Street Fair for Advertising?

What do you guys think of street fairs? Are they a good idea or a bad idea (as far as trying to gain new business)?

I know the answer will be different for different genres of photography, so just so everyone knows, I am a portrait photographer. Mainly seniors and families.

This is a very part time thing for me, so I am just trying to decide if the amount required to invest in something like this would be worth it. Just to be a vendor at a local street fair (which gets SUPER packed every year) is $130. Then on top of that, I will need to get a table and a canopy to keep my wife and I out of the sun. This would likely cost an additional $75-$150. Then, I need to have prints and frames to display my work which could easily add an additional $50-$100.

I only do photography on the weekends since I recently have been working full-time and am going to be a full time student working on my master's degree in the middle of this month. What do you think. Should I invest in doing something like this, or would the money be better spent advertising in a different way? In total, I am looking at about $255-$380 to sit at a fair so people can see my work and take business cards.

As of now, I am mainly leaning towards the idea that this will be a waste of money, but I just wanted other's input first.

Thank you in advance!!!

Products for farmer's market booth
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1430548

Selling pictures as Fine Art question

There are 2 pretty distinct approaches to these types of events.

Approach 1 - Sell fine art prints. You'll need to have a few prints, some framed, possibly more unframed. You need to have a pretty good catalog of 'stock' like images to get this going, IMO. Local landmarks, colorful images that can be used as decor, etc tend to do best from what I've heard. For something like a farmers market, I would imagine that pricing needs to be in the $10 to $20 range for most prints unframed, compared to higher prices you can ask at things like arts & crafts fairs. You will need to have cash on hand to make change, and definitely should have a method for processing credit cards (Square or otherwise).

Approach 2 - Position yourself as a service provider. Your booth will have some images (that likely won't be for sale), but should show off your best work - wedding images, school portraits, etc. This is a longer tail play, as you won't be collecting any cash or revenue in this approach, but in theory, has higher revenue potential. 1 booked wedding or multiple booked portrait sessions are likely to bring a higher ROI compared to just selling a few prints. This model doesn't require you to accept cash or payment on site, just take down information or hand out business cards for follow-ups.

As you can see, the types of images for each approach are completely different. You need to figure out what your local market is more likely support.

Man, I have this though for a week now as well. I don't want to sell on the spot anything, but beforehand tell via different local channels to come to fair /whis is every saturday/ and "meet your photographer and have a cup of tea". I still need to get prices, though, so who knows. If you decide to do that, make sure to tell us how it went as well!

If you already had a lot of the stuff then the $130 price tag may be worthwhile. However, given that you don't have anything that you need, you will be spending a LOT of money for an event in which most people want to grab trinkets, eat, and drink. BTW, a cheap table and canopy is going to run you at least $150. The usual EZ Up canopies that most people use are $200. Plus tie downs, weights, tables (more than one) plus display racks etc.

Something the street fair might be a worthwhile shot at if you already had the goods would be a photobooth with all the props. Let people come in and pose with stuff for a couple shots and sell them a print they can take home. It is entertaining for people and it goes with the theme of the event.