Craft FAir A Success

Well, several of you know that I was preparing for a major Art Festival here in Corning. This is why I have been less active lately - preparatinfor this event.

It was my first juried show and I was pretty nervous about it. I am pleased to report that it was very successful. I made enough sales to cover all my up front expenses, like buying a tent, buying extra metal racks to hang prints from and small print stands, as well as the enterance fees, etc.

The following are some impressions I have from the learning curve. First take credit cards. 1/2 my sales were via credit card. On other threads I have discussed ProPay. - It works and works well. Cell phone access to charge cards without a computer or swipe machine is a dream come true and the fees are reasonable.

Second about 20% of my sales were note cards. It could be said that people might have bought larger prints in place of the cards, but I found that if they didn't buy the cards they would have left without buying anything. I also got 2 orders for 50 or more cards to be filled later and also a contract to photograph a local scene to be made into a custom card for a local business. So, note cards provide some cash flow and generate awareness of me and my style.

Third is that everything needs to be tied down. Do not trust that the metal print racks can withstand any breeze. Tie them to your tent top. While I didn't have a problem, I could have if it weren't tied down I would have.

Finally, interact with the browsers and lookers. Tell them about the images they are looking at. Answer questions re cameras and processing. If you act like a teacher the public will respect you and your sales will increase. If you teach about the location of the images and the story behind them it will make the image more valuable to the public. This is actually a fun part of the experience -talking about photography and nature with new people.

So, I hope anyone who is considering getting into this part of photography takes the plunge and has fun and success.

Congratulations on your success!!!

And thanks for sharing your experience, it will sure help other members :)

Great information here, Ed. I'll try to file it in the back of my brain if I ever get to this point!

Congratulations. Your experience fits mine. I also think it is important to be picky about which fairs you apply to, as some are more craft-based than art. I think photography sells better at art fairs.

Davids point of which type and the quality of the event is a good one.

David and Grady, you are absolutely correct. I do not plan to be one of those photographers who travel far and wide to all the events. There are 3 or 4 a year in my local area that I will participate in. I can't see travelling so far, incurring gas bills, hotel bills and meal bills. It also takes too much time out of an already busy schedule. My goal is to make a few $$ at selected Art Fairs and offset some of my other photography expenses and have a lot of fun without making this a "real job". After all, I am still practicing my profession full time!

Thanks for the wonderful information, Ed. Since I hope to retire in about 10 months, I am looking to find something photo related to do for a little extra cash and fun. Craft fairs and art festivals are probably on the horizon for me as well.
I crafted a 2009 desktop calendar this year, that has sales going pretty well --even in the limited venues I have placed them at. I also have cards that go with it --and they sell very well. I've sold a few prints--but nothing to write home about.
I print, assemble and package the calendar and cards myself, and after a little learning curve have got it down pretty well.