Hot Weekend

Summer is just around the corner. Our pool is open, the water is warming. Sunset is around 8:00 PM. The lawn continues to grow, but once the wet weather abates like it usually does by June or so it won't be long before the growth slows and brown-ness creeps in.

Summer will really hit with 90 degree weather this coming weekend just in time for a new 2-day show I'm doing this year. It's at Peddler's Village in Lahaska, Pa. I'll be sure to come prepared with a cooler full of cold water. I'll also probably set up the tent the day before to avoid working up a gigantic sweat the day of the show.

I found this small garden near a historic building in the Washington Crossing area. I really liked this frame of an old-time wheelbarrow. The sun was still rising but this area was out of the sunlight. I added a soft effect during image processing. Before I print this I want to tweak the look of it to make sure it's has just the kind of look I want.

Rain!

I was looking forward to presenting my work at Newtown Welcome Day this past Sunday. This show is as close to my current home-town as I'm going to get, and I have a number of new images of local interest.

But, alas, as the forecasts predicted we received rain beginning around 1PM, just one hour into the show, and it did not stop until later in the day. We had to pack up (in the rain) and call it a day after only a short time open for business. I fully expected the rain and anticipated for it. None of my work got wet, and thankfully there was no wind.

Even in that short time I met a number of people who had positive comments on my "Family Fox" print, especially since this image was taken in Tyler Park just a short distance from the show's location. There is something about these animals that attracts people. They seem pet-like, even though they are wild, and they seem very non-threatening. It surprises me that the comments I get on some of my deer photographs are usually along the line of "they eat my garden". But the foxes only draw compliments.

Hopefully the Newtown show will be rescheduled in the near future, as they did have a rain date scheduled.

Show Prep - What I Have Learned

It's been about 3 years since I first started to do shows. Wow - have I learned a lot since then. At the time I knew that there were a zillion decisions to make, some artistic, some financial, etc., and in retrospect I would have changed some of those early decisions. Below I want to list some things that I think work much better for me now. But of course to each his own, your mileage may vary, etc., which is to say that every individual artist must make decisions that work for them. There is no right answer.

- Mat Cutter: I started using one of those handheld Logan mat cutters. It seemed to work for a while but after a while this method was just not cutting it (pun intended). It was hard to keep the mat steady while cutting, measuring was difficult, no hard stops to limit over-cuts, and so on. After a while the cutter's sliding edge was wearing down because you had to keep sideways pressure against the straightedge since there was no glide track. This type of mat cutter is only good for casual mat cutting.

I have since purchased a Logan 750, used off of craigslist. Even if I spent full retail price for this it would have been a good investment. I can easily straight-cut mats to size (which I could not do with the handheld bevel cutter - I was using a utility knife for that, and doing it on the floor), and it allows me to accurately and consistently produce high-quality mat openings.

(Tip: Although craigslist is geared toward local sales you can easily search for and pursue items in other cities. Do a Google search for your item and add the word "craigslist". When you find a good prospect contact the person and inform them that you are out-of-town and can pay with Paypal. If you have a good personal website then give them the link they can use as a reference to judge your character. Many people refuse to sell remotely, but some will. I bought a camera lens and my mat cutter that way.)

(Tip #2: Don't forget about the re-sale value of certain items you buy. If things don't work out the way you planned you can easily sell off your equipment on Ebay or craigslist without taking the full hit of your purchase price. Common items like mat cutters (and most camera equipment like lenses) fall into this category.)

- Mat type: I started by using paper mats but they are a poor choice for a number of reasons. They are not archival, and will eventually cause print discoloration. I also think the mats themselves discolor over time. The acid-free mats are best. I have been using the Richboro brand available at Framefit in Philadelphia for a number of years now. They are affordable and are a really good value. They are oversize and have rough edges. This requires only one additional edge cut over straight-edged mats, and I can usually squeeze out more mats per sheet. I pick these mats up myself and save a ton on shipping.

- Mat color: I have recently switched over to all white mats. At one point I thought the off-white color looked nice, but I think for a show they can seem dingy, especially in a frame. I now think my prints stand out much nicer than before. Also, it makes it easier to satisfy customers buying multiple prints, since the colors will match.

- Dedicated work area: It has made my job so much easier since I set up a dedicated work area in a spare room in our house. I purchased a nice solid used dining room table at a thrift store, and bought a shelving unit at Ikea. I could still use another shelving unit but now most of my "stuff" has a place of its own, and does not get damaged due to poor storage. I also added a single work light overhead ($10 clip-on light at Lowes) - this make work go very smoothly any time of day.

- Print bags: Clearbags.com. Almost everyone uses them. There is a non-trivial shipping charge so larger orders are more cost-effective. 'Nuf said.

- Blades: Replace blades often. I broke down and bought a bunch of blades so I didn't have to worry about them. If there is any falloff in smoothness of the cut, e.g. if you have to push even a little bit harder, then the blade should be replaced. No use risking ruining a good mat (especially a big one). Every once in a while inspect the cut very closely. If the front edge of the bevel cut looks like the mat material has been pushed up, like a tiny little lip, that means the blade is dulling and is pushing through the material rather than cutting smoothly through it. Time to change the blade.

Other things that I have done that, if you can afford it, are a great help:

- Mesh sidewalls by flourish (flourish.com). They are much less expensive than other options and take up little room. They still take some effort to assemble and disassemble, and they are definitely not great in the wind.

- Buy a point driver. If you are into wood frames then buying a point driver is essential. You can buy any frame and don't have to rely on any clips provided by the vendor. This is an item that you could easily re-sell on craigslist or Ebay if you had to if things didn't work out.

- Folding 2x4 foot tables (Sam's club): I use these for my small matted print bins, and I store boxes and containers underneath. (It is better to get a table where there are no angled leg supports, so that the full space under the table is available for storage).

To end this, there are still some things that I have not quite mastered yet. I'll leave them for another time.

Show Planning

My first art fair is in two weeks, and here are some thoughts that have passed through my mind as I prepare:

- Even doing a moderate number of shows per year takes a lot of time. Just planning, re-planning, researching what changes to make, what equipment or supplies to buy, whether to change things or keep them the same, etc., etc. Looking for the best prices on certain items. This all takes time. Therefore less time for: family, photographing, housework, photographing, etc.

- In selecting images to print for the show I routinely go through older photographs to look for gems that I may have overlooked. I usually find a few, and that may not have happened if I didn't have a reason to go back through the archives. So that is a good thing.

- Selecting prints for the show is a difficult process. I have made a lot of photographs that I think are pretty good, but I realize they may not appeal to a general audience. So I have to choose images that I think may have universal appear. Well, not totally universal, but they at least should sell a few copies through the year. I have made some great choices and some not-so-great ones. Hopefully this year will tend towards the better ones.

- And the last point leads to another ... that doing a small number of shows is tough on inventory control, which directly affects profitability. If during the course of the year I try printing 20 new images and do only a handful of shows, but only 10 prints sell, then I'm stuck with 10 prints for the next year. Or maybe I'm just not sure if they were good or not, since there were so few shows to judge with. But if I do more shows then at least the "dogs" have a better chance of selling and I can quickly retire poor-selling images and work in better pieces to replace them. So doing fewer shows limits your ability to "move merchandise", good and not-so-good merchandise alike. Moving good merchandise is not the problem, but you have a harder time moving the "other" stuff as well.

- Planning for a successful year in a tough economic environment is ... well ... tough. Knowing that sales might take a hit means producing works that out-sell the competition, lowering prices, offering different products, or any number of other measures. Each measure is time-consuming and potentially costly, so as in any other business I have to weigh the potential risk-vs-reward. For example offering smaller prints is not very costly up front, but by doing so I may hurt sales of my larger prints. And lowering prices may increase the number of sales, but the overall revenue may not rise much if at all.

Hopefully I'll see you at one of my shows this year.

Getting Started

As I mentioned in a previous post there are always a few people at shows that mention that they have a bunch of photographs that they might like to try to sell someday. The startup process can be very trying and very expensive if done right (it can also be done inexpensively if done right). And even if you've done a pretty good job preparing for your first show you may not see immediate results for a while. I have talked to a few first-time artists at shows that did very poorly (I must admit I also did very poorly in some of my early shows).

I don't want to list the steps getting into the art show circuit (maybe later), but I do want to list the risks and other issues that must be at least considered before starting.
- Is your work desirable to the masses? (you may have very unique, high-quality work, but if many people are mot willing to buy then you will have a difficult road)
- Do you have a substantial body of work? (10 good photos may not be enough - 20-40 would be better).
- Is your technique or style uncomplicated? (non-traditional techniques can be confusing to buyers)
- How is the current market for art? (it has been getting softer for a few years now)
- Are you willing to wait a year or two before showing a profit?
- Is your work high-quality (e.g. uncluttered, eye-catching, properly exposed and printed, etc.)
- Do you think you have identified good shows to start out with? (don't be afraid to ask other artists)

Some of these issues become less important if you are specifically targeting a high-end niche market (which I personally am not). But for many people looking to start at local art fairs these issues are very relevant.

Doylestown Show

I just completed a two-day show in Doylestown, Pa. This is a very nice show in a nice area. Today there was a bike race going right through town, and although it created traffic frustration for many (including myself) it did add a bit of excitement for a few hours today.

I met a lot of friendly people, and although I (again) got tired of hearing "Is this digital?" I also was able to connect with many people and even learn a few things along the way. I sometimes learn details about subjects I have previously photographed. As many of us do I often make photographs without really knowing much about the subject. It's helpful to learn a little history or new details about something I have enjoyed photographing.

I would say I am off to a good start show-wise for this fall. My next show is in Yardley at the end of September for Harvest Day. This is a very popular outdoor event and I hope to see some of you out there. How's this for a challenge: The first person to greet me and say you've read this blog I'll give you a special gift.