>>2975226Yes, it's ridiculous. As soon as they start trying to talk shop I know it's never going to be a customer and just a waste of my time. The last thing I want to do at those things is talk about gear.
There are a lot of sources for shows, the biggest one being
zapplication.org. You also apply to the large majority of shows through that website. Other than that it's word of mouth and sometimes your state may have very poorly put together website with a list of shows that mostly contain broken links. Some of the shows still do mail in applications (these can be the best because you don't get 100 photographers applying to them online), and often they are run by a group of old ladies that still don't know what the internet is. Google a tourist town you're interested in and the words "art festival" and you might find something. Zapplication has made it tough for shows, I just got declined from all 7 of the good Texas shows that happen in March through April, so I might not have any significant income until April. These shows used to only get a few hundred apps but now they get 1200 or more and there are only 100-300 spots to fill.
I have a rather small van so I can't carry unlimited stuff. I have a good supply of small matted prints that people can take home that day, but for the bigger stuff I tend to take orders so they get a fresh undamaged print mailed to them in three weeks. This works wonderfully in tourist towns because no one wants to fly home with a 4x5 foot print. Of course if someone wants to take one off the wall they sure can, but I don't have a whole lot of spare inventory.
I'm not a huge fan of metal, but it is VERY popular these days. I do the wood mounts with a laminated low-glare surface. Similar to metal they don't need a frame which people tend to like.
I do editions of 150. Some of the shows require that you do limiteds and I'm hoping that as some of them get closer to the final number there can be a buying frenzy.
