Four x Five Photo Fest 2018 – San Antonio, Texas

Hannah Lashway and a few other photographers had tables at the 2018 Four x Five Photo Fest in San Antonio. They were “vendors” like the person selling photography books, marketing printing services or showcasing cameras. But unlike the others, Hannah and the photographers had guts and bared a little of their souls. They were selling their creations to the public, which can’t be easy.

Selling can be difficult enough but artists seem to have a harder time of it. Beyond the perceived conflict between creativity and commercialism, how does one choose what to sell? Do they worry if they are good enough? Or, if the public is interested in their work? Something I never had to consider.

I did a mental exercise. What would I sell, if I had a table? It’s hard. I’ve fantasized what I would put on display, if I had a gallery showing — but selling things to the public seems even more daunting. It’s one thing to browse works on a gallery wall, but it requires very little commitment, other than some time. Enchanting people enough to part with their money and bring your work home, is perhaps the ultimate compliment for an artist.

Hats off to Hannah and the others who displayed their photographs for sale. You can see Hannah’s work on Instagram.