Over the past five years I have increasingly been showing my photography in galleries and at art festivals. The results have been decent but have not blown me away…either away from the shows or away with my pocketbook. In other words, I am still in the middle of this learning process. But this is a good time to share with those of you who may be considering the art show experience.

This month we will limit our discussion to art shows (festivals). In a future article we will discuss art galleries. Art shows are a great way to get feedback on your work. You are likely to get a lot of “beautiful work” comments from visitors to your booth space. I think this is a polite way for people to say “I’m leaving now!” But it does feel a bit good no matter what the motive, and since most of your work is likely beautiful, it won't be at all dishonest.

When contemplating whether you are going to do your first show, you have some major decisions to make before you even start the real planning.

1. The most important decision you can initially make is whether to dabble your feet or to jump in big time. I did the former, partly because I just did not want to produce the finished prints in a format that would create a long term storage problem. My initial foray was to share a booth with another artist…not a photographer. This was a mistake. He had a canopy so I didn’t have to buy one. He had a couple of walls. In other words, I was not spending much money to start. We will get to the details of just how much money it takes after a bit.
2. What show do you want to be in? Most photographers start local. The advantages to this are lower travel expenses, you are likely to have photography that appeals to locals, you may find it easier to get into a smaller local show and you can probably get some of your contacts to come by to see your work much more comfortably than you can have them visit your home or website.
3. What are you going to show? Printing a lot of pictures all at once can be the most costly part of this experience. Print selection for a show is different from printing for a month long show at a local gallery, restaurant or club. Selecting your images to show is also different. Shows require a wide variety of art to appeal to a wide variety of patrons.

You're a Dabbler ... if you are on a very limited budget, if you haven’t sold much of your own photography, if you would much rather be out shooting than talking to people all day long

Dabbling means not doing more than you have to as you get started. This is the way I started. You will choose the minimum space, at least to start. For outdoor shows, this means a 10x10 space or a 10x15 space. The latter will give you a little breathing room around your booth, so you  can fill outside wall or two.

You may find manufactured panels to mount your work on, or you may decide to make your own. There are websites that will help you if you are handy and have the time to make your own. For my first show, I borrowed six ProPanels (the most popular panel for photography. They were a bit banged up, but they worked. These were supplemented with wire grids that can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. I decided ProPanels were a good thing and kept my eye out for some used ones. While I used CraigsList.com, you might also try ArtFairInsiders.com. 

Artwork hangs from ProPanels with curtain hooks (be sure to get the sharpest points you can) or Velcro for lightweight pieces. Look for “Art Hanging Hooks” at KyddeArt.com. For large, heavy pieces consider the wired drop hangers available on the propanel.com website. 

If you go the dabble route, there is a tendency to get as many panels as you can to hang your work. Most panels are about 39 inches wide. So three of them put together will be just under 10 feet, allowing your ten foot square canopy to fit over your booth space. I purchased eight panels and used all eight at my first two shows. Unless your booth is already confined by booths on either side, my recommendation is for seven panels, but you might want an eighth if you do those confined space shows. This makes for a more open and welcoming booth space and better visibility as your potential visitors walk by. Some potential configurations are shown at the end of the article.

Almost all outdoor art shows require an all white canopy. There are many manufactures. Canopies are one of the least costly items you will buy and they are fairly easy to resell, so get a good one. I have seen more than one canopy with flimsy legs buckle under high winds. The show was over for those owners.

You're All In ... if photography is your career, if you have already sold a number of your photos, if you love chatting and telling stories to people and you are willing to make a significant investment, I recommend you go all in. 

Going all in means your initial booth space will be 10x20, potentially with ten extra feet to work with if the festival offers two 10x15 spaces for you. As a participant in multiple shows, as a booth coordinator for one of our local shows and having spoken with very successful photographers who have gone this route, I now know that having a larger booth exponentially increases the results. To a visitor, a larger booth indicates a more successful (or famous?) photographer, it offers more and brighter display space for impressively sized art. And the space feels less confining, so people are comfortable staying and talking longer.

Note that it might not work too well to have two 

Almost all of these double booths I have seen use ProPanels or a similar velcro or cloth panel. A few use plywood. A large booth can handle 12 to 15 panels. I have shown a couple of popular configurations at the end of the article. You should buy a 10x20 canopy to go over your booth. You can not grow from a single to a double booth very well just by adding a second 10x10 canopy. So far, every show I have been to has had some rain. You do not want rain dripping down on the middle of your space. You should invest in a high quality, all white canopy.

For an example of a successful "all-in" photographers visit this page:

Laurent Martres - At the time of this writing there is a video near the bottom of this page.

Now let’s talk about your art. There is more to the show, but let’s make sure you can do this with your photography.

People buy art for several reasons. By far the biggest reason is their emotional connection to the art. It may speak to them because they had an event take place at the location, the art is emotional itself, or it represents a dream they have for the future. People also buy art for decorating purposes. The colors may be right, the theme may be right (ocean picture for a beach house), or the shape may be right (looking for a vertical panorama). 

When I first started showing in my hometown of Prescott, Arizona, I displayed many pieces of local scenes and quite a few other pieces around Arizona. Because it was a small, local show, and most of the visitors were permanent Arizona residents, this was the right thing to do. But for a show in a more metropolitan area, or with more snowbirds, or more vacationers, other photographers have been very successful showing pictures from around the country or even around the world. People really want to recall that trip to the Carnival in Venice. Some buyers could care less that every other landscape photographer in the U.S has photographed Mesa Arch. They still buy it! The key here is to know your audience. More affluent people travel more, less affluent people tend to want hometown pictures or recognizable locations.

You are not likely to sell any of your other great photographs that you aren't displaying. But, just in case I carry a Keynote presentation on my I-pad so I can show all of my work and virtual room samples. 

In photography, we can print on single weight photo paper, archival photo paper, canvas, metal or face-mount prints to acrylic. Each of these has a different look. I offer all these print choices. Some photographers choose to only offer or display one type of print. In regards recommending a choice for your show, here are some thoughts:

Paper prints. These are usually framed, but could just come in a mat. Custom wood frames cost way more than inexpensive frames from a big box art store. Of course, there is a reason for this, and you will have to decide whether you want cheap frames on your nice work so you can hold the price down or whether you want expensive frames that might actually cost your customer more than the print. I go the more expensive route, but to keep the price down (or the profit up) I make most of my own frames. If you use single weight paper or if you print very large prints, you should mount your prints to a backing (e.g. Sintra) so the prints stay flat. 

If you prefer to present your work in a more classical style with full tonal ranges, natural saturation, and an archival form, this would a strong choice. I mail purchase to my buyers. One reason for this is that I need to keep an inventory anyway. Also, there may be some unseen damage on display prints. Dust covers always get damaged on framed prints, so I know longer place them on my framed display prints.

Many artists mat smaller prints and put them in bins, thus they are called bin prints. Folding bins can be purchased from many suppliers, such as Blick Art Materials. I have sold a few bin prints at my first show, but they have since become a nuisance. Smaller shows may have a local photographer who is just getting a thrill out of selling small prints for $20 each. The time it takes to print, assemble, tag, and sell these prints is too much for me. And I can’t compete with low pricing. I would be fortunate to net over $100 at any show for these prints. For the most part, people come by, thumb through the bin, then move on without speaking or making eye contact. An the bins get in the way. I would much rather have an easel with one nice large piece of art in the bin’s place.

Canvas Prints. I have seen some photographers who only sell canvas prints. And they do quite well. Canvas prints cost much less than other options. A big advantage is that they are lightweight, therefore easy to transport and hang. They are the easiest print type to have a customer purchase and take home from the show, whereas the other prints are better shipped directly to the customer. Some buyers go for canvas because it mixes well with paintings they have at home. Others prefer them because the photographers who do them seem not to oversaturate colors so much. 

Metal Prints. I am only going to refer to dye sublimation prints (not inkjet prints on aluminum that are trash). This seems to be the most popular type of print for photographers to show. The attraction of metal prints is their reasonably low price point and the their intensely saturated appearance. In smaller sizes they are fairly easy to transport and hang. Unfortunately, once you reach 20x30 or larger they don’t move well. I see many at shows with bent corners and wavy surfaces. If you use them for your shows, you need to be able to explain to the potential buyer that the one they receive from the printer will be perfectly flat and the corners will not bend with proper handling. If you want something a bit stiffer, but also more costly, consider dye sublimation to Dibond or archival prints mounted to Dibond. Not all printers offer these services.

Metal prints handle inclement weather well…so they can handle rain on an outside booth wall. But they fade in UV light, so that isn’t the best place to put them. If you are doing several shows a year, you will need to replace your metal show prints every couple of years.

Face-mount to Acrylic. My acrylic prints draw customers into my booth faster than any other print type. While some of it is the size, a lot has to do with the metallic paper. The prints simply have more depth. They also cost much more to produce and limit the potential buyers. When they do sell, it means more profit for less work.

Acrylic prints are heavy. 40x60 prints can be quite a bit of weight on your walls and they are simply heavy to hang. It definitely take two. I can manage acrylic prints of about 150 square inches or a bit more. Acrylic prints can get scratched. I have avoided scratches and have some prints that have been displayed ten times. The trick is to wrap them individually in moving blankets (available in bundles at Home Depot).

Big prints? Small prints? What works best? From everything I have seen with my own booth and other successful photographers’ booths, the bigger the better. That doesn’t mean you won’t sell smaller prints, but finding those patrons who will spend a lot of money for a smaller print (say 12x18 or so) is difficult. It you are selling those smaller prints, you had best consider pricing under $200. When I place a mix of large prints and small prints, visitors nearly always head straight for the large ones. Realize, it might only take one or two sales of a large print to realize the income of ten or more sales of small prints. Then there is the fulfillment issue. Large prints are usually sent white label from the print lab to the customer. That doesn’t take very much work on your part. Selling a half dozen smaller prints, often means reprinting, reframing, pricing. That is much more of your time.

I would define large prints as anything 20”x30” or greater. In planning sizes, you may decide to go all one size or you may mix sizes. People will almost always choose the sizes they see in your display, so I prefer to offer a mix of larger sizes. For example, I will have 24x36, 36x45, and 30x60 acrylic or metal prints. If you go with even larger prints, say 40x60, you are adding a lot of weight to those walls and hanging becomes more challenging for a single person. A favorite framed print size is an 18x27 print in a 24x32 frame. I also show 20x30 prints in a 30x40 frame. This allows a mat to be cut from a single piece of 32x40 stock. Anything larger would require a professional framer.

Having prints all the same size gives a very clean look to your booth, and may make packing and storage easier for you. If you go this route, be sure your customers know they can order other sizes.

Plan your layout, knowing that standard panels are approximately 39” wide. This is perfect for side by side metal or acrylic prints that are 36” wide or the 24”x32” frame that I mentioned that is about 35” to the outside of my frames. If you have three panels on a wall, it can be perfect for side by side prints that are 54” wide. Some exhibitors will pack the full height of their walls with prints. I now prefer give my prints a little space at the bottom. Those lower ones never seem to sell! It is a good idea to lay everything out on paper or in a virtual app such as artplacer.com to determine sizes and locations of prints.

Your location assignment will determine whether you have good light (or maybe too much sunshine) coming into your booth. I prefer east facing locations so I don’t have the setting sun burning my skin in the late afternoon. Showoff and Trimline are two manufacturers that offer awnings to provide more shade at the front of your space or on the sides of your space. These more pricey options should be considered if you are “all in”.

I have found that having a thin, white canopy offers plenty of light in my space. You may add spotlighting hung from the inside of your space. This was a fail for me as I could not get the lights high enough to prevent reflections. They may be more beneficial if your work is on canvas.

Most of the “all in” photographers I have seen sell Limited Edition (signed and numbered) prints. I have seen limited editions of as few as eight prints and as high as not-so-limited 999 prints. I initially sold a mix of finer, archival work and lower cost, matted or cheaply framed prints. My decision to mix the types just resulted in confusion…Why does that print cost three times a much as the other one? So I am now just selling limited edition prints. 

Most “dabblers”, however, sell open edition prints. Their pricing structure is lower than mine. If you ever plan or hope to be in a retail gallery, you are better off starting with limited edition prints. The rationale for this is that you won’t be able to say your prints are limited edition if that is what the gallery wants and you have previously sold them open edition. Also, most galleries take 50% for marketing, displaying and selling your art. Many photographers only mark up their open edition prints by about 100% (cost is $50, sales price $100). If the gallery gets $50, you make no profit. If you have no intention of ever being in a gallery, it doesn’t matter much.

So, I would recommend initially pricing work at around three times your cost whether you offer limited or open edition prints. Pricing can go up later as you get famous!

You may find some local shows just by keeping an eye out for listings in your area. Or do a Google search for shows that occurred in your area during the previous year. 

The most active listing of mid to large shows is at zapplication.com. You may find additional shows, particularly smaller shows (that don’t want to pay the higher fee from Zapplication) at festivalnet.com. Expect to pay an application fee for each show of $30-50. You may find shows that are only promoted locally by checking out your local art organizations, shopping malls and chamber of commerce.

Shows described as “fine art” will have a higher level of photographers, painters and other craftspeople than “arts and crafts” shows. That means, people are likely to expect to pay more for art at the fine art shows. It is difficult to get more than $100 for work at an arts and crafts show.

Most shows are juried. That means they are going to look at around three jpg samples of your work. They may also ask you for a picture of your booth. If you have all your artwork and canopy ahead of time, do a trial setup and take a photo for them. Otherwise, just explain that you are a first-timer, but send the brand, model and color (white) of your canopy/tent. The decision to admit you to the show may depend on the quality of your work (in their opinion, not yours), the number of artists already in your genre, your previous experience with shows, and the organizer’s need to make money (if there are open spaces right before the show).

Once the organizer has reviewed your application, you will either be accepted, placed on a wait list, or denied entry. When accepted, your booth location will be finalized when you make payment. Most shows cost $300-450 for a two day show and $400-600 for a three day show.

The wait list means they are waiting for other applications to come in before they make final selections, usually one to two weeks before the event. You know what denied means. That will happen if you are trying to get in a high level show as your first show. If you would be traveling to that show, be sure any hotel accommodations can be cancelled without charge.

You can be last minute with some shows. Many local shows are not filling up as fast as they used to, so don’t be afraid to call or email the organizer after the posted deadline if you still want in.

If you have a specialty, you may do well at shows that don’t advertise themselves as art fairs. You may find a flower show where you can display your macro floral photography, or a car show where your corvette pictures will sell like hotcakes. Think outside the box if you have any specialty areas.

Load-In 

If this is your first show, you would be smart to do a trial setup at home, hanging all of your art. I do this for most shows if I am changing my pieces or their positions. I then mark with tape where I want my cable hangers and other picture hangers (either Velcro hangers or curtain hooks). When everything is in place, I also take a picture of each wall so my helper and I know where each print goes. For most shows, you can set up your booth the day or night before. Some even allow you to set up the morning of the show as long as you are done by one hour before the show opens.

Load in is hard work! For outdoor shows, you will be carrying or wheeling in your canopy (set up first), adding twenty to forty pound weights to each corner (second step), then setting up your walls and adding your art. Velcro straps at the top and bottom of each panel connect my panels and a couple of support bars across the top provide lateral stability. I also add a banner with my name. When all of this is done, you will zip up the sides of your canopy to protect against the overnight elements and theft. Allow 2-3 hours for your initial setup. Most shows have overnight security, so theft is unlikely.  I arrive early the next morning when I add my descriptions and pricing tags, reconfirm my cell phone and/or internet connection and generally straighten everything up. 

A few additional tips are:

• Have a director’s chair or stool in or at the side of the booth to give your legs a periodic break.
• A table top will help you write orders. Have a backup plan in case you can’t take online payments.
• If you have a 10x15 space, place any bin prints or easels outside your booth
• Write compelling descriptions for each print. It may be that description that sells the print.
• Have a brief bio and/or artists statement in a convenient place.
• Find a way to gather email addresses if possible.
• Always be ready half an hour before the show. Unless there is an entry gate, you will have potential buyers come by early.

We are photographers, not salespersons, right? If you find the word “salesman” offensive in any way, please consider yourself a storyteller instead. Give people their space, but engage anyone that hangs around your booth for more than a minute in conversation…not about you, but about them. Discover places they have traveled. How do they compare a quality painting to a quality photograph? Be curious. Ask questions or make statements like these:

What to you like about that particular print?

Does that print relate to you in some way?

I’d be happy to share how that print came about….

Only after they have gotten into an extended conversation with you would you ask them if you can help them make the print a part of their permanent art collection. But, do not be afraid to ask. If they say they are not ready to make a decision yet, offer to place them on your new release program.  

Go in with high hopes and a positive attitude. But realize most art sales are built on familiarity and trust. After all, most of what you have previously sold has been to family, friends or business contacts. If you break even at your first show, you will be doing extremely well and better than most. You will learn from that show and likely do a bit better at the next one. The bigger payoffs start coming after you have returned year after year to the same shows. Patrons will learn to expect you. A few will even be looking for you after a couple of years of doing the same shows.

Your feet and back tired from a the long day. You are dehydrated from not drinking enough water to avoid excessive restroom breaks. Your sales were less than you had hoped. Now you have to back up. But don't get too eager if there are still customers lingering. Those might just be the ones ready to make a last minute decision. Give them the time they need. 

But also realize that shows have an expectation that you will clear out within a certain time frame. A 10x10 booth takes an hour to an hour and one-half for one person to load out. A double booth takes nearly twice as long. Hopefully, you have arranged for some help if necessary.

Before the show your spouse put up with your prints leaning against all the walls of the living room. That is less likely to happen after the show. I suggest you keep your prints stored and your spouse visible. This means you are going to need storage space. If you participate in shows that cater to different markets (I show in both northern Arizona and the Phoenix area), you will likely have some pieces specifically for each market. As your inventory grows, your storage requirements will grow. Plan accordingly.

What if you decide this isn’t for you? What if you find a more lucrative income in photography or another occupation and you abandon the show scene? Will you donate everything? Give it to your kids or friends? Have a plan, just in case. 

Good luck with that first show! Send me any questions and give me feedback on what worked for you and what didn’t.

Some typical booth layouts.

Here are some things to remember...I may have forgotten a few.

• A banner with your name (and a place to put it)
• Business Cards
• Name cards for each print, with price and size as shown.
• Extra hangers
• Name tag with lanyard
• Battery pack if you might have something run out of power
• Pens
• Clipboard
• Chip reader and backup receipt book
• Long zip ties
• Scissors and/or knife (to cut them off later)
• Artist Statement & Bio with holder 

Your budget can vary considerably, especially if you are just getting started. If you are a dabbler, look for ways you can borrow wall panels. These can cost $2000 or more for a single booth. Decent canopies are much less expensive ($300-500 range) and can be used for other events. All of this can be resold with little loss if you are careful. Weight, signs, a table and chair and supplies make up the rest. Your total for the booth is likely to be $2000-4000.

A larger booth needs about double the panels and a much sturdier canopy. The canopy alone will run around $800-$1500. So your total booth will be $4000-8000.

The least costly way to display prints is having prints mounted to Styrene, Sintra or foam board. If you are more serious about your display, choose your preferred material (framed, metal, acrylic, canvas). Do a sample layout and total the production cost for each of those. If you don't already have your stock built up, look well ahead of time for special offers that come out from many of the photography print houses. 

For a simple calculation do this:

Number of 39"wide panels sides x prints per panel x cost per print

Given the lower left booth design and assuming prints on all sides but the back, that would give:

11 panel sides x 2 24x36 prints per panel = 22 prints. 

With tax (you can save on this if you give the lab your resale number) and shipping, these prints would cost about $300 each with many print labs, or $6600 total. 

Subtract approximately 25% for canvas prints or archival paper prints with frames and add 30-40% for acrylic face mounts. If you cover the same amount of wall space your total cost will be approximately the same even if some prints are larger and some are smaller. 

If you are dabbling and need to tiptoe in, look for sales on simple black or dark brown simple gallery frames, forget the glass, buy mats in quantity. But keep the prints large enough that you can get a reasonable price for them. 

Until you know that you are going to stay keep up the program, stay local to avoid hotel fees, and avoid application fees for expensive, juried shows (that you might not get into).