1. How can I find out what shows are in my area?

There are many different ways to find shows. Contacting the local Chamber of Commerce or local area Arts Council are two of the best. Talking with local art stores is usually effective or contacting local artists directly. Once I have found a show, I like to attend them before setting up as a vendor. I look for other booths similar to mine, look at their presentation and pricing and see how I compare. Talk to the artist and find out how they are doing. Ask what they think about the shows organizer and most importantly, ask if they will be back next year. People don't always tell the truth but you can get a lot of information this way. I also look closely at attendance. Large crowds are not necessary but you need to have a steady stream of people. I also prefer shows that are art oriented as opposed to "craft" shows. While you can do well at craft fairs, it is typically easier to sell art at an art show.

2. When building my booth how important is a backdrop? Are there any special tips for building the booth that you recommend?

Presentation is the key to success. The booth and the way of presenting the images (matting and framing) must be professional and neat. It is not necessary to have commercially made stands and bins for your work, but if they are handmade, they need to look nice. All of my racks and bins for both packaged and framed work are homemade but they are nicely done, stained wood. Covering your racks with material or carpet is popular as well as using pegboard to hang framed prints. Make sure that you have enough room for what you are displaying and that they are easy to move and set up. The biggest tip I can give is to not draw too much attention to your display and let the art speak for itself. Simplicity is key but it must be professional looking.

3. Do you recommend matting prints, framing or both?

I think it is necessary to have both framed work as well as bin (matted) work. The framed pieces are necessary to give validity to the bin pieces and to give the potential buyer a glimpse of what they will look like after they have framed them. Typically I will sell about 10 to 1 packaged work over framed pieces. All of my work is in standard sizes making it easy for people to purchase a frame once they have selected an image. I double mat both framed and unframed in a variety of complimenting colors in hopes of pleasing the largest number of people. I do not recommend single matting prints but I do know some artists who do so.

4. Is there anyway to determine what the best shows are for sales?

Unfortunately this is difficult and if anyone has a secret please let me know! Typically my best sales have come from art only shows as opposed to craft fairs where you are not only competing against other artists but also wooden bird houses, weather vanes and quilts etc... As I mentioned earlier, attendance has a lot to do with sales and if a show is well attended, you have a better chance of selling well. You can also ask the show organizers how past vendors in your genre have sold. If they know they should have no problem telling you. Also attending a show before becoming a vendor is a great idea and can help you position yourself for the next years show.

5. I would think most sales occur at the show, but are there times when customers contact you after the show for the purchase of prints?

Yes, most sales occur at the time but it does happen that someone will contact me afterward to complete a sale that began at the show. It also happens that someone will contact you out of the blue because they saw you at the show but that is a little rarer. As you begin to do more shows and people begin to recognize you that will happen more frequently. Having brochures and business cards available is a necessity as there is always the chance. Each show I have done has resulted in at least one to two "post show" sales.

6. Are you doing your own prints for the shows on an inkjet printer?

Yes, I am printing all images up to 13x19 on an inkjet printer (Epson 1280 and 780) and a local lab does larger prints.

7. Do you use a book similar to an album to show your prints or do you have them displayed?

It is always difficult to know what the hot subject will be at any particular show. It can get expensive and time consuming to have multiple prints of every one of your images in your print series. I have over 75 images that I consider as part of my print series but only about 25 to 30 will make it into any one particular show. This is due in part to area of the country or demographic that I expect to attend the show. To make up for this, I have a book of all of the prints I have available. If someone is looking for something specific, I will let them look through the book and hopefully fill their request with an ordered print. This book is as simple as 5x7 images single matted to 8x10 and placed in a clear sleeve in a binder.

8. Do you take orders or do you have the prints on site for immediate delivery?

99% of all of my sales occur on site. I will occasionally take an order for either a print that I don't have on display or a larger version of one that I am displaying. Make sure that you get paid at least 50% up front to cover the cost of the printing in case the person decides not to pay.

9. How can I keep the costs down when matting and framing my work?

I would consider it very difficult to do art shows and be competitively priced if I did not cut my own mat. I also do my own framing but I buy the frames pre-made and assemble the pieces myself. Due to the high cost of custom cut matting and frame assembly, this is almost a necessity. You can in some areas and on the internet, find mats pre-cut in standard sizes that can be somewhat cost effective, but every penny you spend on materials is just that much more that cuts into your profit margin. I shrink wrap all of my bin work to keep the cost per image lower instead of using the photo bags that most people use. There is the initial overhead for the machine and packaging but the cost per unit is measured in pennies rather than the $.15 to $.80 that a photo bag can cost.

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Les Voorhis Les Voorhis is a nationally published nature and wildlife photographer based in Morrison, Colorado. His photographic career began in 1988 in his home state of South Dakota as a photojournalist. After working for several small town newspapers he soon returned to school to study commercial photography. Upon graduation he began working for a stock photo agency as the photo editor. Always an avid outdoorsman, Les concentrated on producing images of Nature and wildlife and found it was a natural fit.

Les' images have appeared in many national and regional publications including Bugle Magazine, American Hunter, Game and Fish Publications, Colorado Outdoors as well as in several calendars, postcards and advertising endeavors.

We welcome Les as a contributing author and member of our staff! He will be a regular in our monthly lineup of fine articles! You can visit his website at Les Voorhis Photographics