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Francine Daveta's winning entry
I run my own photography business and I recently decided to show some of my personal work in an exhibit in New York City to raise my profile within the industry. The photo series called "Patriots' Day" is a project based on Revolutionary War reenactors in Lexington, Massachusetts during the Patriots' Day Celebration that occurs every year in April. With a little creative marketing and event planning I was able to draw a large crowd even during difficult times.
While I was proud to show my portraits in the Big Apple I was disappointed that neither the reenactors themselves nor the townspeople featured in the photography would be able to attend the opening reception. To bring them there in spirit, I openly invited guests to show up in colonial costumes. I used a photo of one the reenactors on a promotional postcard to advertise the event and inspire the invitees. One gentleman even showed up with his own 18th century-style beer mug for drinks! I wanted to serve my guests hors d'oeurves on a limited budget so I stuck with the colonial theme and offered what is traditionally served in Lexington, MA every April 19th after the reenactment display: pancakes! The traditional art opening celebratory drink of champagne was accompanied with a special themed drink: "The (Wild Turkey) Shot Heard 'Round the World". Pancakes for dinner and The Shot Heard 'Round the World turned out to be a hit - everyone seemed to appreciate the creativity put into this entire event. The tongue-in-cheek, colonial theme really put a smile on everyone's faces. I had an impressive turnout for a Thursday night in such a dismal economy. The postcards that I distributed were a huge help in this task. I was able to draw attention to my photography work and build relationships within the New York City photography community thanks to this Patriots' Day event. I even had a New York Magazine photographer show up to cover the reception! Even now, after the reception has ended, I still get compliments from photography directors on how great the photography looks. For those who were able to attend my reception the postcard serves as a nice memento and for those who were not able to attend it is an important reminder of the work that I am doing. The photographs have remained hanging and due to their popularity I have had to return frequently to replenish the stack of postcards. I believe that in a market where photography assignments are being cut out of budgets, this project has helped me stay competitive by raising my visibility within the New York City photography industry. I hope to continue showing my work by using similar marketing promotions throughout 2009 and beyond. |