Art and Craft Fairs

[melinda_gaus]

<p>Okay, first of all, I am putting this in the beginner category because I need a lot of patience with this question. This is a brand new topic for me and I'm very uneducated about it.</p>

<p>I have quite a few photos now that I'm fairly proud of. So far, I've only had them for "personal satisfaction" reasons. Basically, because I love taking pictures and showing them to family, friends, and folks around here. Nothing more than hobby stuff.</p>

<p>I just showed a few photos to my mom, and I feel I am getting better at this whole picture taking thing. Now, I know she is biased as a mom, but she suggested that if I am really interested in this that I look into trying to sell some photos at a few local arts and crafts fair. Something low key. A local church is putting on a community arts and crafts fair in December. I would not be looking to make any amount of actual working income on this, maybe just a few bucks on the side.... or break even on any investment involved in signing up for the fair, matting photos, etc. Now, December might be a bit early for me to jump into this (seeing as I know very little about the process), but maybe sometime down the line.</p>

<p>Now, most of my questions here do not really pertain to actual picture taking or digital darkroom stuff. I really have no idea of what is involved in getting into something like this. Most of my questions center around things like this: Where would I get these images printed? (right now, I just print for personal enjoyment at Sams Club or something) Where would I get these matted? (I'm not looking into major framing yet) How do I jump on board with something like this? Is it even worth it?</p>

<p>As you can tell, I'm in murky waters here. It sounds like a ton of fun, but I have no clue about a lot of the logistics.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any practical advice? I apologize that my questions are so broad... maybe someone could point me to a good website or online articles?</p>

<p>I shoot with a Nikon D80. My subjects usually fall into the nature/animal category. I'm more into shooting "things" (landscapes, beaches, animals, buildings, etc.) versus people. I know I'm not cut out for studio portraits or event photography.</p>

[michaeljlawson]

<p>I used Redimat's Red-Paks ( http://www.redimat.com/products/supplies_redipak.html ) for Xmas gifts last year and I think they would be perfect for craft shows. You get the mat, backing board, and clear seal-able bags for just over 1.00 each for 5x7 and just under 2.00 each for 8x10, depending on the color core combo you choose. They have a 50.00 minimum order. <br>

I print my own photos so I can't give you much advice in that arena other than to tell you to verify the expected life of the prints wherever you get them done. If the paper\ink combo isn't guaranteed against fading for 100+ years (even most home printers are now), then look elsewhere.</p>

 

[brucecahn]

<p>If you are going to show work you should learn how to cut matts. A matt cutter costs about $25. You also need a metal T square, a large working surface, a corrugated cardboard to cut on and 2 clamps. After you cut several it gets pretty easy, saves money and you get a better matt that fits the picture properly. Frames with plastic instead of glass are safer for shipping and in case the pictures fall down. </p>

[ben_goren]

<p>Melinda,</p>

 

<p>Technical matters aside, you should put some thought into whether or not you <em>want</em>

to do this sort of thing. It can be a lot of work, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with

photography. It’s primarily a sales gig, plus all the retail support stuff (possibly including

such lovely trivialities as collecting sales tax). You just happen to be selling your photography, but

said photography is almost (but not quite) the least important thing going on.</p>

 

<p>People seem to be pretty evenly divided on that sort of thing. Some love it, some hate it. If

you’re in the former category, then by all means, go for it. But I would suggest thinking of

this first and foremost as an exercise in becoming a crafts fair person and not as anything other

than peripherally related to photography.</p>

 

<p>There are other ways to make money from photography, of course. You might find a local coffee

shop — or, much better, an actual art gallery — willing to show your work and sell it on

commission. You might have something stock agencies are interested in. You might even be able

to get somebody to hire you to take pictures for them; for example, I suspect there’s a

hugely undeveloped market in real estate photography (outside of multimillion-dollar homes), though

I’m not sure how one would get agents to pay photographers enough to make it

worthwhile.</p>

 

<p>But, in all cases, it becomes an exercise in business, sales, and commerce — not

photography.</p>

 

<p>Good luck!</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>I think the local church art fair sounds like a small enough event for you to try it out one time. If you go all the way with the art fairs, you're going to end up putting together a small, traveling, garage-sale circus. That can be fun; it can be a pain; if you go too far, it can even put you in debt.</p>

<p>I met one artist who had tried real hard with the art fairs, only to rack up a steep debt. This guy had a truck, a trailer, and would go from place to place, visiting shows. He had several shows where he sold nothing, but going to them, some were far away, cost him a fair amount. The debt had accumulated to over ten grand.</p>

<p>Okay, so how about setting some basic limits so that you don't end up having a horror story problem. Going to the one local church art fair doesn't mean that you have to stare down bankruptcy. We're probably talking about a folding table, a chair, a small bank, some small displays that you can probably make yourself and some work to show.</p>

<p>You don't need the big major operation to sell a few photos at the local church art fair. Break out the notepad, list up some costs, figure up how much you're willing to charge, bet what you're willing to lose, and keep it small. If it works out okay, go on and step up a little next time.</p>

<p>Develop a nice small concept around your pictures, a chair and a folding table. Visit some other art fairs to see what the full-strength versions look like. Then, think about that one event and do what's practical and reasonable for that one event.</p>

<p>Like, if you met a customer who wanted to buy a sandwich, would you need to open a three star restaurant complete with five kinds of kitchen and wait staff? No. Small church art fair. Probably the lady at the next table will be selling a cake or homemade cookies.</p>

<p>Think of it as a small project incubator for an afternoon. This will, by itself, help you set some limits that will keep things contained, and do-able. Like, the goal for the first sale is to set up your little table, and sell one photograph.</p>

<p>You can keep it small and keep it nice. Wouldn't that be better than major retail project stress? Try small and nice. It'll go better.</p>

<p>The first small sale is about the first small sale. You don't have to be a big time mogul to make a few dollars on a photograph. Make up a plan that makes sense for one afternoon; do that, and have some fun.</p>

<p>For the tax concerns and all that; I bet a simple check on the rules in your area will show that in many communities, probably yours, you have to sell a few thousand before all that stuff kicks in. How about, sell one small picture at the local church art fair first?</p>

[ted_raper1]

<p>Two subjects worth of comments (I shoot for gallery exhibition):<br>

Even if you are dealing with a small first step - an art fair, church bazaar, etc. you will need to only exhibit your best images. If you don't, you probably won't sell anything and will get discouraged by the whole thing.<br>

Even if you need to do it cheap, find the best local printer in your area and have the images done by a pro. Use standard mat sizes, available at any art supply store, and have the images printed at standard sizes. It starts getting expensive when you add custom matting and framing of non standard sizes to the mix, so I'd suggest maybe just getting a few framed and have the rest matted only, and get some plastic covers to keep them from getting dirty. One thing that turns off portential buyers is a nice photograph in a dirty mat.<br>

And good luck! A church bazaar is a good low key way to get into sales to see if you enjoy SELLING photographs as much as you enjoy MAKING them.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Yes a few really superb images might sell. Most people try to put out too much and are not selective enough.</p>

<p>I have seen lots of photographers at some well-known craft fairs, but I confess I don't remember seeing the same ones, year after year. The cautions about not over-extending yourself are important, and remember to include <strong>all</strong> costs (gasoline, time, etc.) in any accounting after the fact to see how you made out. Overhead costs are real costs, but amateur marketers (antiques, photography, you name it) often fail to take overhead into account.</p>

[melinda_gaus]

<p>Thanks guys.</p>

<p>I think I will have some handle on the business side of things. I do have a Master's in it. :)</p>

<p>I am a bit more concerned about getting the right materials for matting and printing since I don't do much of that now. If I do ever sell anything, I want to make sure that it is something that will last for the customer.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>That's just exactly the background you need to make a business of it! Good for you.</p>

<p>No color image is "permanent", but some will last longer than others. Usually "pigment" inks are more nearly archival than are dye inks.</p>

[mfophotos]

<p>A few things to keep in mind... There are many resources online that will help you learn about matting, etc. A church craft fair won't have the same clientele as a gallery, so your expectations should be that you should price accordingly. How cheap? My guesstimate would be no more than $25 for anything matted up to 8x10 size. One rule of thumb is how much would YOU pay that photograph? Show only your best work, and you can have an outfit like mpix.com do the printing -- very good and very fast, and not at all expensive. An 8x10 print is about a buck.<br>

The matting is one thing, but also the mounting -- there are various ways to mount your prints, and without going into detail, you can find those methods online. <br>

Check out readymats.com for common-sized pre-cut mats to save time. I cut my own, and the money I spent on a top-quality mat cutting system has paid for itself. Doing the bit with a mat knife and a straightedge will only leave you frustrated.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>