Tent Photo Shots

     It is that time of year, after the holidays, when I start to apply for my festivals shows.  For me this is my second season.  When I applied to enter shows in my first year, I didn't have a sign made yet.  I took pictures without the sign and applied.  I knew that I needed a sign so I painted one and took a nice picture of my booth at my second show.  
     I learned pretty fast when researching  for shows to apply for in the next season, the nice new sign need not be in the picture!  I'm writing this to help you as a new artist not to make the same mistake,  
so you can be better prepared for your show applications.   
     Every show seems to require something a little different.  Indoor and outdoor booth shots should never have your signage in the picture.  This was my number one mistake.  It is very hard to get a picture to submit for jury if you make this error.  You will have to try to block out your signage in your picture.  This might hurt you in your jury process if it isn't done well.
    The jury judges also like your tent sides to be down when taking the picture.  Some show judges also like a picture of you in the booth tent shot.  This is to prove it is your product line.  They also like if possible for the booth shot to be on grass.  So take several pictures.
     Let me tell you a little story!  My husband is a very patient man and it was a little hard to convince him that I needed a booth shot on this Sunday afternoon.  I needed to set up my entire tent outside and make it look like we were at a  show.  I needed a picture without a sign!
    It was a beautiful, sunny, 40 degree day in November and SNOW was in the forecast.  He agreed, so we set out on this  project that was ahead of us.   It was a great deal of work, he was a great sport, and we took some very nice pictures.  Then in the same day we took everything down and put it all away.  Mission accomplished! 
     We live in New York State and snow can come in the month of October.   I knew when the forecast called for snow, it could be a sure thing.  The next morning when we awoke, there was snow on the ground.  I felt so relieved  and happy that we got that job done, and the pressure was off!  Now I could apply for my next season's show without any apprehension. 
     
                                                             Summary and helpful hints for your photo shots

1.)  Booth pictures on grass, sides down, and no signage.
2.)  Booth shot with you in the booth with your product line.
3.)  Indoor shot should be well lit.  If you use your tent  make sure you leave the canopy off.  This
        is a must, because unless you have electric in your booth, you will look like you are in the dark.
4.)  Make sure your pictures are the correct Mega Bites, (MB).  Different shows ask for different size
        MB's to apply.  If they are to large they will not accept your application.  Each show seems to
        have a different level of MB acceptance. 

    I hope this is helpful to you and makes your application process go smoother!