| trench301 |
| (Post Master) |
| 07/27/15 09:18 PM |
First Print Show last weekend
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Worked my first art festival last weekend. Sold $200 worth of small prints in person and took orders for over $300 more to be filled this week. I was really happy with how well the booth looked and I got some great feedback on my images from someone besides my wife and mom, so that always feels nice!
Working another festival in 2 weeks so hopefully that one will be even more successful. Here's a few shots of the setup and one of me and the wife...
Photo by TrenchardPhotography, on Flickr
Photo by TrenchardPhotography, on Flickr
Photo by TrenchardPhotography, on Flickr
Photo by TrenchardPhotography, on Flickr
| chef |
| (Post Master Supreme) |
| 07/28/15 12:02 AM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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Very cool! Good job man, congratulations
| LNXGUY |
| (Post Master Supreme) |
| 07/28/15 05:02 AM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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Right on man, that's killer! Congrats!
| Duc |
| (Post Master Supreme) |
| 07/28/15 06:19 AM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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Originally Posted By: chef
Very cool! Good job man, congratulations
| trench301 |
| (Post Master) |
| 07/28/15 08:21 AM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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Thanks everyone!
Things I learned:
1. I need a stronger tent. The one I borrowed would not support the grid walls I wanted to hang from the crossbeams which is why they're standing up in the back.
2. Large prints draw people in, but small prints sell.
3. Same with the metal prints, I got a ton of complements on those, but at $125+ they may be too spendy for the street fair crowd.
All in all it was a good day. The vendor that was supposed to be right next to mine brought a 12 foot tent for a 10 foot space. They bumped him to the end of the row and shifted everyone else down 1 space which put me righ next to another photographer, which I wasn't happy about. But for all of their fancy custom racks and displays and larger inventory, they didnt sell anymore than I did, so that felt good too.
| Senor Eduardo_82 |
| (Post Master Supreme) |
| 07/28/15 08:54 AM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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Nice job man!
Make sure you have candy to give away to your visitors. They love candy.
| busfare |
| (Post Master Supreme) |
| 07/28/15 09:55 AM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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nice! what sparked you to do this? process of getting a spot (fees/permits?). setup costs? type of people who purchased?
| trench301 |
| (Post Master) |
| 07/28/15 12:25 PM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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@Eddie - Me plus candy = none for visitors.
@busfare - Friends and family encouraged me by buying prints on their own.
For this festival in particular the process was easy. Fill out an app and pay $75 for the day. The next festival I'm working Aug 8/9 was even cheaper $20 for 2 days. Some of the larger shows like Baltimore's Artscape and the Sugarloaf traveling show are more complex. Those are juried and you have to submit photos of your booth and examples of your art, pay a $40 jury fee and then its $600 for the weekend, but the crowds are much larger. Those are my goals for next year.
As for setup costs, I probably have clost to $1,000 tied up in tables, displays, stands, and inventory. The tent was borrowed, but I need to buy one of those, so I'll probably drop another $300 or so before the next show.
As for the people buying, it really was a mixed audience. I had some of the younger people buing the graffiti shot and the Orioles/Ravens stadium shots I have. The older crowd like the flowers and lanscape/scenic stuff. The other photographers I talked to gravitated toward the black and white stuff and the long exposure type shots where they recognize the techniques used.
| **DONOTDELETE** |
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| 07/29/15 02:03 PM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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That's awesome, congrats.
Instead of mounting things on the tent, look at simple stands to hang a grid from. If you have the skills, build your own with poles & bases from home depot.
I've seen some good looking ones for less than $100 in parts.
| trench301 |
| (Post Master) |
| 07/29/15 03:20 PM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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^Thanks man. They sell feet for the grid walls I bought so I may pick some of those up and then just tie them to the crossbeams of the tent for security.
My main issue with expanding will be transportation. Right now, whatever I take with me (inventory, tent, stands, tables) has to fit in the trunk/backseat of a honda civic and a mazda 3. Plus it all typically needs to be set up within 1-2 hours and broken down in the same time or less. I'm not in a position right now to get a bigger vehicle to haul all this around, but if this takes off and becomes a regular thing, the possibility is there.
| ewraven |
| (Post Master Supreme) |
| 07/29/15 10:36 PM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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Congrats on the sales and new venture. Awesome work!
| trench301 |
| (Post Master) |
| 08/09/15 08:22 PM |
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Re: First Print Show last weekend
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2nd show this weekend. $490 in sales. Only cost me $20 for the weekend, so I say we did alright! Had some rain roll in this afternoon, which kept some folks away. Gave out over 100 business cards. Getting a lot of leads from people who want particular shots of things around town, So I'm gonna go get those shot for them and sell them prints. This has been a lot of fun so far!