Upping the Ante: Jury Photos, Booth Planning, etc. Advice (and encouragement) please?

Hello Everyone!

This is a repeat, as I opriginally posted it in a blog and Larry Berman suggested I post it here. :-)

I found AFI through Google and have been scouring it end to end. I have gleaned so much really useful information, for which I am deeply grateful to you all.

I am a Jeweler and have been doing shows since 2009, all Juried - mostly local (Tacoma, WA area) art fairs like Art on the Ave, Proctor Arts Fest, the Taste of Tacoma's Art a la Carte, etc. I feel like it's time to try for some better shows, which means - I've learned - professional jury photos and a really good booth shot. My booth sucks - good custom-made table covers, but a hodgepodge of cobbled together display pieces, and far too many of them. Horrible, just horrible. I've designed a new booth, done a Photoshop Mockup and done my best with some new photos, using tips I picked up here. Until now, everything has been on a white background, which is good for Etsy. I had neither time nor funds to get photos taken for me before the first few deadlines.

Ever the optimist, I made an album showing the photos I did and submitted to the Bellevue Art Museum ArtsFest. I know it's a huge longshot, the photos probably aren't good enough - heck, the work may not be either - but if it puts me on the mailing list for future shows so I can keep trying, it'll be $40 well spent.

The new booth is in the works - the display pieces on the left are designed, we just need to buy the materials and build them. Where's an affordable place to buy fabric drapes for the walls?

Do these pieces count as a 'cohesive body of work'? They are two different 'lines', but there are similarities and all are meant to represent emotions that are part of the human experience.

Let me have it, please - the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to learn.

Oh, and yes I do know that the booth shot is phony and terrible... but honestly, all the real ones are even worse. Gah. I am hoping for input regarding the design more than anything.

Thank you,

Robin Delargy

Current Jury Photos

Robin, I too think your work is beautiful. It seems that you've found a good combination of creativity + quality workmanship + engaging color to allow you to get accepted in the competitive jewelry category.

Two points: instead of using your old version of photoshop, trying downloading GIMP -- it's a photoshop-like software that's completely free and has served me well. Others might say that Photoshop is superior and you get what you pay for, but if you're tight on funds you might want to give GIMP a try at least temporarily. I think it's easy to use and is frequently updated. The online manual is also easy to understand but beware -- I decided to print out the sections i was most likely to need and it filled two 3" binders. So either be more discriminating that I was or go buy a couple of reams of paper before you start printing.

Second point: I'm confused about the need for a mock-up of your booth. Why not put up your actual booth in the driveway (or garage if you live in the north), work on the arrangement until you like it well enough, and take a photo of that?

Replies

Robin Taylor Delargy March 31, 2014 at 9:47pm

I did my first show of the season on March 22nd, an indoor show that let me set up the day before, so I got to take some pics. Here's my booth with one display cabinet and large-format photos, so I took it from an angle to de-emphasize the side that's still just raised tables. How does it look so far?
- Susan Lowenthal > Robin Taylor Delargy March 31, 2014 at 9:55pm
  
  much much better
- Larry Berman > Robin Taylor Delargy March 31, 2014 at 9:55pm
  
  For jurying I'd shoot towards the other side seeing along the left wall but focusing on the tables. Though the tables will be improved for future shows, that should be the angle the booth picture is taken from. The reason for showing the back and right wall (and only partial left wall) is to make it a right hand bookend in your jury set.
  
  Larry Berman
  http://BermanGraphics.com
  412-401-8100
  - Robin Taylor Delargy > Larry Berman March 31, 2014 at 11:16pm
    
    Ah! If I'd thought of that I would have reversed the layout. Dang. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
    - Larry Berman > Robin Taylor Delargy March 31, 2014 at 11:19pm
      
      Just flip the image horizontally. If you don't have any written information or signs visible in the booth, it'll work.
      
      Larry Berman
      - Robin Taylor Delargy > Larry Berman March 31, 2014 at 11:20pm
        
        D'Oh!!! Why didn't I think of that?
        
        Robin Taylor Delargy > Robin Taylor Delargy March 31, 2014 at 11:28pm
        
        It really does look better flipped. I had to blur the word 'HOPE' on one of the large photos is all. :-)
becky blair February 7, 2014 at 5:25pm

Robin, I was trying to find your message mentioning Photoshop 7 and the absence of shadow filters and cannot find it now! I have Photoshop 7, still using it after more than 10 yrs. You can do shadows with it. I have it on my PC, and I am in FL at the moment and will not be home until next week. I could tell you the exact steps with it in front of me. If you go to Layer Style you can add shadows and control their depth, color, angle, etc. I added some to the photo banners in my booth shot. Best of luck!
- Robin Taylor Delargy > becky blair February 7, 2014 at 9:34pm
  
  Hi Becky,
  
  Yes, but I wasn't talking about drop filters and the like; I gather that the newer versions can bring out details lost in deep shadows and bright reflections.
Karen Holtkamp February 5, 2014 at 4:15pm

Robin, I too think your work is beautiful. It seems that you've found a good combination of creativity + quality workmanship + engaging color to allow you to get accepted in the competitive jewelry category.

Two points: instead of using your old version of photoshop, trying downloading GIMP -- it's a photoshop-like software that's completely free and has served me well. Others might say that Photoshop is superior and you get what you pay for, but if you're tight on funds you might want to give GIMP a try at least temporarily. I think it's easy to use and is frequently updated. The online manual is also easy to understand but beware -- I decided to print out the sections i was most likely to need and it filled two 3" binders. So either be more discriminating that I was or go buy a couple of reams of paper before you start printing.

Second point: I'm confused about the need for a mock-up of your booth. Why not put up your actual booth in the driveway (or garage if you live in the north), work on the arrangement until you like it well enough, and take a photo of that?

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