Enjoying Life As A Fine Art Photographer

This past weekend was a busy one for us. From a movie, to a concert, to a baseball game, and finally to one of our favorites, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is one of the premier arts festivals here in America, with 230 exhibitors selected from over 2000 applications. With 13 artistic categories, you’ll see everything from jewelry, to photography. Not only do we enjoy strolling through the booths, but it’s also fun to talk with the artists and hear their stories. I thought I’d share some with you today, and give you some ideas on how to turn your own ideas into a fine art venture.

Sharon Westbrook Fine Art
Sharon works in a variety of mediums, but for this weekend she was showcasing her photography. We enjoyed looking at her view of abandoned buildings, and seeing things from a completely different perspective.

Shawn Ray Harris Photography
One of the busiest booths we came across yesterday belonged to Shawn Ray Harris Photography. As you entered the booth, he provided you with a pair of 3D glasses to view his imagery – and they literally popped into view. Even his business cards were 3D – great use of marketing.

Art By Nemo
I first met @artbynemo via Twitter, and have chatted with him a few times there. So when I saw he made it into the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, I had to meet him in person. Amazing drawings – how do you draw those circles by hand?

A E London
Our daughter has always had two passions: animals and art. So when we met A E London, we knew she could be a great mentor for her. She’s dedicated her life to animals and art, and her work was simply amazing, as well as her story.

Grin and Bark Studio
You can’t walk by a photograph of a baby or a pet and not go “ohhhh”. So this booth was filled with admirers and “ohhhh”s. Ginger DeLater not only is a pet photographer, but she also turns her portraits into fine art. From books and gift products, to fun wall hangings, she has a business that has allowed her to cross over into the portrait and fine art world.

Ever thought about heading into the fine art photography niche yourself? If so, here are a few tips for you.

Find an art festival in your area. Head out and talk to the artists – that’s what they are there for. Ask them questions and find out more about how they got their starts. They don’t have to be photographers – just chat for a few minutes and find out a little bit about their process.

What’s your passion? For Ginger DeLater with Grin and Bark Studio, it was pets. She doesn’t stop with fine art, she also takes portraits along the way. She had a sign up in her booth, and was commissioning portraits for this coming week in our area. What a great way to travel, and combine it with everything you love.

Start working towards your first festival. Find a small one in your area, and work towards being accepted – check out Zapplication for a variety of shows.

How To Succeed At An Arts Fair

After a busy weekend, we attended the annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival in the afternoon. If we’re in town over the 4th of July, we always make sure we spend a few hours there. Cherry Creek Arts Festival is internationally known, and brings in some amazing artists.

So I found a bunch of new artists to follow. Check out these amazing jewelry pieces made from sea glass in Hawaii.  They were beautiful.

Before I get into several of the photographers we found, I thought I would give some tips on things to do if you’re at an art fair. Or maybe more appropriately, things not to do.

As we visited one booth, she had a sign hung near the back of her booth. It said:

No business cards. No brochures. No website.

She should have also put “no business” or maybe “going out of business very soon”.

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Finding Photographers With A Niche

After three days off, and a whirlwind of fun activities, I’m back at my desk. Long weekends are great for rejuvenating, and for finding something to inspire you.

In my last post on Fine Art Photography I mentioned we were off to the Downtown Denver Arts Festival over the weekend. Despite the looming clouds and rain, we spent several hours there on Saturday enjoying the artists and the overall atmosphere (the Nuggets were playing that night, so Downtown Denver was wild!)

As we strolled through the streets visiting the booths, I noticed something that made me realize there is always a way to survive in business. If you differentiate yourself, you’ll draw in the crowd. And you’ll make the sale.

While I loved all of the photographers work, several really stood out to me.

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Fine Art Photography – An Easy Way To Find Your Next Festival

One of the things I love about the summertime in the Rockies is the arts festivals. I know I’m not alone in loving to hit the great outdoors, and walk through some amazing artwork at the same time.

Andrew and I also have a new interest as our future goal is to start building up our own fine art photography business.

So this weekend, we’ll be heading out to Downtown Denver Arts Festival, featuring Colorado artists, and 18 Colorado photographers.

I went to their site just to learn more about the festival, the submission process, and a few other details. And in the process found a great resource to share with you.

The Downtown Denver Arts Festival (and as it turns out hundreds of other arts festivals) use a program called Zapplication.

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