Fair Warning
At the Fair, but out of the competition.
I was gone for a couple of days and returned home to some pleasant news … and some bad. Let my bad experience be a learning opportunity for the future.
I entered photos in two classes at last year’s Monroe County Fair (and was pleased with the opportunity to exhibit and to garner a couple of blue ribbons). When I prepared images for this year’s fair I went back to the same place to have my prints matted and framed, per fair standards. Assuming my framers would follow last year’s instructions I didn’t pay enough attention to the overall frame size on one photo when I picked it up. It turned out to be a bit oversized when a friend turned it in for me, and, thusly, could not be considered by the judges. I was sorely disappointed to hear the bad news Saturday night as I had spent a lot of time considering how to get just the look the print called for.
The moral of the story? Check and double-check your work and the work you have done for you when entering images in any kind of competition. No matter how many times you or your framing service have done the task at hand, don’t take rules and regulations for granted. Remember the old saw in the building trade: measure twice; cut once. I didn’t this time and it cost me. My image, the one at the top of the post, is a personal favorite and it never had a chance for a prize.
If you attend the fair this week you can see my print, as the fairboard members were kind enough to hang it (but not judge it). When you see it, think of me and my mistake. And vow never to do the same.