Blog

Just thought I would share this pix of the Plaza Art Show this last weekend in Kansas City.  I just love the way the tents look all lit up. On the left side you can see the band stage set up on the bridge.  I did not do this show but I am from Kansas and try to attend every year and take it in along with visiting with family.  The weather was beautiful, show was packed with people, lots of great art.  I walked it on Friday nite and again late Sunday afternoon, there was still lots of art left but a few booths were looking preety empty.  Beautiful show in a beautiful setting. 

A sample of Chris' work. See more at ChrisCoffey.com

Who knew when I purchased a kit and tutorial for enameling from Barbara Lewis that it would change my life?  I was looking for a way to stand out in a jewelry crowd and came across her web site Painting with Fire.  I couldn't order the kit fast enough.

The next year she had a book come out that hit #1 on Amazon Torch Fired Enamel Jewelry.  I also got to meet her and her husband at Philly Bead Fest and we became friends.  

Imagine my surprise when she asked me to contribute a piece for her newest book Mastering Torch Fired Enamel Jewelry.  There were only four of us.. and we each were asked to create a piece using the color wheel .. I got complimentary colors.  I had to figure out what colors to use and then what to design.

I used one of my favorite components, vintage leaves I purchased a few years ago from CJS Supply in NYC.  I made a lot of them.  Then I wire wrapped them to a vintage chain and added recycled silk ribbon.

 My reaction to getting my own copy of the book autographed by Barbara reminded me of this scene in one of my favorite movies..

http://youtu.be/-7aIf1YnbbU

Let me give you a little background about how I found this show, and then I will tell you everything about it--it is called giving you guys some real meat that you can digest and then make an informed decision about would it be a good fit for you.

Mind you, I am a photographer, 40 years on the circuit, so much of my info is from a 2-D point of view, but I have lots of 3-D friends and have good perspective on what works for them.

SO, NELS, WHY THE HECK DID YOU PICK THIS SHOW?

It was an open weekend for me, I needed a filler.

Shazam.  This year I did not get back into Saint Louis (was in last year, you can read my blog, it is as informative if not more than Barry's, it is just I don't suck up to the promoter like he does--but, he is a great guy, great artist, he got the right show and made moola).

Heck, I did not get back into the Plaza (been out 5 years now, been in 7 times in forty years).Got juried out of Naperville for the 10th time in a row.  Was number 20 on the wait list for Arts and Apples (fat chance).  Skipped Arts, Eats and Beats (thank God), did Upper Arlington on Labor day, but a one-day show will not pay the bills for the month (read my recent blog about it).  Decided to pass on Ferndale and the Swamp Fest, done em both, had little to show for the effort.

So, I got Neptune (Virginia Beach next weekend, nothing like the June Show).  So I needed a filler, something to help pay the booth and jury fees.

Right now, gotta pay Barry Witt almost $400 for the Jan. Bonita show, had to pay Deland almost $300 for their November show, gotta pay Halifax (Daytona) another $250 for their Nov. show, oh, and I owe Richard Sullivan $400 for the Thanksgiving show in Sanibel.

Then, oh gee, God forbid, if I get into Artigras, Gasparilla, Artisphere, Des Moines, Winter Park, Mt. Dora, Main Street Fort Worth-- they all want their high booth fees in December--the lowest grossing month for art shows all year.  Oh yeah, you just go on a starvation diet and hang out behind Subway and eat their five-day old bread rolls that they throw into the garbage, because who has any money to eat on.

For alcohol, I will  ferment old dried cat food mingled with my leftover mangos and avocados in Ybor.  It is going to be a tight fall, let alone who knows about January.  I already bought Ellen her Christmas present- five shiny pieces of coal--should make a dazzling necklace to offset her beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair.

Yikes!  I just high-jacked my own thread.

Back on subject.

How I found this show.

Connie did a little blog about it.

She does that a lot.  Puts little unknown shows out there--gives us some info, then we can ummmm, should I check it out.

So, I did.

What turned me on was the fact that this was the second oldest outdoor show in Chicago--59 years--so, what is the number one oldest?  I don't know, does somebody know?

Next, I checked out some of the exhibitors from other years, there were a few, very few, that I knew.  So that was hopeful.

Next, I Googled Park Forest, IL (that is the show location).

It did not really tell me a whole hell of a lot.  Got no feel for the ethnic makeup or any demographics.

To me, this looked like a filler show.  If I could take out $1500 I would be happy--it seemed possible.

Then, last week right before the show, I leaked out on Facebook that I had this show scheduled.

Oh, Jeez!  You should have seen the funeral memorials coming in.  The Sterns said, "Are you nuts" (OK, I am paraphrasing Bob, but I know Bob).  Oscar basically said, between the lines , "Good luck, compadre, we will bury your bones on I-80."

Thursday nite at Clearbrook, my go-to restaurant in Saugatuck where I  live in the summer, the bartender looked at me and said, "Nels, are you nuts, it is very dark there, it is Southside Chicago."

I don't do a lot of shows in Chicago, I don't know Northside from Southside from Westside.  I just know that Chicago people don't dig my work as much as the rest of the world does.

I base this on facts, I have done 57th Street, Hinsdale and Amy's Port Clinton--and they were all snoozers.

I go just up the road to Milwaukee, Green Bay or Madison and I kill them.  I think I am way too colorful for Chicago, they need dark and dreary and conservative blick that has been done 100s over.

JEEZ! Are you finally going to tell us about the show?

You betcha.

First off, I recommend this show to you if you live within about 150 miles from it.  Also, traditional, conservative work will sell best.

There.  That is some powerful meat, chew on it.  It is more than most bloggers on this site ever give you--and, there is more coming.

Park Forest is just over the Indiana border into Illinois.

Coming from the east, like me, you use I-94-80.  Connect on I-57 go south ten miles, go east on Route 30 about 10 miles, turn right, go south on Western Blvd. and you are there.  There is  a big shiny archway that proclaims downtown Park Forest.

I found a Red Roof on the CLC card for $39 per nite in Lansing, which is just north and slightly east of the show (about 20 minutes away if you drive 75 mph) right off I-80 at Torrance Road.

The booth fee is $175.  Yep, you read that right--$175.  This aint no Amy Amdur show--thank God.

They give you a breakfast each day, bagels, OJ, coffee and fruit.

They give you a hell of a Saturday nite artist dinner--where awards are announced.

This year, we had appies, cheeses, fruit, four kinds of wine and crackers.

Than came the meal.

They had four kinds of Chicken there, roasted baked, fried and yummy.

They had great collard greens, great green beans, great potato sale, great tomato-cucumber salad--they had cornbread.

They had meatballs, they had pork.

They had five different desserts.  You could come back for seconds, thirds and even fourths, and I might have seen a fifth go out the side door.

They kept the wine a-flowing.

They were the nicest people (the gallery-committee) you ever ask to be next to.

ENOUGH ABOUT FOOD, TELL US ABOUT THE SHOW.

Thought you never ask.

Well, I came in a day earlier (It is a Sat. morn setup) to check it out.

A lot of closed storefronts on the main street where the show is.  Easily can fit 100 booths along it and on the grass in front of the gallery.

Not many people walking around.

I was getting a real uneasy feeling about the whole thing.

I happened to bump into a shop owner and asked her about the show--and, did anybody show up for it.  She assured me that people came from all over for it.  That made me feel a little better.

Next morn I got there early and was setup in no time.  Others were too.  All the booths were nicely spaced with plenty of room for storage and room to display on both sides.  What a concept!

The forecast called for rain to happen on and off all day, better than 60% chance of wetness.

It was mostly cloudy, we finally got rain at 2:30, it poured hard for about 30 minutes than cleared, so did the buying crowds, they were gone.

So, before the rain people were selling, mostly lowed price points.  I did almost nothing.

I was thinking of tearing down Sat. nite and leaving.  Thank goodness I did not.

Sunday morning, we awoke to clear sunny and very breezy skies.  It was frisking cold too.  But no rain was forecast.

People arrived early and started buying.  I surpassed Sat. sales totals in my first hour.

Everybody had a good day.  People came from all over.  Many of the exhibitors are long timers at this show.  Many have done it for 20 years or more.  So they have a steady following.

I had A MODEST GOAL THAT I HAD SET FOR MYSELF FOR THIS SHOW.  AFTER ALL, IT WAS A FILLER.  ALSO CHICAGO PEOPLE DON'T BUY A LOT OF MY WORK. (Ach!  I did not realize the caps key was lit, forgive me).

I am too colorful and too tropical for them.  They buy tried and true traditional themes here, over and over.

Anyways at show end, a woman walks into my booth, looks at my biggest piece and says, "That would look perfect on my living room wall."

She then told me that her husband was a photographer and he had a booth at the show too.  

I figured, fat chance of selling to her.  She said she had to talk it over with him and she would get back to me.  I said, "Aloha,"  I will never see her again.

She showed back up in five minutes and uttered those magic words, "I will take it."

Ha!  Oscar, I made my goal.  I was out of there in under an hour.  Take the money and run, all the way back to Saugatuck.

I met the nicest people there, exhibitors and patrons.  It was a joyful little show.

You might want to try it sometime.

Gotcha! I know our plan was always to keep doing shows and then fall dead out of the chair at an art fair (actually, I know a couple of people who did just that), but if you don't believe that the Internet is your retirement plan, look no farther than this website and my others.

I took our mailing list from doing art fairs for over 25 years and turned it into a business when we could no longer do shows. You can do that too.

Our podcast Is Email Marketing the Answer? The Experts Weigh In is full of the answers.

You've got your website. People can find you online. Shows can link to it and patrons can shop before and after the show. What's next?  Email marketing

Our guests Mckenna Hallett (able to live in Hawaii and earn a living selling her jewelry around the world) and Scott Fox (an online marketing expert and host of ClickMillionaires.com an entrepreneur coaching community) are passionate about using email marketing as the prime tool for staying in touch with your audience of potential buyers. 

Learn why Scott calls your email list "the artist's retirement plan" plus:

• what email marketing is and why it is important for your business
• best tips for building an email list
• services available to help you use email marketing
• integrating your website with email marketing
• nuts and bolts of those emails

Get cracking, folks. You won't be able to put up that tent forever.

My husband and i have been doing art fairs for 4 years now, and always try to be carefully strategic as to where to put our check out counter and cash area to ensure it is accessible only to us.  And until yesterday it was a great strategy.  Neither of us are certain how, but believe that it was toward the last minutes of the show that someone got in and took all of our $20 bills from below the till.  i am certain this was while i was distracted to the front of the tent by one customer, and my husband was pulling the vehicle up behind to begin the load out.  I shared our story with some of my friends who are fellow artists, and have had a variety of responses for how they handle cash.  The majority have indicated either an apron, fanny pack or some sort of bag that fits snug to the body.  I would love to hear your thoughts on how you handle cash.  I feel like such an idiot that i must have left up my guard for just a moment or two.  The only other explanation is that my neighbor has light fingers... because i expected her to be at the back of her booth, and thought nothing of seeing her close by.

So this is a small fair in Adrian, Michigan. It's in it's eighth year. This year was my first year doing this show. My sales were not all that spectacular. I did just $487.50 at the two days at this fair. I was hoping to hit the $500 mark, but organizers decided to cut the fair short on Saturday because of impending storms. The call was made about 6:30 PM. The show was supposed to run until 8 PM. And we had a severe thunderstorm roll through the fairs while we were packing down.

But the news is not all that bad. September has been the highest month in sales outside of July this year. Thanks to Funky Ferndale! And my new Flourish Trimline tent survived the storm. It did shake violently when the big gust of wind came through at the start of the storm. My artwork stayed dry because I placed it on my table inside the tent. But a little river of water was going through the tent. All that heavy rain. 

But there was a lot of EZ-Ups at the fair. Those tents did not survive the wrath of the storm. My Trimline has just been to three fairs up to this point. All September shows (Mundelein, Illinois, Funky Ferndale and Art-A-Licious). I'm glad I decided to ditch my EZ-Up and go with the Trimline. Even with the stay-bars, I don't know if it would of survived that storm.

But the volunteers there were great! Restroom breaks and they even helped my take my tent down in the rain. Kudos to them!!

The wrath of the storm...

What do you carry?  What would you recommend?  Cost vs benefit?  Also, do you pack up every night or only when weather is an issue?  

This is my very first year showing my work (fine art and modern art re-imaginations on furniture) and overall has been pretty successful. Sure, there are great shows and then there are the disasters. After one particularly bad show, a friend of mine sent me this:

Sometimes people, even well-meaning people, say just the wrong thing to artists and crafters, especially at shows and festivals. So we asked our Facebook followers to tell us the top things not to say to an artist or crafter, and we got some great responses!

10 Things Not to Say to an Artist or Crafter

10. “I’ll just get my friend to make me one of those.”

9. “You know what you should make . . . ”

8. “Do I get a price break if I buy two?”

7. “I can make that myself.”

6. “Why does it cost so much?”

5. “How do you make this?”

4. “Will you donate your artwork to our event? We can’t pay you, but it will be great exposure.”

3. “My nine-year-old makes this kind of stuff too.”

2. “Kids, this is what happens if you don’t go to college.”

1. “I can buy that at Walmart for $3.99.”

I can't even tell you how hard I laughed... mostly because I have heard at least 9 of these over the year. I hope you get a chuckle out if it as well!

Last weekend was the Atlanta Fine Arts Festival in Piedmont Park in the middle of downtown Atlanta. There is no better place for a show- it's a beautiful, very welcoming park that is used daily by many in Atlanta. The show is laid out in a large circle on one side only so nobody has to compete with the artist's across for them.

There were about 200 artists this year. Load in is done very well with a specific time and a police escort. you have an hour to unload and park elsewhere and come back to set up. It was brutally hot on Friday at 1p.m. I think it was the hottest load in I have had all summer. I kept gulping down gatorade and sitting in my car to cool off...if anyone ever doubted that you can get real heat stroke/exhaustion from setting up at theses shows beware...it can happen.

I put everything in the tent and closed it up and went back to the hotel to get a shower and cool down. By the time I got there my face was bright red and my eyes were swollen shut from the sun. I thought I was being being careful, wore sunscreen...I even had one of those blue towels to bring your temp down....just goes to show you...it happens fast. But hey, I was fine.

The next morning I got up early to set up and it was overcast and misty. It rained a bit but it was just gloomy and humid....the crowds were not on our side. I really like doing this show...it's well run, they bring you lunch ( although a few more runs of cold water would be great) The crowds were light....last year their were a lot more people.. Chalk it up to rain forecasted by the news media...they laid it on thick andI think it really hurt the show.

Then on Sunday...same thing happened...overcast, chance of rain that never materialized but it stopped the crowds from coming out. It also was a Georgia Tech football weekend and various other colleges in the ares...who knows. I do know that I made double last year what I made this year and the crowds were double too. I was around wonderful artists that were a pleasure to hang with.

One, that was an acrylic painter sold one very large piece which was enough to make her show sweet. The jeweler next to her did dismally (unusual huh?) and the painter next to me did about as well as I did. I covered expenses and a bit more but the crowds trickled through and that was the reason.

Load out is as well organized as Load in and with the addition to section master's ( shout out to Donovan who was an incredible help!), I was back on the road in less than two hours. Will I do this show again? Yea, maybe it was an off year...this whole summer has been kind of off for me anyway (Spring on the other hand, was great) so, one rainy weekend won't keep me from returning.

It's a pleasure to do this show and it's one of the three shows I will do anymore in Atlanta( +Dogwood & ACC)....which has been overrun by a bunch of shows by one promoter in the last few years. Anyway...up and onward.....pray for no rain.

So my van, Fully Loaded from the last show, got stolen.  So, Inventory, Display, Tent, ETc, ETC Etc.  

Yes, thank you very much for your sympathy.  I DO appreciate it.  I'm moving on.  OH but CHECK your INSURANCE, mine covered the Van, but none of the stuff.................

So how do you feel about, Gofundme, CERF, etc in this kind of situation?  I mean, Pots are cheap, and it was production stuff not Fine Craft.  But it will cost me 2-3 shows worth of income, to replace the booth and stuff.  And I'm not swimming in Capital... ;-)

1/2 of me is, "Buck up buddy, get over it and get back to work".  The other 1/2 is "Well shoot, that's why those programs exist".  

Is my emergency enough of an emergency?  Compared to Studios burned to the ground?  Or the potter at the last show, who didn't take down her shelves and lost 1/2 her stock?

Really looking for opinions.  

Try not to hijack into Insurance, though I would love a thread on that. ;-) ;-) ;-)

Here is my proposal, for consideration by all of you, on how to change the behavior of promoters with respect to collecting and releasing data that would actually be useful to artists and crafters.  This thread is a continuation and evolution of the thread I started called “How can this be?”.

I propose that we as a group write an open letter to all art fair promoters, and post that letter on this site, with Connie’s permission, of course.  While many promoters will probably come to this site to see it, any of us would be allowed to print the letter and send it to whichever promoter we choose. The letter would be from the full AFI community (all 11,000 of us).  The letter would ask the promoter to collect and release data in the three areas we discussed in the previous thread, i.e.  (1) revenues per art and craft category, (2) attendance, and (3) ad buys.  The promoter would be asked to collect and release the data in a way that artists and crafters applying for his or her show could readily see (e.g. in the ZAPP write-up, etc.).

Promoters who meet any of the criteria in the letter would receive publicity on this site.  Any one of us could nominate a promoter who is in compliance, and they would go on a “best practices” list to be maintained here.  Promoters who meet one of the criteria would be awarded 1 star, those who meet two 2 stars, the those who meet all of them 3 stars.  Promoters would be allowed to mention these “AFI community best practices” stars ratings in their promotional literature and write-ups.

We also might want to do some things, at least initially, to give some recognition to those promoters who have the most stars.

I think this is a low-cost, low effort approach that could be a hugely beneficial to all involved, including the artists, crafters, promoters and patrons.

Whada ya’ll think?

November 21-23

The 4th Annual Mistletoe Market on St. Simons Island is produced by Glynn Visual Arts, the premier visual arts organization in southeast Georgia's "Golden Isles."  As a result of amazing growth in this fun and exciting festival, we have moved the Mistletoe Market to Postell Park, directly across the street from the Glynn Visual Arts Center.  This much anticipated kick-off to the holiday season in Coastal Georgia features a varied selection of creative works by approximately 70 artists and crafters.

St. Simons Island is one of four barrier islands on the Georgia coast, midway between Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville, FL, including Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island.  

Postell Park was re-designed a few years ago and laid out specifically to accommodate events like this.  The one square block setting is located under majestic live oak trees, with the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred yards away, creating a unique ambiance.  

This year, as a result of the dynamic new partnership between Glynn Visual Arts and the Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau, there will be more activities than ever before! In addition to the focus on creative art and quality crafts, the park will be turned into a coastal winter wonderland, complete with decorations, lights, 

One artist recently wrote:  "First show ever when I was sorry to see 5 o'clock arrive.  I'm usually hanging around waiting for the end of the day.  This time it came too quickly." 

Another artist stated:  "Everything was done well-it's our favorite show to do."

Portland, OR - August 28 & 29, 2014 
The Zapplication conferences always start off with a keynote speaker whose message extends beyond the art fairs. This year it was Russell Willis Taylor*, whose general message was, "we live in a world where the pace of change is only getting faster, yet some things, such as the enduring value of art and the unique role that artists play in our society, has not changed much in more than 2000 years. The Arts make life worth living."

Two days of speakers and workshops ensued. About 100 artists and show directors from across the country attended. Bev Ringenburg from the Cedar Key Arts Festival came the farthest. But show directors were there from S. Carolina (Artisphere), a bunch from Texas, from across the Midwest and many from the West Coast.

Here they are, the two women who manage the ZAPP system and make sure all runs smoothly for you: Christina Villa, ZAPP manager and Ruby Montana, ZAPP Program Associate.

How many show folks can fit in the elevator? On the left Bev Ringenburg, artist Kathleen Eaton, Sara Shambarger from the Krasl Art Fair and Mo Riley from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair ...

On the left (who can help me out on her? Definitely a show director) and on the right Jenny Wright from The Woodlands Waterway Festival in Texas

Probably the most anticipated part by artists is the Public Portfolio Critique where a panel of professionals critique jury images submitted by participants

Experts presented useful information including:

• Barry Fell: Problem Solving for Events and Strategic Media Planning
• Chris Dahlquist: The Growth in the "Maybes"
• Alyson Stanfield: Websites that make sense and How to charge more money for your artwork
• ZAPP Symposium moderated by Stephen King/Des Moines, a thought-provoking session for discussing larger themes, including those in the greater arts and culture field
• Eve Connell: Content Matters, The Art of Pitching Messages and Effective Interpersonal Communication
• Creating an Art Fair Experience, presented by Patrick Flaherty/Broad Ripple Art Fair and Carla Fox/Art in the High Desert

Connie Spickelmier and Jean Schaffer from the Creative Arts League of Sacramento and Terry Adams from the Cherry Creek Arts Festival

Kelly Smith Cassidy (artist and Tahoe Art League) and Erin Hartz from Chicago's One of a Kind Show, in the background Brad Anderson and Grace Peterson from the Salina, KS, Arts & Humanities Commission

Artist Alyx Morgan who won a free pass to the conference in the AFI Birthday Party Pledge Drive.
Great to meet you, Alyx!

Many show directors: Sara Shambarger/Krasl, Patty Green from Clute, TX (starting a new show there in 2015), Kerry Murphy/Artisphere, Mo Riley/Ann Arbor Street, Bev Ringenburg/Cedar Key, Liz Runforff Smith/Artisphere and ??

*Russell Willis Taylor's presentation was exciting and thought provoking. In need of a good book to read? She recommends Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future.

The initial post about this article got over 1700 views on AFI, without having the article to read. Now that I have permission from Sunshine Artist to put it on my web site, I want to distribute it as widely as possible.

A link to the article on my web site with example booth pictures I've taken:
http://bermangraphics.com/blog/photograph-your-booth/

A link to download the article which can be printed out and distributed by artists and art show staff:
http://bermangraphics.com/files/how-to-take-booth-picture-larry-berman.pdf

The full article

The importance of a good booth picture
How important is the booth photo? Besides the artwork images, the booth image can easily make or break an artist's career doing art shows by keeping you out of even the shows that are considered easy to get into. Some artists spend a great deal of money having their artwork photographed but don't even think of improving their booth picture until they start an application, if they even think about it at all. Like the art images, the booth image needs to be read easily without causing the jurors to spend even an extra second understanding exactly what they're seeing. They should glance at it, consider it professional looking, and then spend their time evaluating your artwork images. For the shows that project the images, the jurors are seeing all the images simultaneously for not more than 20 seconds and sometimes closer to 10 seconds. If you don't think that the booth image is that important, attend an open jury and view your competitor’s images, or attend a mock (image evaluation) jury and listen to the critques of the jurors.

Tips on how to take a good booth image
The best place to photograph your booth is not at an art show where you don't have control over the environment or the weather. It's better to set it up for the picture at home on an overcast or cloudy day so there is even lighting and no sun streaks which might draw the juror's eyes. Make sure not to have any signs, identification, ribbons and especially no people in the booth picture. I've seen booth pictures with so many people in the booth that you couldn't tell what they were selling. When asked why, the artist told me that they thought to have a better chance of getting in if their artwork was popular. I've also seen pictures of an empty canopy because the artist didn't understand that they actually had to show their artwork in the booth picture.

Setting the booth up
The canopy must be white and all three walls need to be seen in the picture. The sides of the canopy need to be in place so there is nothing distracting showing through the booth to draw the juror’s eyes. You can shoot two walls from a corner but still need to see along the third wall to satisfy the three walled booth picture requirement. The last thing you want is to be forced to create different booth pictures for each application. The floor must be clean of debris and leaves or put down a carpet.

Arranging the artwork
If you’re photographing 2D work it’s best to take the glass out of the frames to eliminate reflections before shooting. If you have multiple pieces on each wall, line up the tops of pieces on the top row so they are all at the same top height around the booth. It makes the booth look more professional and enables the juror’s eyes to flow. And a symmetrical looking booth reads easier and looks more professional. If you use bins to display unframed art, make sure to include bin(s) in the booth picture. The booth picture needs to be representative of how your booth will look at a show. If you’re photographing 3D work and are using tables, consider hanging large photographs of your pieces to take up wall space and make the booth look fuller. Think of it as a way to show the jurors additional jury images. If you use tables with covers, make sure the covers are wrinkle free. Consider using pedestals or desks from Pro Panels or Armstrong Display. Or at least raise your table height to approximately 40 inches. If posible, don’t have objects overlapping from the camera position and make sure everything in the booth faces the camera. Consider the camera position as the juror’s perspective, not how you normally set up the booth. If your booth contains mirrors, make sure that they aren't a source of distraction when the booth is viewed by the jurors. If your mirrors are for people to see themselves when trying on accessories or clothing, remove the mirrors from the booth prior to taking the picture. If you're selling mirrors as part of your artwork, either position them to control what they reflect or (what I do in the booth pictures I edit) use Photoshop to drop a gradual gradient onto the glass.

Setting the camera
Use a tripod. It eliminates camera movement and it's the only way to check object placement from the camera angle before you shoot. Follow these basic suggestions on how to set your camera for maximum image quality. Lowest ISO and stop down the lens for maximum depth of field using either Aperture Priority or Manual exposure settings. The tripod will compensate for the longer shutter speed. If possible set your camera to Auto Bracket at one stop intervals. That will give you three exposures for each picture, one lighter, one darker and one what the built in meter thinks as accurate. When using Auto Bracketing, some cameras require taking three pictures and some automatically take three each time you release the shutter. Slightly darker images edit better than lighter images. It's easier to bring out detail in the darker areas than to put detail back into areas that are too bright.

Taking the picture
Do not use a cell phone camera. They loose detail in the highlights which can't be recovered. Understand that no matter what camera you use, your image will still need editing for it to be accurate. Shoot wider than the canopy so the walls can be squared up before the image is cropped. Shoot the back and right wall seeing along the left wall to satisfy the three wall booth rule. The back and right wall booth picture acts as a right hand book end in your image set when the images are projected. That makes it a natural movement for the jurors eyes to flow back into your image set. Leaving the tripod in position, take the memory card out and pull the images up on the computer. Take note of everything that can be changed to improve the picture. Go out and make the changes, shoot again and check again on the computer. If you’re working remotely with a friend or consultant, ask for feedback by sending the pictures while you’re shooting, not after you break the booth down.

How I shoot a booth picture
I prefer to set up my tripod so that the camera sits approximately 56 inches from the ground. I use a camera with a 28mm wide angle lens. If leveled properly, there is no distortion. And using 28mm, I can shoot from a short distance in front of the booth, especially useful if it's at a show with narrow isles. I also carry something that can be held over the lens (which acts like a lens hood) to prevent stray light from hitting it and causing flare in the picture.

Summary
A good display picture is not easy and it takes time to get it right. If the jurors are distracted and waste even a second or two noticing something out of place, you might be losing 10% of the time they are looking at your work. Be careful of an overly bright white canopy because it's human nature that our eyes are drawn to the brightest part of an image or brightest image in a presentation. Crop most of the white canopy top off and crop in tight on the sides. They only need to know that it's an outdoor picture under a white canopy and need not see the entire top to understand.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Funky Ferndale 2014

This year the show started at 3 on Friday. Set up begins at 7am. I know Mark has parking but we don’t utilize it – for the last 5 years we have pulled a travel trailer. We google map our shows all over the country because I get place to park anxiety…  I find businesses closed on the weekends, call & ask if we can park in their lot. We do this for this show 1 block from the booth. It’s very convenient for us, my husband has a total knee replacement.

Set up at this show is always smooth, we usually show up at 8:30am - you can drive to your space. We bring a dolly but haven’t needed it this summer. This show is “a you never know” show. You have to bring all levels of inventory. We have had the same spot for a few years and that’s because Mark Loeb is so kind to allow us to ask for the sun. In our current place the sun shines through the glass so pretty in the afternoon and all evening. That we have found increases our sales.

For the Clay, Glass & Metal show I found my spot on Google maps, saw it was COMPLETELY in the shade after 2pm. 3 days before the show, I emailed Mark after realizing where my spot was, and asked for a different spot in a specific area of the show. He, again, is not only a promoter of his shows but a fan and promoter of the artist.

He immediately found me a new wonderful space and I had a phenomenal first show! He has repeatedly never gave me “oh she’s asking for special treatment again” attitude or anything like that. That’s my fault for loving glass and the light pouring through it. We are site specific. But Mike & I appreciate him for his flexibility. Goes to show, you just got to ask even if you annoy (even though it didn't annoy him!) because it’s your bottom line.

Friday right out the get-go we sell a $475 piece. 3-8 on Friday we moved a bunch of work. Most with the $25-$60 price range, but also happy to have brought a few bigger pieces. There is a show across the street too of a street style – such a fun show to walk around and have in conjunction with the Funky. We were there 2 hours before the show started on Saturday morning to get ready – it was really cold & windy crowds were slow, but we had another steady sales day. It just goes to show you don’t need Ann Arbor crowds to have steady sales. Long as they buy’in!

Saturday night had customers until we closed the booth with most giving “uuuuh, your closing, buuuut we juuuus got here” we close up. Tell them to come back Sunday. Sunday was noon to 5. We opened up our booth 2 hours before to clean up and get ready – sales started soon after Mike had everything set up, it was before noon we had our first sale.

Mark Loeb had a breakfast for artists that morning that was nice I heard. We don’t go to stuff like that – we get up late and eat in the trailer with coffee & Rick Steves. Mark Loeb also had his crew come around and hand out waters throughout the day. I handed out Funky Ferndale flyers before the show and my square said I had %15 return customers.

There was tons of press, the news was all over the place, which we were not on! We had incredible sales right up until the show closed, actually our best Funky in 7 years. We pack up everything in our booth, zip up the walls of a boxed up booth, grab a Chicago pizza, get out of the way and go have a picnic at the trailer. Headed back at 7:30, took down with everyone down around us so we parked easily and that took 20 minutes. We pull out of our parking place in Ferndale with our 26ft trailer & slept at the Wal-Mart in Fowlerville. 

The August show reviews are in and the survey has chosen Nels Johnson's post about his nostalgic trip to the Uptown Art Fair as "post of the month" -- yet, as we all know it is dangerous out there -- follow the exploits of Nels, Bill McLauchlan and Melanie Rolfes as they escape the "jowls."

(I would have included our 4th reviewer Megan McKinnon but did not have an image of her -- hey, Megan, send me a photo!)