sells better - smaller prints, canvases or larger and if photographers usually use archival matting and framing. I've matted and framed alot of my stuff with archival materials, but they don't seem to sell as well as my images in cheaper mats and frames. (because i charge less) In fact, I've only had one customer in the 10 or so shows I've done ask if my stuff is archival quality.
5. And finally, I'm wondering how photographers sign their images - on the photo, the mat or the backs.
Thanks so much for any advice.
Michelle Bende
Replies
I guess I missed this thread, and I don't miss much being online 24/7.
Everyone has already covered the basics. And now that I've subscribed, I'll be notified about updates to this thread.
The important questions were 2, 3, and 4.
2 - As Robert said. To have the most control over how your images appear to the jurors, they need to be formatted specifically for the application system the show you are applying to is using. ZAPP says that black borders are no longer necessary but if you read the fine print, they will square your images 1920 by adding black borders when you apply to the top shows that project the images. That possibly degrades your JPEGs so it's much better to upload the images already formatted properly.
3 - The booth has to look perfect because you don't want the jurors to spend more time than a fraction of the time they spend evaluating your images. Be judged on your photography, not the booth. Anything that stands out wastes the valuable time your images are in front of the jurors. Imagine them spending under 20 seconds evaluating your presentation.
http://bermangraphics.com/artshows/booth-slide.htm
4 - What sells best are compelling images. Show the public (and jurors) something they've never seen before or something they're familiar with in a way they've never seen it. It takes time to develop a body of work that is saleable. Also be aware that there is a movement on the show circuit to limit or do away with photographers selling gallery wrapped canvas. So if you have framed photographs in your booth picture instead of gallery wraps, you probably have a better chance of getting into a show. But it depends on the show and depends on the strength of your images.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
What everyone else said (except for signing, I do that differently) but just do it consistently. As for what sells best a lot of shows are requiring archival materials so I would take that into account. I've found most customers don't understand what archival is but the ones that do understand, want it. Also if something hangs in your booth for awhile and doesn't sell, non-archival materials, especially mats, are going to discolor and they will become unsalable. I sell quite well with archival framed large photographs. I don't sell unframed prints, except by special order.
What I tell people starting out is you have to decide who you're going to be - WalMart(high volume, low price) or Tiffanys (low volume, high price) or somewhere in between. For me - I have to be proud of the finished piece I offer.
Thanks, Alison. that is really how I feel, too. I really appreciate all of your (plural) advice in the above replies.
1) What Robert said.
2) What Robert said. Don't include any framing or matting, just the image.
3) Yes. Keep it simple. There are a number of discussions on this forum regarding that. Look in the discussion area under Booth Shots, and you'll find a number of examples, both good and bad.
4) Pricing and materials is a moving target. If you are at craftier shows, your price points will likely need to reflect a lower average transaction amount. If you are going for more fine art shows, you should look around at other photographer's work to see what is being sold for what price. I use archival materials, and tend to be in the middle of the pack on pricing.
5) I sign my prints in pencil on the front, under the image, in the white paper border. I also assign the print number and edition in pencil, lower left, under the image. I also sign the mat, same way, and add the title of the image in the center of the mat, under the picture. I don't date them. As long as you are consistent, there is no right or wrong way to do this. I like pencil and I don't like to sign on the image. Do what looks best to you, and keep it the same for all of your photographs.
Thanks, Jim. I appreciate all of your input on pricing and signing. Do you do shows all over the country and do things sell differently in different areas for you?
Yup...I ditto the above two replies. Although I sign my photos slightly different, but so does everyone.
I will suggest to only offer one "quality" of framed or matted prints though. If you're going to frame photos, use all the same quality frame. If you're matting photos, use all the same quality mat (either all archival or all papermat). Also, "what sells better" can mean a few things, what you sell more of, or what you make better income on. For example would you prefer to sell one photo for $100 or 5 photos for $20/each?
Thanks, Evan . I was at a show recently where the photographer across the way was selling small gallery wraps and he said he made more money on those than his larger pieces. I'd like to go with my larger matted and framed pieces, and in my last couple of show, I have sold more of those than previous shows, but I'm still trying to figure out which would be more profitable.
1) an off-site printing service is okay. You're sending files to be printed as you specify, so that's under your control. In the long run, it's cheaper and better quality to do your own printing. However, some folks will take exception to that, so YMMV.
2) Send in the format they request, which for the most part will be the ZAPP format. That will be your image set to 1920 pixels at the longest dimension with black borders taking the other Denison out to 1920 pixels also.
3) Yes, your booth has to look perfect. You are applying in a media that is second only to jewelers for the most numbers of applicants and intense competition.
4) That's one you'll have to figure out on your own. What sells best varies from one to another.
5) this varies somewhat. Sign the back lightly under a darker area from the other side. I sign the mattes with title on the left under the LL cutout justified against the left side, any edition numbering in the middle with convention such as 13/50 for #13 of 50, and finally name and date on the LR side of the cutout with right justification. No doubt someone will suggest an alternative.
If you'll follow my blog section, you'll find a series of articles taken from the St. Louis Art Festival mock jury on how to prep your images and booth for applications. Good luck!
Thank you, Robert, for all of the advice. I didn't know about using black borders to even out the 1920 pixels. That's good information. I will definitely check out your blog on the mock jury - I know it will help. Thanks again.