On Focus Photo update

Today I mailed out 4 vendor applications to local festivals, and if I happen to get accepted to all of them, then it could cost me as much as $2,000 just to pay the booth fees. That is a little bit scary. For $2,000 I could buy a new camera body, or that lens I've been drooling over for years. Or a whole lot of chocolate.

This puts me at 6 festivals at which I have open applications, and there are still 2-4 more I plan to apply to.

Later if you see my photos and wonder how I determined their prices, know these fees definitely factor in. Also, I made a pretty neat spreadsheet that automatically calculates how much I should charge based on materials cost and taxes so I can theoretically someday break even. Do you like how I qualified that?

Of course, this presupposes I'll pass the juries' scrutiny and even make it into the festivals. That is even scarier, the worry that I won't be good enough. For each application I've included pretty good product photos and a price list and a materials description. I've tried to gussy up the presentation as nicely as possible to convince them that I am a consummate professional who will make their festivals look good. Well, I did my best anyway; I'd let me in!

So now I wait -- for them to cash or not cash my checks or charge or not charge my credit card. And in the meanwhile, I'll go home each night and mat my prints and hope for the best. w00t.