My Biggest Photography Fail

MY BIGGEST PHOTOGRAPHY FAIL

Four years ago I decided to take a leap, well actually a pretty big leap. I applied to be a vendor at the Bijou Market, a local craft fair in Provo, UT and I got in!

So, I got to work.

I REBRANDED.

I got a fancy new logo and look from Emily at Design Fancy. Ontop of that, I switched from blogspot and moved my blog to wordpress. It took me (and my coder husband) HOURS to loearn their new system from scratch and figure out all the quirks.

I OPENED UP AN ETSY SHOP.

Which consisted of more hours behind the computer while my eyes turned into squares

I BUILT MY BOOTH

Family really is the best! My father in law, lots of elbow grease and I whipped this up all in one morning repurposing materials from his garage. 

I PURCHASED PRINTS AND FRAMES.

And I purchased busness cards, display materials, cellophane bags and cardboard to make the prints look fancy. The list goes on. But, everything was ready and leading up to the show opening!

After all the hours and dollars aI invested, I’m pleased to say I sold about four prints. FOUR! And one of those was my Aunt. Man did I ever feel stupid and quite a bit defeated. Why did I think I could do this? Why did I risk our money and invest in this? What do I do with ALL these extra pints and supplies?

Would I ever do a craft fair again? Probably not. Do I regret it? Of course not!

I did something big and brave. I put myself out there, took a chance and I tried. Although I encountered disappointment, I did not let it paralyze me. Failure makes us stronger, more humble and gives us a chance to prove ourselves.

SO, WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS STORY?

First, because hard work is never a waste. All that effort I put into this fair pushed me to develop a new logo, brand and website that I love.

Also, seeing my personal work hung and displayed in my booth made me extremely grateful for my photography journey. For the people who have been my teacher and mentor along the way. For the support and encouragement from the photography community I am a part of.

But overall, it made me want to keep going, keep photographing and that is what I am doing! I have continued to photograph my travels, family and life as I know it.

SO, I figured it is time for me to sell my prints again. But, rather than having a booth at a fair, or a online storefront on a crowded etsy website, I have set up an online gallery on Pic-Time. This gallery included some of my favorite photos. Like the one of the Salt Lake Temple in the clouds or the gondolas in Venice. You can purchase prints, canvases or cards and use them as a gift or a treat toward yourself.

Moral of this story is that I hope when things don’t go quite as planned you can learn, adapt and keep trying until you find your success.